13 towns compared

Malta town by town comparison

Buses from Valletta reach most of Malta, so the town you pick decides what is on foot from your room. Every town with a guide, side by side.

The Malta country guide

What do you want outside your door?

Pick what matters to you and the towns that have it stay lit. Tap a dot for the reason.

Town	History	Top sights	Sand	Rock swims	Diving	Nights out	Quiet	No car	Airport
Malta
Valletta	Yes: You want St John's Co-Cathedral, the Barrakka Gardens and Fort St Elmo a few streets from your room.	Yes: Within 2.5 km: St John's Co-Cathedral, Fort St Elmo and Upper Barrakka Gardens, all on Malta's Best list.	No	No	Yes: Dive or snorkel at HMS Maori.	No	No	Yes: You plan day trips across Malta. Most bus routes start at Valletta's terminal.	7.1 km
Birgu	Yes: You want to sleep beside the marina, with Fort St Angelo at the end of the quay.	Yes: Within 2.5 km: Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum and Fort St Angelo, both on Malta's Best list.	No	Yes: Swim off the rocks at Rinella Bay.	No	No	Yes: You want lanes that go quiet once the day visitors have taken the ferry back.	No	6 km
Sliema	No	No	No	Yes: You want to swim off the rocks most days, a few minutes from your room.	No	No	No	Yes: You want the Valletta ferry a few minutes from your door. It sails from Sliema's quay on The Strand.	9.2 km
St Julian's	No	No	Yes: You want a sandy beach you can walk to. St George's Bay is the only one around Sliema and St Julian's.	Yes: Swim off the rocks at Balluta Bay.	Yes: Dive or snorkel at Merkanti Reef.	Yes: You want dinner on a terrace over the water, with Paceville a few minutes up the hill if the night goes on.	No	No	9 km
St Paul's Bay	No	No	No	Yes: You want a quick swim off the rocks most days. Steps lead into the sea at Qawra Point, a short walk from the square.	Yes: Dive or snorkel at St Paul's Islands and Buġibba Perched Beach.	Yes: You like a busy seafront at night, with restaurants and bars around the square and along the promenade.	No	Yes: You plan day trips by bus. Routes to Valletta, Sliema, Golden Bay and the Gozo ferry at Ċirkewwa all leave from Buġibba.	17.7 km
Mellieħa	No	No	Yes: You want the long, shallow sand of Mellieħa Bay below your room, and Golden Bay one bus ride away.	No	No	No	Yes: You want quiet evenings: dinner in the village, then the church terrace over the bay.	No	22.3 km
Mdina	Yes: You want to sleep in a 17th-century palace built into the bastions.	No	No	No	No	No	Yes: You want to walk the empty lanes at night and before breakfast.	No	10.1 km
Rabat	Yes: You want St Paul's Catacombs, the Wignacourt Museum and the mosaics at Domvs Romana a few minutes' walk from your room.	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	10.3 km
Marsaxlokk	No	No	Yes: A sandy beach within 3 km: Pretty Bay.	Yes: You want to swim off the rocks at St Peter's Pool and walk the Delimara cliffs.	Yes: Dive or snorkel at Il-Kalanka.	No	Yes: You want an early, quiet night after dinner on the harbour front.	No	6.5 km
Gozo
Victoria	Yes: You want the Cittadella on your doorstep. Its walls stay open at all hours, so you can walk the ramparts after dinner.	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes: You plan to see the island without a car. Buses for Dwejra, Xlendi, Marsalforn and Għarb leave from the terminal here.	33.7 km
Xagħra	Yes: You came for the temples. Ġgantija is about five minutes on foot from the village square, and the same ticket covers Ta' Kola Windmill.	Yes: Within 2.5 km: Ġgantija and Ramla Bay, both on Malta's Best list.	Yes: You want a sand beach without a car. Ramla Bay is roughly half an hour down on foot, and route 322 brings you back up.	No	No	No	No	No	33.7 km
Marsalforn	No	No	Yes: Sand in town, at Marsalforn Bay.	Yes: You want to swim every day. Steel ladders lead off the rocks into deep water all round the bay.	Yes: You came to dive. Several dive centres work from the bay, and Reqqa Point is up the coast.	No	No	No	36.6 km
Xlendi	No	No	Yes: Sand in town, at Xlendi Bay.	Yes: You want to swim before breakfast. The ladders and rocks at the mouth of the bay are a short walk from the waterfront.	Yes: You came to dive or snorkel. Several dive centres work from the bay, and the caves in its walls are a short swim out.	No	No	No	36.4 km

Malta

The main island. Valletta's bus terminal sits outside City Gate, and most routes start there.

Valletta

History
Top sights
Diving
No car

Yes, if the sights are the point of your trip. After dinner you walk home, with no ferry to catch.

