I spent 10 days travelling around Malta. I went everywhere by bus, apart from a ferry ride to and from Gozo and a short ride from Sliema to Valletta.
Even though I travelled by public transport, I highly recommend hiring a car with one of these car rental companies in Malta. Having your own wheels allows you unprecedented freedom when it comes to getting the most from your island vacation.
End of June, early July is the beginning of the high season, and if you are not a fan of crowds and sizzling temperatures, I do not recommend the summer months. In August, it gets to more than 40 degrees C.
Malta is an island country in Southern Europe, one of six European Microstates and is located in the Mediterranean, 50 miles off the coast of Sicily and 176 miles from Tunisia.
They have 2 official languages, Maltese and English. Malta is a member state of the United Nations, a member of the EU and is within the Schengen Area. They use the Euro as their currency.
These are My Top 7 Places in Malta Worth Visiting:
I haven’t gotten around to writing about all of them separately yet, but when ready, the links will be in blue.
1. Valletta
Valletta, being the capital, and the main transport hub, you will be here quite a bit. There’s a ton of stuff to see. My blog post about my experiences in Valletta is a work in progress, so stay tuned.
One of the best things I did was to watch and learn about the firing of the canons at noon from the Saluting Battery at the Upper Barrakka Park:
And, to escape the intense heat, we sought a little light refreshment at “The Pub” in Valletta. A pub with a story. Oh, how I love them.
The British actor Oliver Reed, did a lot of hell-raising in his lifetime and it was here at The Pub, that he raised hell one last time. He was in Malta, filming for the Ridley Scott movie Gladiator and one night, he challenged a group of Royal Navy sailors to a drinking competition where at one point, he announced that he didn’t feel so good and laid down on the floor and died, exactly there, in the pub.
It was a little too hot for beer. We both called it quits.
2. Sovereign Military Order of Malta:
I backpacked this UN-recognised entity (it has observer status) with my buddy Ryan. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is an intriguing ‘only country in the world without land‘ and occupies the upper floor of Fort St Angelo. This one will earn you some brownie points for sure.
3. Gozo:
Gozo is a 26-square-mile island 4 miles off the northwest coast of the main island of Malta.
I travelled up to Gozo with my buddy Ryan. We took the bus to Ċirkewwa, then the ferry to Ħondoq Bay and a bus to the main town of Victoria. You can also take the fast ferry from Valletta.
It was a super hot day, so we chilled in a cafe before taking yet another bus out to Dwejra.
To be honest, I was suffering in the heat. The glare and reflection from the endless sandstone is blinding.
The need to hydrate is very apparent. In the evening I bought a 5l bottle of water and sipped it non-stop over the next 24 hours, almost finishing it.
There is a lot to see on Gozo, so start early. Better still, stay a few days then you won’t be in such a rush. And also, do some research on what there is to see as it was quite apparent, having talked to other travellers, that we missed out on so much. But it is what it is.
4. Former Capital of Mdina:
Mdina is the former capital of Malta, also known as Città Vecchia and if you are planning on visiting Malta, Mdina should be on your list of places to visit. I took a bus from Valletta and spent 3 hours backpacking this rather cute, mostly car-free, walled city.
5. Blue Grotto:
One last thing I did was bus it to The Blue Grotto. This is spectacular, just 30 minutes by bus from Valletta. You can take a boat trip into the caves if you so wish.
6. Dingli Cliffs:
I visited the Dingli Cliffs as part of a long day, of bus hopping. I must have taken 13 different rides. The views are nice! Take lots of water!!!!
This can be seen on a Blue Grotto/Dingli Cliffs day trip as there is a bus running between the 2 sites.
7. Coastal towns of Marsaskala, Marsaxlokk and Birzebbugia:
I visited these 3 towns in the late afternoon and early evening. Great places for a stroll or a quiet beer away from the crowds of Valletta or St Julians.
How to get around Malta using public transport:
Malta is very easy to get around. The island is only 122 sq mi. and from Valletta to the top part of the island (where you can take the ferry to Gozo, takes 1 hour 20 or so. And to get to the coastal towns in the south takes 30 or so. To the west, it takes 30 to 45 minutes. These are approximate timings for travelling by bus as the traffic can be bad, buses might not even stop if they are full and sometimes you are going to miss your connection and end up waiting 40 minutes.
Valletta bus station is the main transport hub.
From the delightful Boho Hostel in St Julians, I would take the TD13 bus and then switch buses.
Tallinja Explore Card
The best value-for-money option if you are going to be using the buses a lot, is to get an EXPLORE card. These are 1-off purchases, valid for 7 days, from the time you validate the card on your first ride. The card offers unlimited bus travel on Malta and Gozo. The card costs 25 €. Bear in mind, that each single ride will cost you 2.50€ if you pay as you go.
A 12-journey card is also available for 21 Euros.
You can buy the card at Till Late Convenience stores, at Valletta bus station, or at any Post Office. You can also buy them at the airport.
I bought my first card at Till Late and my second card at the vending machine in Rabat.
Buses run from around 5 am to Midnight, depending on which route you are taking and there are a few night buses too.
Here is Malta’s bus network:
A great guide for the bus numbers in Malta:
There is a bus app, the Tallinja App, but I didn’t use it because you need an internet connection.
Bolt is Malta’s Uber Alternative and is pretty reasonable. I used one the night I arrived. It cost me 12€ from the airport to the hostel at 1.30 am. I had downloaded the Bolt app already and selected to pay cash. Worked like a dream.
And if you need some cash, the Lombard Bank doesn’t charge you commission for using their ATMs
