In 2005 Air Malta (0845 345 6045; www.airmalta.com) flies daily to Malta's airport, Luqa, from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester; fares start at £200. It also operates several times a week from Birmingham and Glasgow. In addition, the airline runs a low-cost service, Fare 4U, which flies three times a week from Stansted;  and also Cologne Germany. Only three carriers operate a flight at the same time all 7 days of the week

• Luftansa flies 7 days/week  from Frankfurt Germany 
• Alitalia flies 7 days from Malpensa, Italy
• GB AIRWAYS 7 days from London Gatwick.
• Also noteworthy are
• MAERSK AIR from Copenhagen
• SCANDINAVIAN SAS from Stockholm 
• EMIRATES from Dubai
• LIBYAN ARAB AIRLINES  from Tripoli Tunisia

Mainland Europe has the best access to Malta. Air Malta has flights between the main island and a host of other European cities. It also has flights between Malta and Cairo, Dubai, Damascus and Tunis. Other carriers with services to Malta include Alitalia, KLM, Lufthansa, Swissair and Tuninker.

BUS: Airport Connections
ROUTE 8 First dep. in the morning to the airport at 6.00am from Valletta & vice versa every 20 mins. till 9.00pm.
ROUTE 39 At 9.30pm and 10.00pm.
ROUTES 32, 34, 35 Fm 6.00am from Valletta & vice-versa every 15 mins. till 10.00pm passes near Airport outskirts. http://www.atp.com.mt/

GOZO CONNECTIONS:
A regular ferry service links Cirkewwa on Malta and Mgarr on Gozo, taking about 20 minutes each way. There's also an irregular ferry service between each island and Comino.

Bus to Gozo Ferry From Valletta:
ROUTE 45 From 5.30am till 9.00pm, every 15mins.
Bus to Gozo Ferry From Sliema & Bugibba:
ROUTE 48, 645
From 8.00am till 7.45, every 20mins. http://www.atp.com.mt/ 

Gozo Helicopter Service by google
There is also from 8 to 20 helicopter flights a day to Gozo from the Malta Airport.  

Inland offers some unique places, from ancient farmhouses clad in bougainvillea and jasmine to the splendours of baroque palaces with wonderful gardens but most want to enjoy the many hotels built near beaches

www.holiday-malta.com

mymaltaguide.com

www.maltahotel.net

www.malta-hotels.com

www.visitmalta.com/en/where_to_stay  

Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 Summer time commences on the third Sunday in March and lasts till the third Sunday in September.

Electricity: 240V ,50Hz thirteen amp, Three phase is also available in many areas.
The wall sockets are three-pin, flat rectangular sockets like what is found in Great Britian. Bring a converter for your hair dryer and check your electronic devices for dual current capability.
Weights & measures: Metric

Telephone: Overseas calls may be made to all parts of the world. The dialing code for outgoing overseas calls from Malta is "00" followed by the countries' code. The two mobile phone systems utilise a GSM network. Malta has international roaming agreements with many European countries for the use of GSM technology phones. Dialing Code: 356

Age of consent for both heterosexuals and homosexuals is 16. You can drink alcohol at 16 but you must be 18 years old to drive

Driving is on the left. The speed limit is 65 kilometres per hour on the main roads and 40 kilometres per hour around Victoria, the island's capital.   Locals claim it takes just an hour and 20 minutes to drive around Malta's main island. There is ZERO tolerance for any drinking and driving. That said, driving in Malta can be challenging for visitors, the local's driving habits,  combine the worst of Italian driving with narrow, twisty roads and fairly poor road maintenance.

HEALTH: The main health risk in Malta is the fierce sun in the summer, which can scorch unsuspecting tourists in less than 30 minutes. Apply sunblock liberally.

DRESS: Malta is a strictly Catholic country and carousing by tourists, while tolerated to some extent, is not looked on very favorably. Dress respectfully when visiting churches and keep your top on at the beach.

