Getting There By Air:Malta International Airport (MIA) Tel: 2124 9600.
Website:
www.maltairport.comMalta International Airport lies towards the south of the island at Luqa, 7km (4.5 miles) southwest of Valletta, 13km (8 miles) from the tourist enclave of St Julian’s and 22km (13.5 miles) from the resort of Mellieha.
The airport is small but modern with all the usual international airport facilities of car hire, currency exchange, airline desks, information
offices etc.
Bus 8 connects the airport to the bus station at Valletta. It departs every 20 minutes from around 0600 to 2100. From Valletta buses run to all parts of the island. Taxi fares from the airport are regulated. Pick up a copy of the latest fares from the airport tourist office. Outside rush hour, you can drive to the airport from anywhere on the island in 30 to 45 minutes.
To continue onto Gozo (the neighboring island), there are two options. A car ferry departs every half hour or so from Cirkewwa, at the northern tip of the island (bus from the airport) and the crossing takes around 30 minutes. Or you can take off and land on water with the romantic new
Harbourair (tel: 2122 8302; website:
www.harborairmalta.com) seaplane service departing from Valletta Waterfront and taking just 15 minutes to arrive at Mgarr harbor, Gozo. There are three flights a day in winter, more in summer (see website for schedule) carrying only 14 passengers, so book well in advance.
Getting There By Water:You can travel to Malta by high-speed ferry from Sicily with
Virtu Ferries (tel: 2122 8777; website:
www.virtuferries.com) and
Grimaldi Ferries (tel: 2122 6873; website:
www.grimaldi-ferries.com).
Grimaldi also operates from Malta to Salerno and Genoa on mainland Italy and to Tunis (Tunisia).
Getting There By Road:Unless they are delivering a car, no-one drives across Europe to get to Malta. There are car ferry services from some Italian ports but the cost/hassle against the option of cheap flights and the cheap cost of car hire on the island makes this a non-starter for conventional holidaymakers.
Getting to Valletta is relatively easy as it is the transport hub of the island and all main roads are signposted. Unless you are resident here (in which case ask your host about parking) park outside the walls in one of the marked car parks. Valletta’s streets are steep and narrow and much of it is now pedestrianized.
Getting There By Rail:Malta has no rail network.
Getting Around:Public TransportMalta’s
buses are run by the
ATP (Malta’s Public Transport Association). The island is famous for its much photographed antiquated fleet (many dating back to the 1950s) but it includes many modern vehicles too. You can pick up a map and timetable of all routes from the
ATP kiosk at the main terminus outside City Gate Valletta. A list of all routes and timings by summer/winter and mornings/afternoon (though not a full timetable) is available online at
www.atp.com.mt (or tel: 2125 0007).
Regular services connect all parts of the island, though the majority use Valletta as the island hub. There are a few ’direct route buses’ linking the resorts with attractions and areas of tourist interest without having to route via the capital. Fares are cheap so have small change to hand. You can buy one-, three-, five- and seven-day saver tickets at the termini at Valletta, Buggiba and Sliema Ferries, or from any branch of the
Bank of Valletta. The only late buses are those which operate out of the nightlife enclave of St Julian’s/Paceville.
Within the walls of Valletta, roads and streets are steep and narrow and there is very little parking space. There is no bus service. A new way of getting about is the
CT Cabs fleet of battery powered, chauffeur-driven golf-buggy-style cars (tel: 2133 3321).
Conventional taxis (see below) and horse-drawn
karrozin (carriages) are expensive, so always haggle on the price.
TaxisBy comparison to other transport costs, taxis (always white) are relatively expensive (roughly on a par with western European fares). They rarely work on the meter so it is vital that you agree a fare before you set off.
Wembley’s Taxis (tel: 2137 4141; website:
www.wembleys.net) is a reputable company.
Car HireCar hire on Malta is among the cheapest in Europe but beware that the standard of driving is poor, parking is often very difficult and roads are frequently congested.
Recommended car hire agencies include
Avis (tel: 2122 5986; website:
www.avis.com) and
Europcar (tel: 2138 8516; website:
www.europcar.com), with whom
Air Malta passengers are offered special discounts.
Bicycle HireBicycle hire is not recommended due to the poor road and driving conditions and very heavy traffic.
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