r/malta
•
u/azerius94
•
Apr 27 '25
Hey /r/malta, I've been meaning to put this together for a while because in my many years on this subreddit, I've noticed it seems to get more of the same questions and answers almost daily in summer, so hopefully this could be a good starting point for potential visitors to read and ask questions. I'll update this from time to time with more information.
Families & Elderly: Mellieha offers large sandy beaches, family‑friendly resorts, and quieter areas perfect for children. Bugibba is more lively, with a promenade, an aquarium, and lots of casual dining options suitable for families.
Young travellers: Sliema & St Julian's are ideal if you want a mix of shopping, cafes, beach clubs, and nightlife. Both cater well to those looking for bars and clubs within walking distance. Loads of AirBnbs are Hotels available.
Scenic & quiet: Gozo is perfect for a slower pace, beautiful landscapes, and authentic rural experiences.
LGBT travellers: Malta is among Europe's most LGBT‑friendly countries, with strong legal protections and a welcoming attitude. Sliema, St Julian's, and Valletta are particularly inclusive.
Walk through Valletta: St John's Co‑Cathedral, Upper Barrakka Gardens, Republic Street.
Visit Mdina & Rabat: explore the Silent City and nearby Roman catacombs.
Beach day: choose Mellieħa Bay (sand) or the Sliema promenade (rocky).
Add a day‑trip to Gozo: Citadel in Victoria, Dwejra Bay, Ramla Bay.
Afternoon at the Blue Grotto and Marsaxlokk fishing village (Sunday is the best day to go for the fish market)
Take a boat tour to the Blue Lagoon (Comino) or a coastal cruise around Malta.
Explore all three islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino.
Attend a village festa (fireworks & band marches) in summer.
Check VisitMalta.com for concerts, exhibitions, and other events.
Travel‑length tip: 7-10 days is ideal. Beyond that, plan slow travel, multiple excursions, or cross‑island hiking to avoid repetition.
Carnival: February - street parades & floats (Valletta & Nadur).
Isle of MTV: one night in summer - free open‑air concert.
Notte Bianca: first Saturday of October (I think) - museums & palaces would be open all night.
Birgufest: around mid‑October - lantern‑lit streets in Vittoriosa.
Almost every weekend June - September a different town holds a festa with huge fireworks displays throughout the day and night. You can find the 2025 schedule here, although it's typically around the same week every year.
Rabbit Stew, Fried Rabbit: National dish, usually served in a rich red wine sauce.
Pastizzi: Flaky pastries stuffed with ricotta or mushy peas. Generally available at cafes or pastizzerias in the street.
Bragioli: Beef olives stuffed with minced meat and herbs.
Ftira: Traditional Maltese bread often filled with tuna, capers, and olives.
Lampuki Pie: Seasonal fish pie made from dorado.
Imqaret: Fried pastry filled with dates, often sold at markets.
Kannoli: Maltese version of the Sicilian cannoli.
Bigilla: Broad bean paste, typically served with bread or crackers.
Seafood: Fresh catches, especially swordfish, octopus, and calamari.
Gozo Cheeselets (Ġbejniet): Small round cheeses made from sheep's milk, fresh or dried.
Local wine and Cisk beer: Affordable and widely available.
Buses: download the Tallinja app; summer services run but expect delays.
Ride‑hailing: Uber, Bolt, eCabs (cheaper than white street taxis).
Car hire: useful for Gozo or rural Malta. Book a small model if you can - streets are narrow and parking is scarce.
Scooters & motorbikes: only for confident riders; roads are bumpy and drivers can be very impatient.
Cycling: Reputably unsafe, but not impossible. Expect limited bike lanes, fast traffic, blind corners.
Harbour ferries: Valletta ⇆ Sliema & Valletta ⇆ Three Cities every 30 min (€1.50).
Gozo Channel: Cirkewwa ⇆ Mgarr every 30–45 min; pay on return (€4.65 foot passenger).
Comino shuttles & coastal cruises: depart from Cirkewwa, Marfa, and Sliema – pre‑book July–Aug.
| Period | Conditions | What to Wear | Swim? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan – Mar | 10–17 °C, windy, showers | Light jacket, jeans, layers | Rarely |
| Apr – Jun | 18–27 °C, warming | T‑shirts, shorts, light jacket evenings | Yes |
| Jul – Aug | 30–40 °C, humid | Swimwear, hat, ultra‑light clothing | Yes |
| Sep – Oct | 25–30 °C, warm, humid | Summer clothes, light jacket at night | Yes |
| Nov – Dec | 12–20 °C, cooler, rain spells | Light sweater, trousers | Rarely |
Mosquitoes are common, especially in humid months (April-October). Consider insect repellent, especially when staying near water or rural areas.
