You want to know where to sleep in Malta? Where to stay when you arrive in Malta? How to get to your hotel in Malta (Valletta) from Malta International Airport? In this article I tell you everything you need to know to discover the island.
Here is a map (with the essentials to visit) that allows you to have an overview of the Maltese archipelago and what there is to see (more information in my article "What to see in Malta", to enlarge this GoogleMap - Map of the island of Malt:
Here is the action plan for this article to save time (use the menu on the right to access the desired section):
- What to know before sleeping in Malta ?
- Good addresses of cheap hotels to sleep in Valletta (this is where I advise you to stay)
- Where to sleep on the island of Gozo
- How to get to your hotel in Valletta from Malta International Airport? Because I advise you to start with Valletta (the capital of Malta)
1) What to know before looking for a place to sleep in Malta
Well, I'm going straight to the point, the best thing is to stay in the capital of the island of Malta, that is, in Valletta.
- Why stay in Valletta?
Because this is where there are more things to do and this is where most of the buses leave to discover the island. It is a historically rich city, the architecture is very beautiful and you will have something to go out at night.
In addition, it is very easy to get to Valletta from Malta International Airport. To enlarge this GoogleMap - Map of the island of Malta:
- What to see in Valletta?
You should know that Valletta is the capital of the island of Malta. It was controlled by the Roman Empire, conquered by the Arabs, occupied by the French and then annexed by the British Empire, at every corner, its multiple heritage is evident.
Valletta is a fascinating cultural millefeuille, and Maltese still has its traces. If you are interested, you can take a guided tour of this medieval city,
- Upper Barraca Gardens
Before setting off to storm the city, take to the skies at Upper Barraca Gardens and admire the city from this shady park that offers a breathtaking view of the harbor and the Three Cities. Go there when the sun goes down, it's magical!
Every day at noon and at 16 p.m., for centuries the guns of the Saluting Battery have fired cannonballs and it is quite impressive. More information on Tripadvisor.
- Valletta Cathedral
St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta is the perfect illustration of the proliferation of Malta. Quite sober exterior, the cathedral reveals a superb Baroque interior. The eyes do not know where to rest between the gold of the ceiling and the polychrome marble of the floor.
In fact, it is made up of 374 richly decorated colored marble tombstones, under which the most illustrious knights of the Order of Malta rest.
- Le Grand Port - Great Harbor
The Grand Port was once the seat of intense commercial activity. Today it is above all the ideal place to take a break, refresh and recharge your batteries in front of the Trois Cités.
- The three cities
Valletta and the Three Cities are must-sees on the island of Malta. You have magnificent views of the complex from the forts that dominate the port. The three cities are Cospicua, Senglea and Vittoriosa.
On foot it is still great so I recommend a very nice way to visit the three Cities, is to rent an electric tuktuk with a Belgian guide ()… Very original tour!
A mini-boat cruise will take you from the Grand Harbor (located between Valletta and the Three Cities) to Vittoriosa (Birgu), Senglea and Cospicua, peaceful popular towns with elegant yacht marinas.
- The Palace of the Grand Masters - The Magisterial Palace - The Courtyard of the Grand Master's Palace
If you want to know more about the Knights of the Order of Malta, I advise you to explore the Palace of the Grand Masters, the seat of government built in the XNUMXth century. A little further on, the Casa Rocca Piccola, the only gentlemen's residence open to visitors and where a large Maltese family lives, deserves a detour.
- Sliema
Situated right next to Valletta, Sliema is the preferred walking location for many Maltese. Sliema is the most vibrant seaside city in Malta. Tourist city since the XNUMXth century, you have to climb to the heights of Sliema to discover its true soul, stalls from another era, hidden gardens, a local life imbued with authenticity.
- San Julianos
The fate of night owls. Honestly, it is hard for me to see anything other than the bars and clubs, which are numerous, very lively and are sometimes visited by renowned DJs and celebrities. Aim for Paceville to work out on a crazy night.
High rollers will find their happiness at one of the bay's casinos.
That is to say, on tired days you can decide to take an open top tourist bus (link) to visit the island of Malta, get off and go back where you want with an audio guide.
You have two lines, the red (for the south - 120 min with a bus every 45 min) and blue (for the north - 215 min with a bus every 30 min)
The walk is very pleasant and will give you a good overview… Hours 09: 30-15: 30
Therefore, it is in Valletta that I advise you to stay. From Valletta you have many buses to get to the other must-see sites in Malta, and you also have boats from Valletta that go to the island of Comino and Gozo!
2) Where to stay in Valletta (capital of the island of Malta)
Here we are, where to stay in Malta? Well, if you are looking for accommodation, I advise you to stay in Valletta, Sliema or Saint Julian (Saint Julian).
Then you will tell me, ok but where to look for a hotel in Malta so!?
Well, it all depends on what you want to do. If it's on the historical side, go to Valletta, if you want to party, go to San Julián, and if it's to do a bit of both, I recommend you sleep in Sliema. Valletta is more on the romantic side, I'd say.
- Where to sleep in Valletta (Malta):
In Valletta, the Castille hotel in front of Trois Cités, a stone's throw from Barraka Upper Gardens, offers quality services with a lot of character: stones, exposed beams from € 55 per night. The apartment is ideally located for visiting the city on foot. The owner is very welcoming and will not hesitate to advise you.
It is not necessary to change accommodation during your stay (unless you plan to spend more than one day in Gozo) as the distances between the various sites of interest are short.
Phil's comment: I have stayed several times at the youth hostel located on Depiro street: Hibernian residence run by nsts. Very good and not far from San Julián, the nightlife district.
