Local bus service is available at the main bus terminal just outside just terminal bus main the at available is service bus Local Transportation MCI: 800.90120 AT&T: 800.901.10 required todialtheseaccessnumbers: also be purchased at the post office. A coin or telephone card may be can be made from this office by using a phone card. Phone cards can pany, Maltacom, has an office on South Street. Overseas phone calls available. telephones public com few phone are national There The main PostOffice islocatedat305,QormiRoad( Office Post euro coinsandnotesarelegaltenderinmemberstates. notes. All euro 7 are There design. a contributes state member each reverse, the On face. common a with coins euro 8 are There euro. L cooperation oflocalauthorities. refund of VAT are subject to change and RCCL cannot guarantee the the governing conditions and regulations however, paid, tax the of all or some re-claim to entitled be may amount certain a over spend who Visitors purchases. most to (VAT),added Tax Valueadded is sizes. Mostshopswillacceptmajorcreditcards. and shapes many in sale for are and specialty Maltese a also are ers knock door Brass glass. blown pottery,and filigree, silver lace, as Saturday, through such handicrafts traditional include Sunday.interest closed of Items Monday 7:00pm - 4:00pm from and 1:00pm - 9:00am from open generally are Shops Mdina. of shops small the in purchased be also can crafts .Local of walls the within Streets Merchant and Republic along located stores craft and shops Shopping recommended. is water Bottled Kinnie. called herbs aromatic of made drink soft a produces fare, non-alcoholic prefer who those Tamakari.For liqueur,local the try to customary is it meal restaurants. a and After shops local in sale for are that wines red and white both of selection large a produces also beer.Malta lager produced locally the is Cisk goats cheese. meat sauce covered in a pastry case, and Gbejniet is locally produced well as spicy beef rolls known as bragioli. Timpanafavorite is macaroni with local a is fenek or Rabbit common. very are Pizza and Pastas Sicily. neighbor, closest its from much adopted has cuisine L Tipping: A 10%tipinrestaurantsandtaxisiscustomary. although bargaining forlocalhandicraftsisfairlycommon. L them onlytheitemstheyneedandtosecureanyvaluables. ocal ocal ocal This informationhasbeen compiledfortheconvenienceofourguestsand isintendedsolelyforthatpurpose. While weworktoensurethattheinformation contained hereiniscorrect,wecannotacceptresponsibility forany Cuisine Customs Currency The main shopping areas include the many tourist many the include areas shopping main The F Telephone and and Local taxis will be available on the pier. Bargaining: Most shops have set prices, set have shops Most Bargaining: The unit of currency in this port is the is port this in currency of unit The Drink Specialties a #7 cilities ). changes thatmayhavetaken placesinceprinting. Maltese © RCCL 2010. All rights reserved. The - - NOTES You’re Welcome •M’hemmximniex Please •Jekkjoghgbok Good Day•Bongu Thank You •Grazzi No •Le Yes •Iva Useful W located at Auberge d’Italie,MerchantsStreet( T 1950’s. Publicbusesdonotacceptanyforeign currency. the of relics restored are busses the of Many Vallettathe gates. city Informationourist ords anPhrases The Malta TourismMalta The is Authority #8 ).

© 2010 maps.com inian defeat in the Punic Wars. The Arabs arrived in 870 and were and 870 in arrived Wars.Arabs The Punic the in defeat inian Malta became part of the Roman empire in 208 BC with the Carthag into thehandsoftheirNorth African colony, Carthage. fell control and BC 800 around islands the colonized Phoenicians The BC 3000 around built be to thought temples megalithic the to HISTORY tures andthesurroundinglandscape. struc made man of blending unique a creating stone, colored sand the of constructed are onMalta buildings all therefore, limestone, of composed is island the Geologically, influence. Arabic an with European is island the on architecture The landscape. the dot that cathedrals and churches many the by seen be can which influence, religious dominant the Catholicism is Mediterranean cultures. many of mixture a are people Maltese The Italian. speak also can who of Malta’s close proximity to Italy has also influenced its people, many Kingdom. United the from come tourists of number largest land’s is the and English speak natives many influence British the to Due and Arabic background. official language oftheislandsisMaltese,aPhoenician The British. the recently, most and Turks Berbers, Arabs, Romans, Phoenicians, the by invasions of series a in resulted has terranean Medi the in location country’sstrategic thereafter.The shortly gan be fortifications its and battle, the of hero Valletta,the after named of city the of withdrew.Construction finally Turks the when ended battle brutal of months Three men. 30,000 than more of fleet toman Order, Jean de la Valletta, led the defense of the island against an Ot to defend against marauding pirates. In 1565 the Grand Master of the the Spanish Crown in the 16th century, the Order fortified the harbor the Order of St. John. When the islands were given to the Knights by of Knights Vallettaday the modern were is what of developers The Malta’sis letta culture. and art Maltese of center largestthe and city Valinhabitants. 370,000 over of population a has Malta and Comino. Gozo, Malta, islands: inhabited three of consists archipelago Maltese the Sicily, of south km.) (92 miles 52 Mediterranean, the of middle the in Malta.Located of nation independent small the of GENERAL INFORMATION