Valletta suits you if

You want St John's Co-Cathedral, the Barrakka Gardens and Fort St Elmo a few streets from your room.
You want the Grand Harbour, with the Three Cities across it, at the end of your street.
You want to sleep in a converted palace.

Sliema suits you better if

You would rather not climb stairs every day.
You want a bigger hotel with a pool or a sea view. Valletta's rooms are mostly small palazzo conversions inside the walls.
You want a flat seafront promenade. Sliema has one, a short ferry ride from Valletta.

Read the Valletta guideThings to do 50 Where to stay

Birgu

History
Top sights
Rock swims
Quiet

Yes, if you want the harbour at your door and do not mind a ferry to Valletta's sights.

Birgu suits you if

You want to sleep beside the marina, with Fort St Angelo at the end of the quay.
You want dinner on the marina after dark, with Fort St Angelo lit at the end of the quay.
You want Senglea and Cospicua on foot, with no crossing to catch.

Valletta suits you better if

You want a wide choice of hotels. The Three Cities have very few.
You want more restaurants and late buses outside your door.
You plan day trips across Malta. Most bus routes start at Valletta's terminal.

Read the Birgu guideThings to do 29 Where to stay

Sliema

Rock swims
No car

For a seafront base, yes. Valletta is a short ferry ride across the harbour.

Sliema suits you if

You want to swim off the rocks most days, a few minutes from your room.
You want harbour cruises and day boats to Comino and Gozo leaving from the quay on The Strand.
You want a level seafront to walk every evening, from Tigné Point round the peninsula.

Valletta suits you better if

You want St John's Co-Cathedral and the Barrakka Gardens a short walk from your door.
You want late dinners in the city with no ferry to catch. On Sundays and public holidays from November to May, the last boat back from Valletta leaves at 18:30.
You want to sleep in a palazzo inside the walls.

Read the Sliema guideThings to do 17 Where to stay

Spinola Bay at dusk in a long exposure, light trails on the curved seafront road, boats moored in the bay and lit restaurant and hotel fronts behind

St Julian's

Sand
Rock swims
Diving
Nights out

Choose it for nights out, and sleep at the Balluta end if you want quiet ones.

St Julian's suits you if

You want a sandy beach you can walk to. St George's Bay is the only one around Sliema and St Julian's.
You want dinner on a terrace over the water, with Paceville a few minutes up the hill if the night goes on.
You want a resort hotel with a lido or a rooftop pool, on Dragonara Point or above St George's Bay.

Sliema suits you better if

You want the Valletta ferry a few minutes from your door. It sails from Sliema's quay on The Strand.
You want to sleep well away from the Paceville clubs.
You plan to spend more of your days in Valletta than in the sea.

Read the St Julian's guideThings to do 10 Where to stay

St Paul's Bay

Rock swims
Diving
Nights out
No car

Yes, if you plan day trips by bus: Buġibba is the north coast's busiest base.

St Paul's Bay suits you if

You plan day trips by bus. Routes to Valletta, Sliema, Golden Bay and the Gozo ferry at Ċirkewwa all leave from Buġibba.
You want a quick swim off the rocks most days. Steps lead into the sea at Qawra Point, a short walk from the square.
You like a busy seafront at night, with restaurants and bars around the square and along the promenade.

Sliema suits you better if

You want old streets and churches outside your door. Buġibba and Qawra are a modern resort strip.
You want the ferry across to Valletta at the end of your street.
You want shopping streets and a seafront walk into St Julian's.

Read the St Paul's Bay guideThings to do 14 Where to stay

Mellieħa

Sand
Quiet

Yes, for a quiet base above the sand and the Comino boats; not if you want Valletta every day.

Mellieħa suits you if

You want the long, shallow sand of Mellieħa Bay below your room, and Golden Bay one bus ride away.
You plan to cross to Comino or Gozo. The boats leave from Ċirkewwa and Marfa, just north of the village.
You want quiet evenings: dinner in the village, then the church terrace over the bay.

St Julian's suits you better if

You want bars and late nights. Mellieħa goes quiet after dinner.
You plan to spend most days in Valletta. Mellieħa sits at the far north of the island.
You find hills hard going. The village is steep, with many steps, and the climb back from the beach is taxing.

Read the Mellieħa guideThings to do 43 Where to stay

Mdina

History
Quiet

Stay in Mdina only if Mdina itself is the point. Rabat, next door, has the buses and a spa hotel.

Mdina suits you if

You want to walk Mdina's lanes after dark, when the gate and streets are lit.
You want to sleep in a 17th-century palace built into the bastions.
You want St Paul's Cathedral and Bastion Square a few minutes from your room.

Rabat suits you better if

You want more choice of rooms. Mdina has very few hotels.
You want a pool and a spa where you sleep.
You want buses in every direction. Rabat's stops serve the airport, Dingli and the south coast.

