Getting around Malta

Malta is thirty kilometres end to end, which sounds like nothing until you meet the traffic. Getting around is easy, but the right method depends on where you’re staying and what you’re doing that day. Hiring a car is not automatically the answer.

• Malta Airport guideArrivals, transport into town, luggage, and how early you really need to be.
• Airport transfersGetting from the airport to your hotel without overpaying at 1am.
• Buses and the Tallinja cardHow the network works, what the Tallinja card saves, and which routes to avoid.
• Ferries in MaltaGozo, Comino and the harbour crossings, with the crossings that save an hour.
• Car hire in MaltaHiring a car here: insurance, deposits, and whether you need one at all.
• Driving in MaltaDriving on the left, Maltese road habits, and the junctions to respect.
• Parking and the CVAWhere you can leave a car, what the kerb colours mean, and how the Valletta CVA charge works.
• Taxis and taxi appsBolt, eCabs and white taxis: what each costs and when to use which.
• Scooters, bikes and walkingScooters, e-bikes and walking, and where the pavements give out.
• Getting to SicilyThe catamaran to Sicily, how often it runs and whether it is worth it.

How people get about

The default

Buses

They reach almost everywhere, they’re air-conditioned, and a single fare covers two hours including changes. This is why most visitors never hire a car.

The catch is summer, when a full bus on a busy northern route will drive straight past your stop.

Fares and routes

Faster than driving

Ferries

The Sliema and Three Cities crossings take about five minutes and beat the road by a wide margin. The Gozo ferry is the only way to take a car between the islands.

You don’t pay to sail to Gozo. You pay at Mġarr when you leave.

Crossings and fares

Only sometimes worth it

Hiring a car

A car earns its keep in the north, in the south, and in Gozo. In Sliema, St Julian’s, Valletta or the Three Cities it’s a liability: parking is scarce and Valletta charges for access.

Plenty of people hire for two or three days in the middle of a trip rather than the whole week.

What to check before bookingCompare car hire

Who runs what

These are the operators that move people around Malta on a published fare and timetable.

• Buses

  Malta Public Transport

  The whole island network, Malta and Gozo

  They run every public bus on both islands, including the express X routes to the airport and the tallinja Direct services. The tallinja card is theirs. A personalised card makes day and night routes free.

  Our guideOfficial timetable

• Car and passenger ferry

  Gozo Channel

  Cirkewwa to Mgarr

  This is the Gozo crossing that carries vehicles. The trip takes about twenty-five minutes and sailings continue through the night. You pay when you leave Gozo rather than when you arrive.

  Our guideOfficial timetable

• Fast passenger ferry

  Gozo Highspeed

  Valletta to Mgarr

  This service carries foot passengers only and leaves straight from the Valletta waterfront, so you skip the drive to Cirkewwa. The company was formed when the two competing fast-ferry operators merged.

  Our guideOfficial timetable

• Harbour ferry

  Valletta Ferry Services

  Sliema to Valletta, Three Cities to Valletta

  These are two five-minute crossings of the harbours, about every half hour in each direction. They cost less than the bus for the same trip and take far less time.

  Our guideOfficial timetable

• Catamaran

  Malta to Sicily by sea

  Valletta to Pozzallo

  A catamaran service crosses to Pozzallo in Sicily, which is the only scheduled way off the islands that is not a flight. It carries cars, campers and bicycles. Sailings are cancelled in heavy weather.

  Our guide

Who flies here