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Malta is an archipelago located in the Mediterranean sea. It has three main islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino. The history of Malta started around 4500 BC, when a group of people arrived from Sicily, from where they could see the island on the horizon. They where skilled seafarers as they were able to cross the sea with their belongings, which included domestic animals and seeds. The Maltese islands went through what can be classified a golden Neolithic Period, during which a number of grandiose temples that cannot be found anywhere else, were built. This period also left some exquisite and unique artefacts, exhibited in Malta's archaeological museums. Around 1200 BC the Phoenicians started to expand their empire and occupied Malta. The name of the archipelago is said to derive from the Phoenician word "Maleth", meaning refuge or safe haven. In the 6th century Malta, along with all the western Mediterranean possessions of the Phoenicians fell under the hegemony of Ca...

Mallorca is one of the Balearic Islands, located in the western Mediterranean, off the east coast of Spain. The toponym comes from the Latin for "larger island" (isola maior). It has been inhabited since 7000 BC. The Phoenicians were the first to colonise the island in the 8th century BC which later became under the rule of Carthage. However, after the Romans won the Second Punic War against Carthage they occupied the island in 123BC, which flourished with the cultivation of vineyards and olive trees and the mining of salt. During this period the towns of Pollentia (Alcudia) and Palmaria ( Palma ) were founded. From the early 8th century the island, which had eventually become under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire, was attacked by the Muslims, who conquered it in 902. Under the Emirate of Cordoba, the island once again prospered and the town of Palma was reshaped and expanded, becoming known as Medina Mayurqa. The Moors introduced irrigation and developed loca...

Spinalonga, also known as Kalydon, is a small island off the coast of Crete, near Elounda. Due to its strategical location, it was fortified in the 16th century by the Venetians. The island remained under Venetian control even after the rest of Crete was conquered by the Ottomans in 1669, eventually capitulating in 1715. After the independence of Crete, a leper colony was established on the island, in 1903, to isolate people suffering from Hansen's disease from the rest of the population. A cure was discovered in the 1940s and the colony was closed in 1957 when the last 20 patients were moved to an Athens hospital. It has since fallen into disrepair. In the 1930s Epameinondas Remoundakis, a 3rd year Law student, fell ill and was sent to the island, significantly contributing to the improvement of the patients' living conditions. Spinalonga became a prosperous community where people fell in love, got married and raised a family. Daily life in the colony originate...

Armona Island can only be accessed by boat, which you can take either at Olhão Harbour or Fuseta Marina . Depending on the place you choose to take the boat, you'll end up at a different beach on the island. I personally prefer the beach that can be accessed by taking the boat in Olhão. However, coming from Olhão will take you longer to reach the ocean beach, once you leave the boat because you'll have to cross the island, which takes about 20 minutes. In both cases, you can also choose to stay on the lagoon side, close to the place where the boat leaves you. Unlike other of the Ria Formosa islands, boats to Armona are quite frequent. The Armona island is part of the Ria Formosa Natural Park and is one of the five barrier islands standing between the sea and the lagoon. It's about 9km long. Fuseta boats timetable Olhão timetable