What is the best area to stay in Malta?

For a first visit, Sliema or St Julian's: lively seafronts, plenty of hotels and easy links to everything else. Choose Valletta for history and atmosphere, St Julian's for nightlife and big resort hotels, and St Paul's Bay for relaxed, family-friendly value in the north.

Is Valletta or Sliema better to stay in?

Valletta is the more atmospheric choice, with history, restaurants and harbour views on your doorstep, but it is quiet late at night and has no beach. Sliema has a long seafront promenade, more shops and rock swimming, and the ferry gets you to Valletta in minutes.

Where should families stay in Malta?

St Paul's Bay, Bugibba and Qawra in the north are the most family-friendly, with a long promenade, good-value hotels and sandy beaches nearby. The big resort hotels of St Julian's, with pools and lidos, also work well.

Where is the nightlife in Malta?

St Julian's, especially Paceville around St George's Bay, is the island's nightlife centre, with bars and clubs open late. Valletta has quieter wine bars and rooftop terraces.

Where to Stay in Malta 2026: Best Areas & Hotels

Malta packs seven thousand years of history, a honey-coloured fortress capital and some seriously blue water into an island you can drive across in under an hour. Most of the action, and most of the hotels, cluster around the harbours of the east coast, where Valletta, Sliema, Gzira and St Julian's flow into one another along the water.

The trick is matching the base to the trip. Valletta for baroque streets and harbour views; Sliema for promenade strolls and ferries to the capital; St Julian's for nightlife and big resort hotels; St Paul's Bay for easy-going seaside value in the north. Distances are short, so wherever you stay, the rest of the island is a bus or taxi away.

The short answer

Best for a city break
Best for a city break
Valletta
A UNESCO-listed capital of golden stone, with the Grand Harbour at the end of every street.
Best for nightlife
Best for nightlife
St Julian's
Bars, clubs and late-night restaurants around St George’s Bay, and big resort hotels by the marina.
Best for couples
Best for couples
Sliema
A seafront promenade made for sunset walks, rocky swimming spots and a ferry across to Valletta.
Best for families
Best for families
St. Paul's Bay
A relaxed northern bay with a long promenade, good-value hotels and the sandy beaches of the north close by.
Best for views on a budget
Best for views on a budget
Gzira
Waterfront hotels looking straight across the harbour at Valletta’s skyline, between Sliema and the capital.

Malta areas at a glance

Area	Best for	What it's like	Hotels
Valletta	City break, History, Couples	A golden fortress capital with the Grand Harbour at its feet.	Hotels: 47
Sliema	Couples, Shopping, Walking	A buzzing seafront promenade, with Valletta a short ferry ride away.	Hotels: 42
St Julian's	Nightlife, Resorts, Groups	The island's party district, plus five-star resorts by the marina.	Hotels: 52
Gzira	Views, Value, City break	Waterfront hotels facing Valletta's skyline, between Sliema and the capital.	Hotels: 11
St Paul's Bay, Bugibba and Qawra	Families, Value, Seaside	A relaxed northern bay with a long promenade and good-value hotels.	Hotels: 16

Valletta

City break
History
Couples

A golden fortress capital with the Grand Harbour at its feet.

Valletta is a city built to impress, and four centuries on it still does. Every street of honey-coloured stone seems to end in a glimpse of sea, the Upper Barrakka Gardens look down over the Grand Harbour, and the whole place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes.

Stay here for history on your doorstep, rooftop bars and some of the island's best restaurants. Hotels range from grand old landmarks at the city gate to boutique places tucked into converted palazzi near the harbour. Beaches aren't the point here, but the ferry to Sliema is.

Hotels to look at in Valletta

All 47 hotels in Valletta →

Sliema

Couples
Shopping
Walking

A buzzing seafront promenade, with Valletta a short ferry ride away.

Sliema's promenade is where Malta comes to stroll, jog and people-watch, curving for kilometres along a rocky shore where locals swim straight off the rocks in summer. Behind it are shops, cafés and restaurants, and the ferry across Marsamxett Harbour drops you in Valletta in minutes.

