Organized Tours in Malta

Malta's Capital (4 hours, $36-$42): This bus and walking tour of Valletta (stopping at City Gate) visits St. John's Co-Cathedral, Palace of the Grand Masters, after which you drive by bus to the medieval fortified city of Mdina, where you'll find quaint winding streets and beautiful homes as well as a cathedral dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul.

Full-Day Tour of Malta (7-7 1/2 hours, $69-$76): A look at the island's history from the Bronze Age to the reign of the Order of the Knights of St. John. Visit Mdina; stop at the nearby town of Rabat, famous for its catacombs and Roman ruins; visit a parish church completed in 1860, and boasting the fourth largest unsupported dome in the world; visit the prehistoric Tarxien Temples; and visit Valletta, with a stop at the Palace of the Grand Masters with its Tapestry Room and Throne Room. Includes lunch and a stop at a crafts center (to watch glassblowers and traditional lacemaking, weaving, and silver filigree art).

Tour of the Temples (4 hours, $42): This tour includes some of the world's most impressive prehistoric temples, driving by bus to the Cottonera region; visiting the Malta Maritime Museum, which houses relics of Malta's history; visiting the temples of Hagar Qim with its decorated pillar and two altars, all constructed in the late megalithic period on a slope facing the tiny island of Filfla; then visiting Tarxien Temples, where the archaeological remains date back to 2,500 B.C.