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a a V The city of Valletta is the capital lletta PORT EXPLORER ------Excursion Desk. When going ashore, guests are advised to take with Shore onboard the contact or azamaraclubcruises.com consult ing, Shore Excursions. For Information concerning tour content and pric letta and surrounding areas we suggest you take one of the organized Shore Excursions ta’s applicationtojointheEuropeanUnion. a landslide victory in 1992 based on a platform which included Mal won and control held party government. The local of control gained Britain waned, the island prospered and in 1981 the Nationalist Party its independence in 1964 and became a republic. As further ties with gained Oliver,Malta BorgDr. George the Minister Prime of leadership Under emerged. parties political defined and established was inhabitants homeless and without food. the After the war, ofa form of self government many leaving blockades, and raids bombing of months to exposed was and Mediterranean the for battle the in key a considered again, was island The WWII. during once siege under itself found Malta, base, naval major a as developed being After empire in1814. defeated the French in 1800 and officially became part of the British Maltese The fight. a without surrendered and corrupt become had Knights prestigious and powerful once The Malta. conquered and the island Napoleon landedon 1798 intensified. In the island tion of The Knights were revered as the saviors of Europe and the fortifica Valletta, commanded less than 10,000 troops and defeated the Turks. la de Order,Jean the of Master Grand The battle. bloody of months three than more in resulted men 30,000 than more of fleet Ottoman an by Malta of Siege Great the 1565 In Island. the on themselves established Knights the harbor, the Fortifying Europe. in families and its members were drawn from the Land, most distinguished Holy aristocratic the from and to traveling pilgrims Christian protected John St. of Order the of Knights the , the during Founded 1530. in Crown Spanish the by of John St. of Order the Berber, from natives of the Knights the to given were islands The Turkishpirates. and protect Arab, to done was little but Spanish, influences includingtheNormans,Frenchand European Sicily,of to series linked a cally by ruled were islands the Sicily.of Roger Politi Count warlord Norman the by expelled later Valletta, Malta

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SHOPPING GUIDE To make the most of your visit to Val c ontinued onbackpage - - - - - VALLETTA PLACES OF INTEREST main attraction is its Dome, one of the largest unsup- ported church domes in the world. During the air raids VALLETTA St. John’s Co-Cathedral, located on St. John Street, © 2010 maps.com 1 is best known as the Church of the Knights of the Or- of WWII a bomb smashed through the dome and land- der of St. John. Housing a unique collection of church vest- ed on the floor of the church but did not detonate. This ments, Flemish tapestries and silver objects, the Cathedral was later acknowledged as a miracle. The church has is one of the most important monuments on the island. The a small museum which displays the bomb and period Cathedral serves as the final resting place of many of the photographs. Knights, which is evident by the engraved marble tomb- PREFERRED SHOPPING stones that cover the Cathedral’s floor. Works by Caravag- A & B - Classic Jewellers - Located at 292, gio are housed in the Cathedral’s small museum. 6 a Republic Street, and next to the St. John’s Co- of the Grand Masters was completed in 1574 Cathedral - Established family run business, Market 2 and is now home to the Maltese Parliament. Inside Leaders in the jewelry, diamond, pearl and Watch Sec- are period furnishings, portraits of the Grand Masters and tors • Wide selection of 18K white, yellow and rose a unique collection of Gobelin Tapestries. A fresco which gold, handmade filigree 9 and Maltese crosses; Marco lines the main hallway depicts scenes from the Great Bicego and Nomination brands • Watches: Ebel, Siege. The Armory of the Knights is located in two halls Maurice Lacroix, Movado,10 Longines, Certina, Dior, of the Palace where weapons and armor of various periods Hermes and Rado • Certified11 Gemstones and Pearls: are displayed. Please note that due to parliamentary (gov- Loose diamonds, turquoise, tanzanite and a variety of ernment) sessions and/or official visits, the Palace may be precious stones; Wide selection12 of cultured, South Sea closed to the public without prior notice. and Tahitian pearls • Silver Jewelry and Silverware: 4 National Museum of Archaeology, also known as Cutlery, tableware, clocks,13 figurines, domes, crystals 3 the “Auberge de Provence”, houses a small collection and much more. 2 of items from Malta’s megalithic temples as well as dis- Jet Setter - A Trendy Souvenir and Gift Shop for plays of prehistoric pottery, sculpture, and tomb furniture B all your needs - Located at 286, Republic Street 3 from the Roman period. • Offering a wide selection of gifts, souvenirs, silver AA B National Museum of Fine Arts is an 18th century jewelry and silverware • Get the best value for your 1 4 palace housing paintings, furniture and sculptures as- money and offering competitive prices • Helpful and sociated with the Order of St. John. On display are works customer friendly staff • Open from 9:00 am to 7:00 AB by Carpaccio, Dominico di Michelino, Tintoretto and- pm. works by contemporary Maltese artists. 7 Please contact us at [email protected] 8 , originally the private if any queries arise after your purchase from our 5 gardens of the Italian Knights, offer an excellent view preferred shops on shore. We will do our best to of the Grand Harbour and the fortified towns of Vittoriosa, facilitate a solution on your behalf. Cospicua, and Senglea. (The gardens do not close.) Fort St. Elmo is located at the outmost extremity of 6 the peninsula and was a strategic stronghold for the Knights against the Turks during the 16th century. More 5 recently the Fort was used as the setting of the film Mid- C night Express. The Fort is currently home to the Malta Po- lice Academy and is not open for interior visits. D Beyond Valletta E Mdina is the historic ‘Old Town’ and was the island’s hub before the arrival of the Knights who settled and devel- F oped the area surrounding the Grand Harbour. Located at the geographical center of the island, the Mdina is perched on a rocky outcrop which offers spectacular views. Known G as the “Silent City”, Mdina has been a functioning walled city for more than 3000 years. The city’s narrow cobble- H stone streets are home to Mdina Cathedral, known for its fine collection of paintings and woodcarvings, and a num- I ber of small tourist and specialty shops. Mosta is the location of the parish church designed by the KJ Maltese architect Giorgio Grognet de Vasse. The church’s ML N O P