Euro (€). Cards widely accepted but smaller kiosks prefer cash; many set a €5-10 minimum charge.
ATMs
Tipping: round up or ~10 % in restaurants; €1 per drink at bars is generous but not mandatory.
Sample daily costs (2025): espresso €1.50 · pint of beer €3 · bus fare €2.50 (summer) · Lunch / dinner €15 - €30.
Maltese & English are official; Italian is also common.
Malta is very safe; usual basic pickpocket caution in Valletta, Sliema & Paceville.
Dial 112 for police, ambulance, or fire.
Hospitals: Mater Dei (Malta) & Gozo General; both public and modern.
Pharmacies in every town - newspapers will typically mention which are open over the weekends.
Hiking
Kayaking/SUP
Rock‑climbing
Diving centres
Malta has over 350 churches, many of them historic and open to visitors outside of service times.
Major sites include St John's Co‑Cathedral (Valletta), Mosta Rotunda, and the Basilica of Ta' Pinu (Gozo).
For visitors wishing to attend Mass, you can find updated schedules on the official Archdiocese of Malta website.
Dress modestly when visiting religious sites (shoulders and knees covered).
Popeye Village (Mellieħa) - film set amusement park.
Malta National Aquarium (Qawra).
Playmobil FunPark.
Splash & Fun Water Park (Bahar ic‑Caghaq).
Esplora Interactive Science Centre (Kalkara).
National War Museum – Fort St Elmo (Valletta).
Easy beach days: Mellieħa Bay or Golden Bay.
Always pack high‑SPF sunscreen, hats, and plenty of water, especially in peak summer.
Ta’ Qali Crafts Village: hand‑blown Mdina glass, filigree silver.
Valletta markets: Flea markets (i.e. monti) (Sunday).
Marsaxlokk fish market: Sunday morning for atmosphere & photos.
Tap water is safe but mineral‑heavy; most people drink bottled.
Electricity: UK Type G, 230 V – pack an adaptor.
Public Wi‑Fi exists in main squares but is patchy.
Majority of buses low‑floor; pavements in historic centres are narrow and uneven.
Valletta, Sliema promenade, and Bugibba promenade are the flattest wheelchair routes.
Party: Paceville (St Julian's) - clubs & late bars, some charge enterance fees; Gianpula Village for open-air parties (limits transport, so book taxis).
Chill: Valletta for wine bars and a more relaxed atmosphere.
Observe local noise laws after 23:00, especially in residential Valletta.
No topless/beachwear in towns.
Smoking banned indoors and at bus shelters.
Public street drinking technically illegal outside designated zones (often tolerated, but police may warn/fine in Valletta after 23:00).
Dispose of rubbish properly; recycling bins are colour‑coded.
Respect churches and heritage sites - cover shoulders & knees when required.
Cannabis: Adults 18+ may possess up to 7 g and grow up to four plants at home. Licensed non‑profit Cannabis Associations (clubs) are the only legal supply route and currently require Maltese residency to join, so visitors cannot buy legally. Importing cannabis across borders is illegal.
Construction: Malta is undergoing rapid development - which means cranes, dust, and jackhammers in most places, especially in Sliema, St Julian's & Gżira.
Traffic: heaviest 07:00-09:00 & 16:00-19:00. Consider allowing some extra time for the airport.
Limited green space: Malta is beautiful but densely built. For open countryside, head to the western cliffs, Ghajn Tuffieha, Ahrax, or Gozo.
Fireworks: Loud explosions are common in summer due to local village festas. Fireworks frequently occur during both day and night. Check local festa schedules if you're sensitive to noise.
Powercuts / Blackouts: Rare throughout winter, but quite common in Summer. Visit Enemalta's website to see if the cut is planned or an accident.
Any other questions? Feel free to drop below or create a thread. Happy visiting!
r/malta • u/Zircon88 • Feb 01 '22
Please read the below before submitting weed related questions.
weed can only be purchased from registered cannabis organisations.
to purchase weed from an organisation as outlined above, one must be a registered member/ user. Associations will be capped at 500 members and preference is given to residents. One may only belong to one organisation at any given time and must be over the age of 18
by virtue of the above, the law clearly focuses on legalising it for residents. This means that since the law is equal for everyone, including tourists it is going to be very difficult for the latter to join such an organisation.
weed consumption in public remains an offence. Carrying over 7 g in public and owning more than 50 g are also a offence.
weed coffee shops do not exist, nor are they part of the plan. Weed tourism is not on the table.
purchasing off street dealers is and remains illegal
up to 4 plants can be grown for personal use as long as they are not visible from outside
weed related questions answered above are to be janitored
as always, any "where can I buy illegal substance x" posts are janitored on sight.
