MARSASCALA & MARSAXLOKK
I remember saying in our previous post on Malta (you can read about it here), that you can expect lots of pictures of these two colourful towns … after checking our photo’s, I could only find one (!) photo of Marsascala, but fortunately lots more of Marsaxlokk.
I have no explanation as to why this is the case … it might be because the towns looked very similar (they are after all just 5km apart).
So, let’s introduce you then to two of the most beautiful fishermen’s villages in Malta …
Marsascala:
When the Ottomans landed in Marsascala at around 1614, this village was sacked and devasted. In the centuries that followed, Marsascala remained mainly a harbour and fishing port.
It was only during the 1980’s that this fishing town was starting to see the prospects of tourism. During summer, this place is one of the most popular on the island – though still clinging to its village atmosphere, it’s a far cry from Sliema and St Julian.
Marsaxlokk:
So, let’s move on to Marsaxlokk (pronounced approximately ‘Marssa-shlok’). The name means ‘sirocco harbour’, referring to the fiercely hot wind that blows in from North Africa between May and September.
Marsaxlokk has grown considerably to meet the increasing needs of tourism, but thankfully, when we’ve visited this village, there were still no hotels or high rising apartment blocks … ah, now I know why we’ve enjoyed our time here and taken so many photo’s ☺️.
There is another great history story about Marsaxlokk. In December 1989 George Bush and Mikhael Gorbachev had a summit meeting here in this harbour … unfortunately for them, the choppy seas resulted in some meetings to be cancelled or rescheduled, thus the nickname of ‘Seasick Summit’ as it was referred to by the international media. Fortunately, when we’ve visited Marsaxlokk (in June), the sea was calm and the temperatures high up in the 30 degrees Celsius.
As mentioned, Marsaxlokk still has the atmosphere of a fishing village and we’ve loved walking up and down the streets to have a look at all the old buildings (and beautiful doors).
It was a lazy morning, quite hot, as we’ve strolled through Marsaxlokk. The people of the town were not really in a hurry … they were sitting on chairs out on the streets or on their balconies, looking at everyone passing by. One elderly gentleman called us over and wanted to know from where we were … and then happily posed for a photo!
We were fortunate that we’ve visited Marsaxlokk on a Sunday, because of their popular Sunday market that takes place every Sunday. As one might expect, it’s mostly a fish market, but we’ve also seen local produce and some beautiful locally made lace tablecloths.
By now, it was time for us to find a table at a restaurant and taste the delicious food that Malta has to offer. Of course, I had to indulge in their seafood and ordered calamari while Berto had a creamy mushroom pasta dish.
After a wonderful day of walking through the fishermen village of Marsaxlokk, it was time to find our bus that would take us back to Valletta. We’ve really enjoyed our visit here and the vibe that the Sunday market added to the atmosphere, was really great.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this leisurely stroll through the fishing villages of Marsascala and Marsaxlokk.
In our next post about Malta, we will go to Mdina (The Silent City) where we will visit another beautiful cathedral and more museums. See you there!
We have done these trips in 2011 & 2013
Wet and Dusty Roads 
An enjoyable post about these two pretty little places. Your calamari looked good too!
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It was such a delight to walk around in these two villages – even more so, because it was summer 🌞. Oh yes, I remember that the calamari was indeed delicious … Malta’s seafood was really good! Thanks for reading Marion, have a wonderful Sunday.
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Postcard perfect. Oh, to be there today when it is grey and cold here…
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I’m with you Mel … grey and cold here as well! While I was typing this post, I was really longing to be under that beautiful blue skies in the Mediterranean!
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I love the street shots in Marsaxlokk, especially the first one of the small plaza. Maggie
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Absolutely Maggie, I loved walking around in Marsaxlokk. Thanks for reading and your lovely comment.
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I haven’t been to Malta so thanks for the tour of some of the sights. The architecture is very interesting. Your photos remind me of Mallorca.
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We loved the architecture in Malta – took so many photo’s of all the beautiful buildings! Mallorca is another place that was on our radar pre-2020 … hopefully we’ll still get there one day!
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I love how you two are living life and not just sitting around! I can’t wait until my husband retires to do the same!
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I had to laugh while reading your comment … my husband always says there’s no time to sit around 😁. Oh, I can just imagine how your blog will be once your husband retires … “Preparing great food on the road”!
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More reasons to put an asterisk or two by Malta on our grand to-do list. Such pretty places and I love the juxtaposition between the cream coloured buildings and that deep blue sky. The food looks great and the old man shot made me smile. I have a similar photo from the Greek island of Crete.
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Oh yes Leighton, that blue Mediterranean sky is just amazing … hmm, and the architecture of the buildings were something that had us speechless. It’s nice when the locals don’t mind posing for a photo – this is how we love capturing a new country!
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The history and images are lovely, thank you for taking me along your journey, I enjoyed it ❤
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And thank YOU for coming along Henrietta 💌.
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Marsaxlokk looks lovely – I especially like the harbour scenes and that beautiful old blue door 🙂
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Thanks Sarah, it is indeed a lovely seaside village. And why is it that we always love these old doors 😊.
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Wow what a beautiful place – and those little fishing boats just look idyllic! Everything is just so BLUE!
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For me, that BLUE is synonymous with the Mediterranean 😊. Thank you for reading about our Malta trip – much appreciated!
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Oh your photos are absolutely beautiful! Brings back all the happy memories…though we had a nightmare in a restaurant here; the food was absolutely awful. We were ill for days!!!!
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My goodness Hannah … I’m surprised to hear you still have “happy memories” … food poisoning is definitely not my idea of how I would like to spend a holiday 👀.
But hey, now I’m even more happy to hear you think our photos are beautiful 😁 – thanks for popping in!
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Thank you for sharing… You have a lovely mixture of olden day history and capturing the modern day feeling with the food you come across and people. Such an interesting post. And I enjoyed your photos too.
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Ah, thanks Morag for your lovely comment … yes, old and new is definitely a great combination for any story 😊. Thanks again for reading about our Malta trip … hmm, that blue sky and blue water = pure Mediterranean!
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You are welcome 😁
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Another lovely post, Corna. I enjoy learning a little history & seeing images from these beautiful places you two have visited. Thank you for sharing your treasures! 🌞
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Thank you Lisa 😊. I’m learning a few history facts myself while typing up these posts about Malta … sometimes we find interesting facts of a country AFTER a visit. Thanks for your lovely comments, as always and much appreciated.
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Your pictures are beautiful. Looks like you had wonderful weather for strolling around the fishing villages of Marsascala and Marsaxlokk. They look very picturesque. Good timing to visit on a Sunday when the market takes place.
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Thank you very much! Ah, we loved our time in Malta … and those two fishing villages were real treats on our visits. Yes, we were lucky to find that great Sunday market – there was a wonderful vibe between the locals buying their fresh produce for the week and us tourists enjoying the whole experience!
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