Malta & Gozo · self-drive car hire
Car hire in St Julian's
Based around Spinola Bay or Paceville? Collect at the airport and drive up the coast — about half an hour, and no transfer to wait for.
Getting to St Julian's from the airport
St Julian's is the next stretch of coast beyond Sliema, roughly 25 to 30 minutes from the airport once you're clear of Msida. The quickest approach is the bypass rather than the coast road, particularly in the evening when the seafront slows to a crawl.
Driving and parking in St Julian's
This is the hardest parking on Malta after dark, and there's no polite way to put it: the strip fills from early evening and stays full. Bay Street and Portomaso both have paid underground car parks and they're worth the money rather than circling for twenty minutes. Daytime is far easier, and hotel guests can often use their building's spaces.
What a car unlocks from here
Getting out of Paceville
The north beaches and the quieter bays are 25 to 40 minutes away — the main reason a car is worth having from this base.
Mdina and the centre
The old capital is about 30 minutes across the middle of the island, and it's a different Malta entirely.
Late arrivals covered
The desk runs to 2am, so an evening flight still means driving yourself to the hotel rather than queueing for a cab.
Where you collect
There's no desk in St Julian's — collection is at Park East inside Malta International Airport, 25–30 minutes away. Walk out of arrivals, turn right and carry straight on for a few minutes; the car is waiting there.
Open 08:00 – 02:00, every day.
How the airport pickup worksIn every rate
- Comprehensive insurance
- Unlimited mileage across Malta and Gozo
- Free cancellation up to 48 hours
- 10 classes, from €6 a day
Car hire in St Julian's — common questions
- Where do I collect the car for St Julian's?
- At Park East inside Malta International Airport, a few minutes' walk from arrivals. It's roughly 25 to 30 minutes from there to Spinola Bay.
- Can I park at my Paceville hotel?
- Some have their own spaces, many don't, and the ones that do sometimes charge. It's worth asking before you arrive — it changes whether you want the car parked overnight or garaged at Bay Street.
- Is a car worth it if I'm staying in Paceville?
- For the strip itself you'll walk everywhere. For everything outside it — beaches, Mdina, the south — a car turns a bus-timetable holiday into an unplanned one.