Getting around Malta and Gozo — the UK guide.

Malta is small enough that you do not need a car for most of a holiday, and connected enough that public transport will get you almost anywhere. The Tallinja bus network covers Malta and Gozo on a single ticket, the Gozo Channel ferry is one of the great Mediterranean short crossings, and a fleet of harbour ferries and water taxis solve the awkward bits of the resort coast. Car hire is cheap and useful for two or three days; longer than that and the parking will start to outweigh the freedom. Below, everything you need to know with up-to-date prices.

The Tallinja bus network

Tallinja, run by Malta Public Transport, operates around 90 routes across Malta and Gozo from a hub at Valletta Bus Terminus and a secondary hub at the airport. The buses are modern, air-conditioned and on the whole punctual. Frequency on the major routes (X1 to/from the airport, 12 to Sliema, 13 to Mdina, 222 to Mellieħa, 41/42 to Ċirkewwa) is typically every 10–20 minutes; rural Gozo routes can run as little as every hour, especially on Sundays.

The cheapest way to ride is to buy a Tallinja Card at the airport, the bus terminus or any larger Lotto kiosk. The standard adult card costs €15 to issue and includes €10 of travel; top-ups are made at the same kiosks or via the Tallinja app. The Explore Card (€21 for 7 days) and Explore Plus Card (€39 with night-bus and ferry add-ons) are the simplest options for UK visitors who plan to use public transport every day. Visitors travelling with children should note that under-fours travel free; child cards are available for ages 4–10.

Useful airport routes for UK visitors:

• X1 — Airport → Ċirkewwa via Mosta and Mellieħa (the Gozo ferry connector)
• X2 — Airport → Sliema and St Julian’s
• X3 — Airport → Buġibba and Qawra
• X4 — Airport → Valletta Bus Terminus

Taxis in Malta

Malta has three taxi populations. White airport taxis, parked outside arrivals, operate on a fixed-price zone system: you pay at a kiosk inside the terminal before you leave the building. Indicative prices: Sliema, St Julian’s and Valletta around €20; Buġibba €25; Mellieħa €28; Ċirkewwa for the Gozo ferry €35. Black taxis on the streets of Valletta and Sliema are metered but expensive; we rarely recommend them. Ride-hailing apps — Bolt, eCabs and Uber — are now the way most Maltese take a taxi. Fares are usually 30–40% lower than the white-taxi flat rate; the eCabs app integrates with airport pre-bookings.

The Gozo Channel ferry from Ċirkewwa

The crossing between Ċirkewwa, on Malta’s northern tip, and Mġarr Harbour on Gozo is one of the most reliable short ferries in the Mediterranean. Sailings run roughly every 45 minutes during the day, every 90 minutes overnight, and the crossing takes 25 minutes. Tickets are paid only on the return leg from Mġarr to Ċirkewwa.

A second, faster service — the Gozo Fast Ferry — runs from Valletta’s Grand Harbour direct to Mġarr Harbour in 45 minutes for €7.50 each way; a useful option if you are based in the Three Cities or Valletta and want to skip the journey to Ċirkewwa.

Harbour ferries & water taxis

Two short ferry routes are essential for resort-coast UK visitors. The Sliema–Valletta ferry, between Marsamxett Harbour terminals on each side, takes seven minutes and costs €1.50 single — vastly faster than the bus and a far prettier approach to the capital. The Three Cities ferry, from Valletta’s Grand Harbour to Senglea, is shorter still (five minutes, €1.50) and the only sensible way to dinner across the harbour. Both run roughly every 30 minutes from early morning until mid-evening.

For a more cinematic option, the dgħajsa water taxis — traditional Maltese gondolas, painted in primary colours — still operate from the steps below the Upper Barrakka. Expect to pay around €10 per person for a 25-minute pootle round the Three Cities; haggle gently and bring sun cream.

Car hire

UK visitors will find car hire in Malta cheap, easy and on the right side of the road. Daily rates from international agencies (Avis, Hertz, Sixt, Europcar) start around €20 in shoulder season; local outfits (First Car Rental, GoldCar) come in lower. Petrol is around €1.40 a litre. A few practicalities:

• Driving on the left — yes, just like home. Roundabouts run clockwise.
• Roads are narrow. Country lanes can be one car wide; main roads through villages are tight. Take a small car; you will not need horsepower.
• Parking in Valletta is essentially impossible — use the Park & Ride at Floriana (€0.50 a day, free shuttle to City Gate). In Sliema and St Julian’s, blue lines = paid, white = free, yellow = no parking. The Q-Park near Portomaso is the easiest paid option in St Julian’s.
• Tolls: there are none.
• Speed limits: 50 km/h built-up areas, 80 km/h elsewhere. Cameras are common.

The simplest formula: bus and ferry on resort days, hire a car for two days to do the south coast and Mdina, take the Gozo ferry as foot passengers and rent something small once on Gozo.

Practical tips

• Download the Tallinja app before you fly — live arrivals, journey planner and contactless top-ups in one place.
• Cash is rarely needed, but carry small euro coins for the dgħajsa and the occasional village kiosk.
• Buses fill up between 9 and 11 in summer. If your route serves a beach, leave earlier or later — there is no second-tier overflow service.
• Sundays are slower. Plan a relaxed day or hire a car if you intend to cover ground.
• Walking is underrated. Valletta, the Three Cities and the Sliema–St Julian’s coastal promenade are all best done on foot.

Frequently asked questions