You also have the Grand Hotel Excelsior:
3) Where to sleep in Malta to party
- Where to stay in Malta to visit and have fun:
If you don't have a car and want to be able to enjoy the action on foot, St Julians is for you. But personally, Sliema is for me the best compromise, showing the historical character and the proximity to the main sites and venues. In fact, the Sliema district is located between Valletta and Saint Julian.
In addition, it is in Sliema where you will find youth hostels or any kind of price… It is still 10-20 minutes by bus to get to Valletta from Sliema, and therefore almost 30 minutes to Valletta from Saint Julian.
A good address, the Sliema Marina hotel with just opposite a bus station and the ferry to get to Valletta. In addition, the service people speak French.
In fact, if you don't know where to stay in Malta and more specifically in Valletta, sleeping in the Sliema district is a good alternative, and above all you have accommodation for all budgets. From this area you can easily get out of the city by bus across the island, and most hotels have private parking.
Also, the boardwalk is really pretty. You will find many beautiful terraces.
To go out, by that I mean club, box ... direction Paceville.
4) Where to sleep in Malta outside of Valletta
- Where to stay in Malta, in addition to near Valletta:
I don't necessarily recommend that you stay anywhere other than Valletta, except on the island of Gozo if you want to visit this island. But if you still want to stay elsewhere, I can only advise you to go to Bugibba (take a look at the reviews for the Dolmen Resort & Spa) or Mellieħa (you have the Splendid Guest House for small budgets, or the Pergola Club & Spa). These two corners are located in the north of the island of Malta, near Gozo.
You will find quite a few bars and restaurants, sports activities for both adults and children, a spa ... But if you want to have fun there, it's not great, it's even pretty dead, you've been warned.
The temptation is great to opt for an all-inclusive formula at the hotel, especially towards Qwara (located next to Bugibba) which has unbeatable prices (on the other hand, don't go to the party, once again this is dead dead dead!) .
From experience, it is often the hotels that are not very well maintained (apart from this one, as a netizen, Club Salina, told me) that offer these formulas, a little "tourist trap".
Also take the time to compare hotel prices on Hotels.com or TripAdvisor.
5) Where to go out in Valletta
In Valletta, the oldest café in Valletta, the Caffe Cordina, with happy hour until 20pm and pleasant jazz concerts. Honestly, the address is worth it, especially for good pastries, a cocktail and the decoration in an art deco atmosphere.
You also have the Loop Bar that makes very good cocktails. The Yard 32 gin and tapas bar, which does a lot of tapas.
I liked the Bridge Bar, with its concerts on the terrace on Friday nights, with pictures on the chairs for those cold days.
- Do you want to party? You have to go to Paceville.
This neighborhood of San Julián offers some forty bars, pubs and discos in a few streets, where night owls crowd until the wee hours of the morning. Admission is generally free.
All you have to do is make your choice: pop-rock music at the Nordic Bar, Hugo's Terrace (rooftop), Soho for electro, the Native Bar for Latin dancers, and finally the footloose on the R&B and Hip hop side. .
For Techno music, it is for example in Clique where it happens.
Don't be surprised by the massive distribution of tickets in front of bars and clubs that offer cocktails or shooters at reduced prices or even for free. Otherwise, count € 2,50 for a glass of strong alcohol.
Think of night buses (€ 2, from 50 to 23 in the morning), little red shuttles (€ 4) or taxis (not the white ones, very expensive and inefficient), or even on foot if you live in Saint Julian or Sliema .
Do you want to have fun on a boat in hardcore mode?
If you are on the island of Gozo and you feel like dancing, head to Xlendi and La Grotta, the most beautiful open-air nightclub overlooking the cliffs. More information in the article: What to visit and where to sleep on the island of Gozo.
6) Transportation and how to get to Valletta from the airport
There is only one airport in Malta, just under 10 km from Valletta. It will take about twenty minutes by car, 30 minutes by bus (with departures every ten minutes) to reach Valletta. If you want a private driver.
There are low-cost flights from France from 40 euros round trip out of season from Marseille with Ryanair or from 60 euros from Paris Orly with Air Malta. Also, do you know the tips to find a cheap flight?
Once there, I cannot recommend renting a car highly enough. Of course, the island is small and the temptation is great to do everything by bicycle.
When renting a car with cardelmar, count for 4 days a little less than € 100.
- And why couldn't I gently pedal around the island, at my own pace, in a week?
Well, because the Maltese have a very personal way of driving, let's say “tonic” rather. Although the bus network seems well studied with well-connected towns, we cannot count at all on the punctuality of the buses, which also have an annoying tendency not to stop when they are full.
In high season, the nervous breakdown is guaranteed. You can also rent a scooter, but my advice is to go for a 50 instead of a 125, knowing that the slopes can be very slippery.
Finally, you can decide on tiring days to take an open-air tourist bus (link) to travel half of the country in 17 stops, getting off and going back wherever you want.
The walk is very nice and will give you a good overview ...
Well there you go, I think you have all the keys in hand to know where to sleep in Malta.
Do not hesitate to leave a comment at the bottom of the page to give me your impressions, share a good address, a hotel, a bar ... Sharing is good;)
- And where did you sleep in Malta, did you stay in Valletta?
- Do you have an interesting address to share?
- Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page!
See you soon!
Maxence
Other items not to be missed!
- Where to sleep Malta
- Visit the island of Gozo
- Visit Malta
- Visit the island of Naxos - Cyclades
- Visit Amorgos - Cyclades
- Visit Santorini - Cyclades
- Visit Paros - Cyclades
- Visit Athens
- What to see in Venice
- Where to sleep in Venice
- Visit Ajaccio
- Visit Bonifacio in 3 days
- Where to sleep in Cinque Terre
- Cinque Terre visits
- Visit croatia
- Visit Dubrovnik
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