“Do you want to come to Malta for our wedding?” Words written by my friends Kim & Clint, whom I met while hiking in Greece about five years ago. We sure said yes, like why not? What a magical experience to look forward to! And after all, a first trip on a plane after the pandemic, let alone a week in Malta with a three-year-old child and a three-month-old baby should be quite fun … right!?
Preparing for our trip: Packing lists and such.
We have actually started planning our trip to Malta based on our friends’ wedding date in June 2022 half a year in advance. By the way, you can book flights even with an unborn baby (including travel insurance and more; read here about how exactly we did it).
We also booked our accommodation in Malta a few months in advance based on the advice of our friends. The only thing left to do was to get on the plane and see what would happen. Nobody tells you exactly how this toddler-baby combo works out high up above the clouds. Or do they? 😀
Well, we could already show a little experience of flying with a baby, as we spent a month in Portugal and Spain with baby Liam (right before the pandemic). You can check out our useful packing list here: Travel buggy, carrier for the baby, nappies + baby wipes for the first few days, toys for the big brother … we quickly remembered everything that needed to go in our luggage.
Speaking of luggage: As globetrotters, we are fans of large travel backpacks instead of wheeled suitcases – why? Especially with little kids, it’s important for us to travel “hands-free”, carrying our luggage on our backs or hips for short distances instead.
Preparing for our trip back home …
… and this is what preparation looked like for us: Two large backpacks with luggage for mum + baby, dad + toddler, a small backpack for the road, baby carriers for both parents and the travel buggy that folds and fits into hand luggage on the plane for both kids (either sleeping or sitting). Easy, right?!
Just another part of preparation: Getting this cute beach towel for wearing around Malta …
… while ideally, baby naps in the stroller on the beach (jackpot!).
Tips on getting on a plane with baby + toddler
Have you ever been on a plane with young children? There are countless tips on the internet on how to make air travel with a baby and toddler easier for everybody – I have written a few of them myself. Frequent flyer Jenny, who publishes about her kids’ travel experiences on Nunu-Reist.at, has many more tips indeed: I can absolutely recommend her blog at this point.
Experience has taught us to first make sure that we look after ourselves as parents. Do we carry enough to drink (especially when breastfeeding)? Do we have all (boarding) passes at hand, maybe also digitally like via Apple Wallet? The baby carrier for helping baby sleep while walking up and down the plane aisle? Is the travel buggy suitable for hand luggage, so that it can be taken on the plane (and with the child sitting in it right up to the plane door)? Do we have something to nibble on? And so on.
Here are a few pictures to illustrate what we mean.
On the plane, you get a small belt for baby used during take-off and landing. My tip is: Better strap such small babies to their mothers so you can quickly breastfeed (and soothe) them if necessary…!
Our two kids slept lots during both plane trips (from Vienna to Malta and back): Flying with the little ones can also be a relaxing business, now who would have thought! 🙂
The early bird catches the plane: Heading back from Malta at 5.00 in the morning with all our luggage and kids in tow.
Tips on accommodation and food in Malta with baby + toddler
As far as local accommodation in Malta is concerned, we experienced two different types of accommodation: a family room with breakfast at the family-run B&B 116 Townhouse in Rabat in the interior of Malta, and half board accommodation at Paradise Bay Resort with a private sandy beach near the car ferry to Gozo Island.
Both types had their charm, and we can really recommend combining different styles of accommodation on your trip. Dorianne, the owner of the B&B in Rabat, really took care of us and gave us lots of personal tips for travelling with young children in Malta (she has three herself). With half-board in the big hotel, we really just went on holiday relax mode – equally appealing in our case, I must say!
The view west towards sunset (and the island of Gozo), from our balcony at Paradise Bay Resort in Malta.
Here, we also enjoyed great food such as this seafood salad.
Check out “Maltese tapas” (specialities) such as this food board at Casteletti restaurant in Rabat.
Of course, my ideal recommendation goes for trying out as much seafood as you can, here at “The Cliffs” near Dingli Cliffs in Western Malta.
Getting around with baby + toddler in Malta: Sightseeing on the fast lane!
Well. Despite the different sleeping and eating rhythms of our small children, we were naturally still tempted to see at least a little bit of Malta. The cab app “Cool Malta” helped a lot: It offered to book private rides for the four of us from anywhere to anywhere for just a few euros, in just a few minutes (in Malta, everything is no more than an hour apart – that is how small the island really is).
We visited the capital Valletta, the fishing village Marsaxlokk, the coastal landscape Dingli Cliffs, Malta National Aquarium and, of course, Rabat and Mdina with its famous cathedral, visible from afar. Malta has a church or chapel on almost every corner. It was in one of them, St Matthews Chapel in Qrendi, that our friends got married. What an experience: Wedding day in Malta!
Bringt it on: Malta currently sees dozens of weddings each weekend …
… and that’s the wonderful wedding couple, our friends Kim & Clint! Don’t they look beautiful!
Travelling around Malta: Either with baby in the sling …
… pushing the older one around in the stroller …
… we didn’t really mind exactly how it worked out, as long as it did (here, by the Dingli Cliffs walk next to the sea).
This taxi app helped us a lot in getting around comfortably …
… whereas Mdina was accessible by foot from our first accommodation …
… we were even allowed inside the main cathedral with Liam still sitting in the stroller!
Valletta, the capital city, is always worth the visit …
… especially the so-called Upper Barraka Gardens as part of the city’s mighty defensive walls …
… it’s from here where you can take really nice pictures, such as this one with Valletta port in the back!
Families, and those in love with sea creatures, will love visiting Malta National Aquarium …
… right next to it, you can spend the rest of the day at “Café del Mar”, suitable for visiting with young children.
Last but not least, we can recommend visiting the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, if only for spending the evening at one of its great seafood restaurants.
Concluding thoughts on our first trip with baby + toddler
Well, my dear. What can I say: Looking back, we would absolutely do it again. It’s exciting to be able to pass on the passion to travel to your kids from an early age on after all. Although, I have to say that it can also be very exhausting to be on the road with such small children. Their different eating and sleeping rhythms (even Liam still naps up to three hours during the day …!) easily mess up any travel plans for the day, so going with the flow was more than once the motto …!
So we were not unhappy about spending some days basically “doing nothing” in Paradise Bay Resort, even though I’m not a fan of big hotels like these. Anyway – the honest conclusion is YES, do it – travel with your kids, take agenda, pressure and expectations out of everything and just take every situation as it is – best with a little sea breeze on top, because this makes everything in life a little better.
When both kids nap, I get time to read about the fascinating history of Malta!
Bye bye Malta …
… we’ll be sure to come back at some stage, making even more memories with our friends here!
And you, have you already been to Malta? If so, how did you like it?
4 comments
HI! I would like to ask, what about car seat for kids in the private rides? How did you do?
Hello Vanessa,
Sorry for my late reply to your question. We each held a kid of our own during each ride, so certainly not ideal, but for the few short rides we took, it was OK by us.
Does that answer your question? I hope you’ll have a great time in Malta with your family, too!
Great Article.
Can you order taxis through the “Cool Malta” app with Toddler car seats?
Dear David,
Thank you for your feedback. I am glad you enjoyed reading it!
As for your question, I am not sure you can. I most certainly didn’t find the option at the time, but that may have changed in the meantime. Please go check out the app in its latest version ahead of your own trip. I wish you good luck and happy times with your family!
Cheers, Elena