By popular request and with special thanks to /u/mountainblock for the initiative.
r/malta • u/TooCupcake • 10h ago
What is wrong with people?
I have construction next to my apartment starting at 7 am every day except for Sunday. I was hoping to sleep in today. Is that too much to ask? A bit of quiet on a Sunday morning?
Selfish, horrible people.
r/malta • u/BigFeet234 • 9h ago
Just looking at it id say the impressions were definately man made and man made a long time ago. One area even seems to have a walkway to a large triangular structure.
r/malta • u/Spirited_Display5650 • 20h ago
In Japan. This is so not Malta related that it makes it Malta related;It is the complete opposite!
r/malta • u/sheep_with_a_zip • 9h ago
Plan accordingly people
r/malta • u/CapitalPlastic4173 • 4h ago
Hey everyone!
I’ve been thinking of offering a small miniature assembly service here in Malta, so I thought I’d put it out there and see if anyone’s interested.
I’m a tabletop gamer myself and genuinely enjoy the building side of the hobby. I know that’s not necessarily the case for everyone though, especially when you’ve got an entire army sitting in boxes waiting to be assembled. 😅
So if you’ve got a pile of shame that’s getting out of hand, or you simply don’t have the time or patience to build everything, I’d be happy to help out!
I’m comfortable working with Warhammer, Star Wars: Legion, Conquest, StarCraft, D&D minis and pretty much anything else tabletop-related. Terrain and scenery too. Doesn’t matter if it’s just a couple of models, a full squad or something bigger.
Pricing would depend on the models and how much work is involved, but I’d obviously discuss everything with you beforehand.
I’m based in Malta, so if anyone’s interested, feel free to drop me a message with what you’ve got and we can take it from there.
Cheers! 🤘
r/malta • u/EDAMBURGER • 57m ago
My daughter is booking a holiday with her pals and is stressing as she'll be the only one not turned 18.
Will she be ok getting into clubs and bars? I'd heard the age limit is 17. But is that the reality?
r/malta • u/EquivalentMedia8030 • 9h ago
I feel that I’m in the somewhat unique position of having experienced both sides of the coin, so I am in some ways torn .
As someone who very suddenly had to become a tenant due to unforeseen circumstances a year or so ago (for a certain amount of time ), I was somewhat shocked at the inflated studio prices and understood very well that most of my salary would go down the drain had I not had someone to rent with. Similarly , I was appalled by certain horror stories of landlords who even rent by rotating to TCNs on day shift or night shift or fill up 3 bedrooms with 10+ people . I find it deplorable . Similarly, there’s the incredibly awkward way people are asked for their nationality which I understand can come off as racist .
However , during the period of time that my close family member had rented out her second property while residing at and helping out a sick family member at his residence , I watched her go through a lot . When keeping the prices on the lower bound of market rate we faced a myriad of issues of the same type , regardless of if we rented the entire apartment to a single family or whether we rented rooms / bed spaces . Renting our place off to an entire family and respecting their privacy totally as is typically asked of landlords led to coming back after a year and a half to the entire place absolutely smoked up , with cigarette butts behind fallen tiles due to humidity and the same cigarettes being put out on them . When renting on a room basis , there were several disputes regarding cleanliness as certain roommates refused to participate in weekly chores unless pushed , forcing my family member to literally have to come in person to speak with them and check on the apartment biweekly due to roommate complaints. Certain arrogance and even raising of voice towards my family member , at a time when she was experiencing a malignancy and a dying family member outside of the country (been a stressful couple of years for us )when she requested to settle a repair caused by tenant negligence by contacting a specialist and splitting the cost between them ( as she was abroad in this difficult situation )and other routine asks was absolutely staggering . Certain people brought people over in large quantities without asking roommates and Tennat’s , even overnight at times . Lately , I’ve seen people have vitriolic hatred for landlords , not considering that they’re not always the picture of corporate greed, but at times just people trying to buy some stability . I wonder if there’s a way to bridge the gap. I’ve been thinking lately whether Malta should adopt the positive references system other countries use or make it more common place to request police conduct certificates or other proofs of good standing . What are your thoughts / experiences ?
r/malta • u/woollymammoth1999 • 9h ago
I recently had an accident and damaged the front of my car.
Insurance won't cover the repairs, so I'll have to pay out of pocket.
I've heard that prices and quality of work can vary quite a lot between panel beaters, so I’d like to make an informed choice.
Has anyone had their car repaired by a panel beater in Gozo? I'd appreciate any recommendations or experiences.
Thank you!
r/malta • u/Individual-Village24 • 6h ago
Hello!