It is a lively, practical base with plenty of mid-range and upmarket hotels a few streets from the sea. Don't expect sandy beaches: the swimming here is from rocks and lidos, which is very Maltese and rather lovely.

Hotels to look at in Sliema

St Julian's

Nightlife
Resorts
Groups

The island's party district, plus five-star resorts by the marina.

St Julian's is Malta at full volume. Around St George's Bay and Paceville, bars and clubs keep going long after midnight, while the Portomaso marina and the bay front are lined with restaurants and some of the island's biggest five-star hotels, several with pools, spas and private lidos.

It suits groups and night owls, but the luxury hotels are well insulated from the noise, so couples and families who want resort facilities do just fine. Valletta is about 7 km away.

Hotels to look at in St Julian's

All 52 hotels in St Julian's →

Gzira

Views
Value
City break

Waterfront hotels facing Valletta's skyline, between Sliema and the capital.

Gzira sits on the water between Sliema and Valletta, looking across Marsamxett Harbour at the capital's domes and bastions. It is less polished than its neighbours but handily placed: the Sliema promenade is a stroll away, Valletta is a short hop, and the airport about 20 minutes by car.

Several hotels here have rooftop pools with front-row views of the Valletta skyline, which is worth the price of the room alone.

Hotels to look at in Gzira

All 11 hotels in Gzira →

St Paul's Bay, Bugibba and Qawra

Gillieru Harbour Hotel, St. Paul's Bay — Pictured: Gillieru Harbour Hotel · DoubleTree by Hilton Malta · Seaview Hotel - Adults Only 16+

DoubleTree by Hilton Malta, St. Paul's Bay — Pictured: Gillieru Harbour Hotel · DoubleTree by Hilton Malta · Seaview Hotel - Adults Only 16+

Families
Value
Seaside

A relaxed northern bay with a long promenade and good-value hotels.

Up in the north, St Paul's Bay and its neighbours Bugibba and Qawra share a long seafront promenade looking out to the little St Paul's Islands. It is a laid-back, family-friendly resort area with a working fishing harbour, plenty of restaurants and some of the best-value hotels in Malta.

It is also handy for the sandy beaches of the north and for the ferry to Gozo, and there are adults-only hotels on the promenade for couples who want peace and a sea view.

Hotels to look at in St. Paul's Bay

All 16 hotels in St. Paul's Bay →

Beaches in Malta

Around the harbours the swimming is from rocks, ladders and lidos rather than sand. For proper sandy beaches head to the north and north-west of the island, which is one reason families often base themselves around St Paul's Bay.

Getting around

Malta's airport is in the south-east of the island, about 20 minutes from Valletta, Gzira and Sliema and a little longer to St Julian's and St Paul's Bay. Buses and taxis cover the whole island, and the Sliema to Valletta ferry is the most scenic commute you'll ever take.

See live prices in Malta →

Questions about where to stay in Malta

What is the best area to stay in Malta?: For a first visit, Sliema or St Julian's: lively seafronts, plenty of hotels and easy links to everything else. Choose Valletta for history and atmosphere, St Julian's for nightlife and big resort hotels, and St Paul's Bay for relaxed, family-friendly value in the north.
Is Valletta or Sliema better to stay in?: Valletta is the more atmospheric choice, with history, restaurants and harbour views on your doorstep, but it is quiet late at night and has no beach. Sliema has a long seafront promenade, more shops and rock swimming, and the ferry gets you to Valletta in minutes.
Where should families stay in Malta?: St Paul's Bay, Bugibba and Qawra in the north are the most family-friendly, with a long promenade, good-value hotels and sandy beaches nearby. The big resort hotels of St Julian's, with pools and lidos, also work well.
Where is the nightlife in Malta?: St Julian's, especially Paceville around St George's Bay, is the island's nightlife centre, with bars and clubs open late. Valletta has quieter wine bars and rooftop terraces.

Where to stay in Malta: the best areas and hotels