Beaches

There are 35 listed beach locations in Malta, some on the main island, others on Gozo and Comino.

Some, very popular,

Ghajnsielem (Blue Lagoon), Comino

Birzebbuga Beach, Malta

Golden Bay Beach, Malta

Others more secluded:

Slugs Bay, Malta

Museums galore

At 30, there are an amazing number of museums in Malta to satisfy any visitor. Here is a partial list:
Malta Aviation Museum, Mdina
Malta Classic Car Museum, Qawra
Malta Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa
Malta Postal Museum, Valletta
Malta Society of Arts, Valletta
Malta at War Museum, Vittoriosa
Manoel Theatre and Museum, Valletta
National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta
National Museum of Natural History, Mdina

On Gozo:
ART BOX, Gallery of Modern Art, Qala, Gozo
Cathedral Museum, Victoria, Gozo
Folklore Museum, Victoria, Gozo
Museum of Archeology, Victoria, Gozo
Museum of Toys, Xaghra, Gozo
Museum of Natural Science, Victoria, Gozo

The Hypogeum, Paola

The antiquity of Malta is astounding going back over 5000 years. From the Visit Malta website:

"The Hypogeum, or underground cavity, is a unique monument.... Excavation has yielded a wealth of archaeological material including pottery, human bones, personal ornaments such as beads and amulets, little carved animals and larger figurines.

The Hypogeum consists of halls, chambers and passages hewn out of the living rock and covering some 500 square metres [~5400 square feet]. The rock-cut chambers are of diverse shapes and sizes.... The complex is grouped in three levels – the upper level (3600-3300 BC), the middle level (3300-3000 BC) and the lower level (3150 -2500 BC). The deepest room in the lower level is 10.6 metres [~35 feet] under [the] road surface. The upper level consists of a large hollow with a central passage and burial chambers cut on each side. The middle level consists of various chambers very smoothly finished, which give the impression of built masonry."

Top sites

Malta contains an amazing number of museums (30!) and archaeological sites for such a small country. There are also plenty of recreational sites as well. Some of the top sites are below.

In the capital city of Valletta:

• The National War Museum at Fort Elmo
• St. John's Co-Cathedral and Museum (Carvaggio!), tapestries, sculptures
• Manoel Theatre and Museum
• National Museum of Archaeology

The Hypogeum in Paola

National Museum of Natural History in Mdina

The Roman House in Rabat

Temple from 3600 B.C. on both Malta and Gozo

The Golden Beach

The island of Gozo: The Gozo Co-Cathedral Museum

Walking map of Valletta

See Visit Malta, the official tourism website.

And Heritage Malta

See Visit Gozo.

Beginnings

A small island in the Mediterranean south of Sicily, Malta has been settled by Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, the Knights of St. John, French and British. A quiet and peaceful country with ancient history, modern lifestyle and a comfortable year-round climate. (Source: Wikipedia)

Maltese climate

Malta became a British colony in 1813. It became independent in 1964 as the State of Malta, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. The country became a republic in 1974. It has been a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations since independence, and joined the European Union in 2004. Their currency is the Euro. (Source: Wikipedia)

I'm looking into Malta as a vacation and retirement site. It is considered to be one of the top ten retirement locations in Europe. One of the least expensive places to live in western Europe, after perhaps Greece and Portugal. 

See this video on a US couple who moved to Malta. And another video.

Rick Steves has a thorough article on Malta as a tourist (and living) destination.

For a tour a reliable tour guide in  Malta Rick Steves recommends Amy Pace.

And, of course, Malta, or, more precisely, the Knights of St. John's who ruled Malta for over 250 years, were the inspiration for my favourite movie, The Maltese Falcon, based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett.

Click to enlarge