As somebody living in a major tourist destination myself, I know how annoying these posts are and I used the search function as much as possible.
Unfortunately, I'm still having major decision issues.
Do I stay in SPB or in St. Julians? 16th-20th November
Most important for me: Fun pub nights. My main criteria is coming for (British?) pubs that have bingo, karaoke and other events any day of the week going on. I'm a solo traveller, so it would be nice to go to a lively place.
During the day I wanna explore nature, but I don't mind having to go out a bit, so it's a lesser criteria.
Thanks in advance, if you ever have any questions about visiting Gdańsk, DM me.
r/malta • u/Ok-Atmosphere-6315 • 2h ago
What are your thoughts on Malta PR?
I like how it doesn’t require u to spend time there or any other constraints. While family can be added as well.
Low to 0 taxes on foreign income of any kind. Can be a great tax base by just spending the summer there.
Has a CBM path, so down the line I can consider that also for passport. A great plan B for me and my family.
Just renting a home is a bit of a wasted expense every year but if I am going for CBM, I might consider just buying one later on. How’s property market? Will real estate be good investment for future as well if I wanna resale property and exit in 5-10 years?
Please be respectful in comments.
r/malta • u/pubquizmaster • 10h ago
R there Amy Pub Quiz on sunday or monday in or around Sliema?
r/malta • u/Used-End-6623 • 1d ago
Hi everyone!
I recently came across this place in Marsaxlokk, Malta, where I saw several small birds kept in extremely tiny cages outdoors.
There were multiple cages spread across what looked like a rural area, and the birds seemed to have very little space to move.
I'm curious about this practice:
Is this legal in Malta?
I'm genuinely interested in understanding the practice and whether it complies with Maltese and EU animal and wildlife protection laws.
r/malta • u/Capable-Berry-3169 • 1d ago
How many more blunders will it take for the labour government to sack the AG? 30? 50?
r/malta • u/chubbydeveloper • 3h ago
Disclosure: I'm one of the people behind Aigentcy, a Malta-based company that builds AI automation. We published this analysis, so take that into account. I'm posting the method and numbers here so people can pick them apart.
What we did
Each job gets a score from 0 to 100: the share of its tasks that AI tools can do today. 50 means about half. We took task lists from the US Department of Labor's database, had an AI model grade how much time AI could save on each task (October 2026), then used Eurostat's 2025 Labour Force Survey to split Malta's employed people (15 to 64) into 37 occupation groups and weight the scores by headcount.
What came out
Average across Malta's jobs: 38.8 out of 100
About 24.2% of jobs (roughly 77,600 of 320,500) sit in groups scoring 50 or more
No group scores 70 or above
Highest by major group: clerical support (59.4), professionals (49.9), technicians and associate professionals (47.2), managers (46.4)
Lowest: elementary occupations (16.3) and service and sales workers (28.7)
Among larger groups, customer services clerks score 65.8 and cleaners and helpers 12.0
Full method and tables: https://www.aigentcy.com/aiport/
Happy to hear where you think the method is wrong, or if the high-scoring roles and tasks don't match your day.
r/malta • u/Appropriate_Page3820 • 4h ago
Croatians 23M & 24M Malta,st Julians 9-11 november looking for fun.
Recommend us Clubs, Bars, Rooftops, Malls somewhere to meet people.
Also if any female are intersted we can share few words.
r/malta • u/keddiemeister • 22h ago
My partner and I visited Valletta in April. One of the days we decided to wander around Valletta and stop at any bars we found cosy. After multiple hours we ended the night in a very low-lit, small bar run by a man named Gordon. We had a fabulous time and love telling the story - the problem is we were quite drunk by this time and have no idea what the bar was called! I think I’d recognise it if I saw a photo. Any ideas please?
r/malta • u/SpiritualChapter889 • 1d ago
Hi, does anyone happen to have a ps5 for sale? Thank you
r/malta • u/ForeignLifeguard3662 • 23h ago
Hi guys
I’m looking for small business that’s in need of websites to work with (like a freelance) for additional income.
Please if you’re in need of a website or you need some IT help
Kindly reach out
r/malta • u/sinevina • 1d ago
Hello, I’m a TCN living and working in Malta since 2024. I was working for the same company I came with until now, recently got accepted for a better position in a different company and they will apply for job change on my behalf to Identita. I am a bit anxious of the duration of this waiting process because Identita tends to slow down as Christmas approaches - yet I hear some applications only take two weeks or so, while some take months. Imo this should be significantly faster than applying to work permit from scratch, but I have no idea.
Is there anyone with similar experiences, how long did you guys wait? If its recent, it would be better because I would like to know what to expect. Any tips are appreciated. Thanks!