SAFETY: Malta is, generally, quite a safe country with little in the way of violent crime or political disturbances. Petty theft does occur, so keep an eye on your belongings, especially at the beach 

OFF-SEASON: from February to June, (Lowest between Nov-Mar) between the rainy season and the hot Mediterranean summer. Room rates drop by as much as 40% from their late June to August high.

MONEY: currency in Malta is the Lira Malta is expected to adopt the Euro sometime in 2008.
Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.3772 (2003), 0.4336 (2002), 0.4501 (2001), 0.4382 (2000), 0.3989 (1999)
ATMs are available throughout the island.
TIPPING: Waiters expect a 10- 15% tip  a service charge is often added to the bill in hotels and restaurants, so check before tipping.  Hotel maids should receive $1.00 per person, per day. Taxi drivers expect a tip of 10% of the fare, but you're better off negotiating a complete price in advance.

TAXES: There's a 15% value-added tax on all consumer items.

POPULATION: Malta 355,000; Gozo 30,000; Comino 6

highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli)

GEOGRAPHY: The total area is 316 square kilometres (Malta 246, Gozo 67, Comino 2.7). The longest distance in Malta from the south-east to north-west is about 27 km and the longest distance at its width is 14.5km in an east-westerly direction. The corresponding figures for Gozo are 14.5 km and 7.2 km. The length of the shoreline round Malta is 137 km and round Gozo is 43 km

CAMPING: There are no official camp grounds and wild camping is not allowed. Best bet would be a relatively deserted Gozo beach

Ethnic groups: Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

Religions: Roman Catholic 98%

Languages: Maltese (official the most significant contribution from the Arab occupation nearly a millennium ago also comprising of a vast number of words of Italian, French and English origin and written in Roman script.
 English (official spoken by 95% of Maltese)  Italian is also widely spoken.

Customs: It's extremely bad form to compliment a parent on a beautiful baby - it's believed to attract the evil eye

Wireless Internet (WiFi, 802.11b) is available in such places as Pjazza Regina Valletta, the University of Malta, and various hotels. Free WIFI for your laptop is a wonderful thing. Beat suprise costs by getting a GSM local SIM card. Try a Go Mobile outlets. www.go.com.mt

 Property purchase: You don’t have to be a permanent resident Alternatives are as follows:

Non-residents: Providing each stay doesn’t exceed three months, non-residents aren’t subject to local tax. However, like all foreign buyers, property purchased must exceed $72,000 for apartments and $119,000 for houses. This can include restoration costs.

Temporary residents: Renewable every six months, an extended tourist permit allows you to stay longer than three months. Temporary residents only pay Maltese tax if their stay exceeds 182 days in one calendar year. Tax is payable only on remittances emanating from income—not capital. Many “temporary” couples import around Lm 4,500 ($10,900) annually. The first Lm 4,300 ($10,400) is tax free, with 15% charged on the remainder. If more money is needed, they charge items to their home credit cards more by escapeArtist.com

Malta City coat of arms

Since attaining independence from Britain less than forty years ago (the only time the islands have not been ruled by an outside power), Malta has developed into a wealthy, modern democracy with a burgeoning tourism industry, now the mainstay of the economy both in the mainland and on Gozo and Comino. Over one million visitors descend each year, most drawn by the two-week sun-and-sea packages for which the islands have come to be known. The north coasts of Malta and Gozo are peppered with fully fledged resorts, which hold all categories of accommodation as well as a wealth of restaurants and cafés serving up Maltese, Italian and French delicacies, hordes of lively bars and the odd nightclub.

Lonely Planet: Malta by Neil Wilson
lonelyplanet.com//malta

Holiday Map: Malta

Map (September 22, 1997)

Michelin in Your Pocket Guide: Malta

Paperback 128 pages (April 12, 1999)

B&B Road Map: Malta and Gozo Map (June 1996)
The "B&B Road Maps" series offers a combination of relief road maps and street plans in varying scales for major tourist attractions. Brief introductions are given, as well as climate charts. This laminated map of Malta and Gozo is indexed in five languages, with grid references for points of interest, hotels and beaches. Routes can be marked and erased on the easy-to-clean surface

Essential Malta and Gozo (AAA Essential Guides) by Pat Levy an out of print  with a used one available for £39.95

Cadogan Guide to Malta by Gaul

Other reviewers point out that its too dated for restaurant tips and has little business information.