Read the Mdina guideThings to do 27 Where to stay

Rabat

History

Yes, if you are here for the catacombs, Mdina and the Dingli cliffs, and not the sea.

Rabat suits you if

You want St Paul's Catacombs, the Wignacourt Museum and the mosaics at Domvs Romana a few minutes' walk from your room.
You plan to walk the Dingli Cliffs and Buskett. Route 201 runs from Rabat to the cliff top, and routes 52 and 56 stop at Buskett.
You want a spa and a pool where you sleep, in a hotel above the valley.

Mdina suits you better if

You want to sleep inside the walls, in a palace on the bastions.
You want the cathedral and Bastion Square at the end of your street.

Read the Rabat guideThings to do 20 Where to stay

Marsaxlokk

Sand
Rock swims
Diving
Quiet

Come to Marsaxlokk for the day and sleep in Valletta, unless the harbour is why you came.

Marsaxlokk suits you if

You want to wake by the harbour on a Sunday and walk straight out to the fish stalls.
You want to swim off the rocks at St Peter's Pool and walk the Delimara cliffs.
You want an early, quiet night after dinner on the harbour front.

Valletta suits you better if

You want a choice of hotels. Marsaxlokk has very few places to stay.
You plan day trips across Malta. Most routes start at Valletta's terminal, and 81 and 85 bring you back to Marsaxlokk.
You want restaurants, museums and evenings out near your room.

Read the Marsaxlokk guideThings to do 29 Where to stay

Gozo

The second island, a ferry crossing from Ċirkewwa at Malta's north tip. Most of Gozo's bus routes start in Victoria.

Victoria

History
No car

Yes, if you want buses to every corner of Gozo from your door. For the sea outside your room, pick Xlendi or Marsalforn.

Victoria suits you if

You plan to see the island without a car. Buses for Dwejra, Xlendi, Marsalforn and Għarb leave from the terminal here.
You want the Cittadella on your doorstep, about five minutes uphill from It-Tokk.
You want festivals in town: St George's festa in July, and opera at the Astra and the Aurora in October.

Xlendi suits you better if

You want a morning swim. Victoria is inland, and Xlendi's bay is one bus ride away.
You want dinner on a waterfront. Several restaurants line the bay at Xlendi.

Read the Victoria guideThings to do 26 Where to stay

Ramla Bay seen from the mouth of the Tal-Mixta cave, a curve of orange sand and turquoise water framed by dark rock, with dry hills behind

Xagħra

History
Top sights
Sand

Stay in Xagħra and Ġgantija is five minutes from your door, with Ramla Bay half an hour's walk below.

Xagħra suits you if

You came for the temples. Ġgantija is about five minutes on foot from the village square, and the same ticket covers Ta' Kola Windmill.
You want a sand beach without a car. Ramla Bay is roughly half an hour down on foot, and route 322 brings you back up.
You like a village square in the evening. Cafés face the basilica on Victory Square, and the feast fills it every 8 September.

Marsalforn suits you better if

You want the sea outside your door. Xagħra sits on a plateau, and route 322 runs down to Marsalforn's bay.
You want dinner by the water. Marsalforn's restaurants face the sea.
You want to walk the coast from your door, west along the shore to the salt pans at Xwejni.

Read the Xagħra guideThings to do 25 Where to stay

Marsalforn

Sand
Rock swims
Diving

Yes in summer, if you want to swim and walk the coast from your door. In winter, or without a car, Victoria is the easier base.

Marsalforn suits you if

You want to swim every day. Steel ladders lead off the rocks into deep water all round the bay.
You came to walk the coast. The path to the salt pans and Wied il-Għasri starts on the promenade.
You came to dive Reqqa Point, the wall at Gozo's northern tip, up the coast from the bay.

Victoria suits you better if

You plan to see Gozo without a car. Most of the island's bus routes start from the terminal in Victoria.
You are here in winter. Marsalforn is a summer resort, and it is quiet out of season.
You want a choice of hotels. Marsalforn has few.

Read the Marsalforn guideThings to do 10 Where to stay

Xlendi

Sand
Rock swims
Diving

Stay in Xlendi if your days are swimming and cliff walks; for the rest of Gozo you change buses in Victoria.

Xlendi suits you if

You want to swim before breakfast. The ladders and rocks at the mouth of the bay are a short walk from the waterfront.
You want to snorkel the caves in the bay walls, a short swim from the waterfront.
You want to walk the cliffs at sunset and still walk down to dinner by the water.

Victoria suits you better if

You plan to cross the island every day by bus. Route 306 runs only between Xlendi and Victoria, so every trip changes there.
You are coming in winter. The bay is much quieter then and the sea is cold.
You would rather spend your evenings in a town than on a single waterfront.

Read the Xlendi guideThings to do 11 Where to stay

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Last updated 9 November 2026