Getting around Malta: bus, taxi or hire car?
The three realistic ways to move around Malta, what each is genuinely good at, and the point at which one stops making sense for the trip you're taking.
Updated 21 July 2026 · 5 min read
The bus
Malta's bus network covers most of the island and is cheap. For a straight run along a main route — Sliema to Valletta, Buġibba to the airport — it does the job perfectly well, and you never think about parking.
Its weaknesses are consistent: evening services thin out, summer buses on popular routes fill before they reach you, and anything that isn't a main route can involve a change through a hub. A journey the map says is fifteen minutes can take an hour in practice.
Taxis and ride apps
Widely available in the tourist areas and the obvious answer for an evening out, an early flight, or any trip where you'd rather not think about parking. Ride-hailing apps operate here and are generally cheaper than a hailed taxi.
The arithmetic turns quickly, though. Two or three journeys a day for several days will usually cost more than hiring a car for the same period — and you're still waiting for someone else's timetable.
A hire car
The advantage isn't speed, it's the trips you'd otherwise skip. The north-coast beaches, the inland villages, Dingli, Marsaxlokk on a Sunday, a day on Gozo — all of them are technically reachable by bus and all of them are meaningfully better by car.
The costs are the daily rate, some fuel, an excess held on your card, and the occasional irritation of finding a space in Sliema. For anything beyond a short city-based break, most people find that trade worth making.
A reasonable rule of thumb
Staying in Sliema, St Julian's or Valletta for three or four days, mostly eating and walking? Buses and the ferry will do, with a taxi at night.
Staying anywhere else, staying longer, or travelling with children or a group? Hire a car — or hire one for the middle days and walk the rest. It's the compromise that suits most itineraries.
Common questions
- Is public transport in Malta good?
- It's cheap, reaches most towns and is genuinely useful for main routes. It struggles with evenings, summer crowds and anywhere off the main corridors.
- Are taxis expensive in Malta?
- Reasonable for occasional trips, especially via a ride-hailing app. Beyond about two journeys a day, hiring is usually cheaper and always more flexible.
- Can I get to the beaches by bus?
- Yes, but slowly, and the popular routes fill in summer. The north-coast beaches are where a car makes the biggest single difference.