Gozo Walking Guide by D.A. Brawn
No longer stocked in 2005, no resellers but you can request

Gozo's image has changed in the last decade from the old 'day trip from Malta' into a stylish holiday destination in its own right thanks to helicopter transfers from Malta's airport. Rural tranquility combines with exceptional coastal geology to produce a landscape ideal for walking exploration. We cover the western half of the island (which contains almost all the tourist accommodation) with 11 walks designed to cater for the majority of visitors. Amazing coastlines combine with beautiful valleys and table-top plateaus to provide memorable discoveries. If you are planning a relaxed vacation on an island with a relaxed approach to life then include Gozo in your list of possible destinations. Good bus services eliminate the need for carhire if you are staying in the small resorts of Xlendi Bay and Marsalforn. You must visit the citadel in Victoria and look upon Fungus Rock, along with a visit to Zebbug village which we have christened as a "Starship moored on Gozo". "May I congratulate you on your Gozo Walking Guide? It is indispensible for anyone wishing to explore the western region of Gozo." R. P-F 3 April 2000.  

AA Baedeker's Malta Paperback 215 pages (May 31, 2000)

"Sights From A To Z" section, with each entry cross-referenced to the large folded map that completes this handy map and guide pack. Detailed background information sets the scene: facts and figures about the people, religion, climate and economy, its culture and history, plus a round-up of associated famous people

• Christopher Marlowe's Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta is a blank-verse play, first published in 1633, about Christian exploitation of Jews on Malta and the tragic end of one Jew's protest.
• For the historical background to Marlowe's tale, see The Jews of Malta in the Late Middle Ages, by Godfrey Wettinger.
• The Knights of Malta, by HJA Sire, is a recent scholarly account of the 900 year history of the Knights of St John up to the present day.
• The story of the Knight's quarter of a millennium slide from the saviours of Europe to Napoleon's pushovers is told in Alison Hoppen's The Fortification of Malta by the Order of St John, 1530-1798.
• Ernle Bradford tells the story of Malta during WWII in Siege Malta, 1940-43.

• Tourist Guide to Harbour Cruises by John Manduca
• Visitor's Guide: Malta and Gozo by Geoff Brown
•  Malta & Gozo Malta Pocket Guide
• Malta Walking Guide by D.A. Brawn
• Malta, Gozo and Comino by Simon Gaul
• Malta - Gozo and Comino by Ken Bernstein, et al
• Entree to Malta and Gozo by Kay Orton
• Malta
• AA Essential Malta & Gozo by Levy. Pat
• AA/Thomas Cook Malta by Susie Boulton
• Malta by David Boswell, Brian Beeley
• Malta by R E Martin(Editor)
• Collins Holiday Maps: Malta and Gozo
• Discover Malta by Terry Palmer, Susan Ellis

weather by maltairport.com maltaweather.com  maltalinks.com/ weather Yahoo! Weather - Valletta yahoo.com/weather gozoweather.com

the Xlokk: Day-time temperatures in summer are often mitigated by cooling sea breezes, but in spring and autumn a very hot wind from Africa occasionally brings unseasonally high temperatures and humidity. This is known as the Sirocco, or, in Maltese, the Xlokk. Still its easy to remember that Gozo and Malta have much more sunshine than any other country further north.

The rainy season on the islands starts in September and proceeds up to May. November, December, January and February are normally the wettest months. It rains minimally from mid-May to mid-September and rarely in June and July. Rain usually falls in heavy showers which do not last long. 

Clothing: It's light clothes for high summer and warm clothes for winter, a warm jacket or coat is recommended for winter.