Malta holidays somehow manage to effortlessly blend cultural influences from Egypt, ancient Rome, the Arab world and the British legacy. For culture Valletta should be top of your list, before moving onto the local festas, unique shopping, world heritage sites and finally the beach life.

Valletta boasts Europe’s oldest theatre, the Manoel Theatre alongside the modern St James Cavalier Creative Centre, housing the visual arts, theatre, cinema, music, literature and special creative activities for children. The summer Jazz festival is acclaimed world-wide, and no-one should miss Malta’s Arts festival held in the first three weeks of July. Then there’s the Notte Bianca, when Valetta’s museums and cultural institutions stay open all night long, and performance artists from all styles fill the streets. The annual carnival dates from the 16th century and is still held each year leading up to Ash Wednesday. However, Malta holidays are still not complete without seeing a local festa.

The churches are elaborately decorated and bells ring as life-size religious statues are carried through the decorated streets. Local bands play, confetti fills the air and there are numerous parties in the streets. The more vibrant, passionate and musical the festa, the more the village is felt to demonstrate its devotion to its patron saint. As a result, visitors are blessed with spectacular events each and every year. Traditions are kept alive, and this also helps lend Malta holidays a better class of souvenir gift.

In the nearby Crafts Village at Ta Qali, local artisans produce hand-blown glassware. Each piece is unique, representing the culmination of hundreds of years of skill passed from generation to generation. The Stone workshop produces ornaments from polished local marble and you’ll also find potters hand throwing ceramics. You’ll also find the famous hand made lace, and equally painstakingly crafted sterling silver filigree jewellery. Having enjoyed so much living culture, now take time to enjoy the quieter side of Malta holidays.

The Catacombs Complexes were proposed in 1998 as a Unesco listed World Heritage Site. They date from the mid-third to mid-seventh century AD and wind under what is today’s town of Rabat. You can also make a (routine) appointment with the tourist authorities to see the richly decorated burial chambers of the Tal-Minta catacombs at Mqabba. The Hypogeum at Paolo enjoys a full Unesco listing and dates from 3300-3000 BC. There’s also the 15th century Inquisitors Palace, the only one of its kind open to the public in the world. Today it houses the Museum of Ethnography and you shouldn’t miss the Baroque staircase leading to its upper floors. Finally, after all this activity, chill out on one of the many unspoilt white-sand beaches, surrounded by the clear blue Mediterranean - or invigorate yourself with the watersports scene.

Since Malta enjoys warm, clear waters all year round, it is an absolute must-do for divers and water sports enthusiasts. Equally, there are plenty of facilities offering friendly lessons for beginners. When you’re finally ready to do nothing more than soak up the abundant hours of bright sunshine, roll your towel out on the beach, pick up a good book and watch the boats sail by.