Malta & Gozo · self-drive car hire
Car hire in Valletta
Staying in the capital? Collect at the airport, drive in in about 20 minutes — and know before you go that Valletta charges most vehicles entering on weekdays.
Getting to Valletta from the airport
Valletta is closer to the airport than most arrivals expect — around 20 minutes straight up through Marsa. The peninsula itself is a controlled-access zone, with cameras charging most non-resident vehicles that drive in during the working week, so where you leave the car matters more than how you get there.
Driving and parking in Valletta
Parking inside the walls is the hardest on the island: narrow streets, most bays reserved for residents, and the access charge on top. The sensible move for a day in the capital is the Floriana park-and-ride, walking or taking the shuttle in from there. It's what locals do, and it costs a fraction of circling the grid.
What a car unlocks from here
The Three Cities
Across the Grand Harbour, 15 minutes by road or a few by the Birgu ferry — and far quieter than the capital.
Marsaxlokk and the south
The fishing harbour is half an hour away, and Sunday morning is when to go.
Everything else
Valletta sits central, so Mdina, the north beaches and the Gozo ferry are all reachable in under an hour.
Where you collect
There's no desk in Valletta — collection is at Park East inside Malta International Airport, about 20 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 Valletta — common questions
- Is there a charge for driving into Valletta?
- Yes — Malta operates controlled vehicular access into the capital, and non-resident vehicles entering during charging hours on weekdays are billed automatically by camera. Parking outside the walls avoids it entirely.
- Where do I collect the car for Valletta?
- At Park East inside Malta International Airport, about 20 minutes' drive from the city.
- Should I keep a car if I'm staying in Valletta itself?
- For the capital alone, a car is more nuisance than help — it's walkable and the ferries are quick. It earns its keep on the days you leave, which is why plenty of visitors park outside the walls and use it for trips out.