Mdina, Dingli cliffs and Blue Grotto in a day

Getting to Mdina from Valletta and getting around the area

The journey between Valletta and Mdina is fairly simple. You just have to go to Valletta’s central bus station, near the Triton Fountain. The (direct) journey takes about 35-40 minutes, with buses 51, 52 or 53. The bus drops you very close to Mdina, in Rabat (Ir-Rabat stop). From there, you can cross Howard Gardens to arrive in front of Mdina’s main gate.

From Mdina, we decided to head to the Dingli cliffs. So we took bus 201, whose stop is on the left as you come out of the old town. The bus runs along the sea from the small town of Dingli onwards. The first stop, “Maddalena”, lets you see the Chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene in Dingli. We chose to get off at the “Cliffs” stop to admire the view over the cliffs. The bus stop is lost in the middle of nowhere, on the only road that runs along the cliffs.
To visit this corner of Malta, we recommend taking a car, because in the middle of summer, walking along the road is very tedious, even impossible in a heatwave.

From Dingli Cliffs, we went to Blue Grotto. Bus 201 stops at “Mundu”, about a fifteen minute walk from “Dingli cliffs panoramic view”. The journey between Dingli cliffs and Blue Grotto takes about thirty minutes.

Mdina

We truly fell in love with Mdina, which seems frozen in time. The town is very well kept and restored: it reeks of wealth! The citadel is quite small but you really need half a day to explore all its nooks and crannies.

The ramparts

Mdina is surrounded by big ramparts which you can discover from the outside, by walking around the town. Inside, you have to head towards “La Medina” (shown on Google as a park) to admire the view from the fortified town. The surroundings of Mdina are quite barren and nothing exceptional: you can nevertheless see the sea in the distance.

The cathedral

The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Mdina is impressive for its height and its ochre-coloured stone. Visiting the inside of the cathedral costs money, we chose not to go in and to enjoy its exterior architecture!

The facades

Mdina’s charm undoubtedly comes from its large manor houses, with their flower-covered facades. The perfect place for pretty photos! Absolute calm and a certain serenity reign there, which make you feel good. We were most often alone in Mdina’s little streets, because most tour groups gather around the cathedral and the town’s main square.

Dingli cliffs

In front of the “Cliffs” stop on bus 201, there is a lovely spot where you can admire the Dingli cliffs without taking too many risks. We got there in the middle of the afternoon and the sun was beating down hard (you should know there is no shade at all along the cliffs!). The vegetation is completely scorched by the sun’s rays; only the cacti along the road survive.

We then followed the cliff road to reach the panoramic viewpoint, about a twenty minute walk from there. The view from the point is spectacular. We could see the cliffs on either side, always with the sea in the background.

Blue Grotto

We arrived at Blue Grotto in the late afternoon. The bus dropped us right in the little village, just next to Ta Sciuta Tower, a defensive tower. Just before you reach the jetty and the swimming spot, there are pretty landscaped gardens as well as a panoramic terrace.

Down below, you can swim in the clear waters of Blue Grotto. Numerous ladders make it easier to get down into the sea (there is even a shower to rinse off after your swim!). So we put our things down on the rocks and took the chance to cool off after the long walk on Dingli Cliffs. You can also swim a bit further along, in the little harbour.

We couldn’t do the boat tour of Blue Grotto because you should know that the ticket office closes at 5pm, even in summer! The trip costs 8€ for adults. So try to get to Blue Grotto in the morning, or in the middle of the afternoon if you want to go out on a boat.

Our favourite spots in Mdina

• Coogi’s restaurant: a really lovely spot in the heart of Mdina, with a beautiful terrace under the vines. The dishes are very good, at decent prices, with lots of vegetarian options.
• Fior di Latte: very good ice cream on Mdina’s main square (2.50€ for the small tub with two flavours).

What we thought of Mdina and its surroundings

We really liked the old town of Mdina, the charm of its little streets and the beauty of its architecture. As for the Dingli cliffs, we only saw a small part of them, because it is almost impossible to explore them without a car. Finally, even though we enjoyed swimming in the waters of Blue Grotto, we would have liked to take a boat trip there (next time, no doubt!).
We recommend stopping at least half a day in Mdina then heading towards the Dingli cliffs, if it isn’t too hot, and carrying on to Blue Grotto for a traditional boat trip.

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