There are walled cities and baroque towns, sleepy villages and bustling fishing ports. Then there is modern, urban living with cafés, nightlife, clubs and restaurants.

There are places in which to live it up and others where it seems like time stood still. In Malta you can enjoy life at its simplest one day and at its most cosmopolitan the next. However short your stay, it’s possible to have a taste of island life in a variety of settings – from traditional villages to urban resorts.

Malta’s capital, the World Heritage City of Valletta, and the medieval fortified towns of Mdina and Cittadella in Gozo, are the Islands’ historical highlights. Tas-Sliema, Bugibba, Qawra and St. Julian’s in Malta and Marsalforn and Xlendi in Gozo are the main resorts. They bustle with activity, and not just in summer.

Valletta is a treasurehouse of art and architecture. This city of the Knights remains virtually intact, its streets flanked by palaces and tiny, old-world shops. Across Grand Harbour lie the Three Cities of Senglea, Cospicua and Vittoriosa. Older than Valletta, they offer a fascinating insight into the islands’ maritime fortunes.

The southern fishing village of Marsaxlokk and neighbouring resort town of Marsascala are also worth a visit.

With little effort, just a desire to explore, you’ll find inland towns and villages with character and treasures of their own. Churches reveal masterpieces by the artists to the Knights while each village square is a slice of history, its café-bar the hub of authentic rural life.