Malta's buses, card by card and route by route

Buses are how almost everyone gets around Malta, and with good reason. They’re cheap, they reach nearly every village and with one card you stop thinking about fares. What’s worth knowing is which card suits you and which routes you’ll use, because the network is big and not always obvious.

What a ticket costs

Every bus on Malta and Gozo is run by Malta Public Transport. A single day ticket costs €2.50 in the summer season and €2 in winter, which in 2025-2026 ran from 19 October to 13 June. It’s valid for two hours including changes, and you pay on board in cash, by contactless card or by phone, exactly as you would in most British cities.

There are three other fares. Night routes (N) and special services (S) cost €3, as do the tallinja Direct (TD) lines, which make fewer stops and carry a supplement, except the TD1 at €3.50. And there’s a €50 fine for travelling without a valid ticket or not validating your card as you board.

Which card is the best value?

Visitors have three options. The Explore Flex costs €21 for 4 days and €27 for 7, covering day, night, special and airport services, and it’s personal. The 12 Single Day Journeys card costs €19, gives 12 journeys with two-hour changes, can be shared and lasts six months from first use, although night and airport buses use up two journeys each. And the 7-day Explore Adult costs €25 but leaves out the TD lines and is only sold at offices.

My maths is simple. Two buses a day for a week and the €27 Explore Flex already beats paying per ride, with the airport thrown in. Children aged 4 to 10 have the Explore Child, €7 for seven days, and under-4s travel free.

The personalised tallinja card, the one that gives free travel, is tied to a government scheme, is posted out and isn’t designed for tourists. Don’t believe anyone who tells you Malta’s buses are free for all.

Where to buy

The easiest route is the tallinja app. Buy the Explore Flex there and collect the card from a machine, for example in the airport’s baggage reclaim hall. There are also offices at the airport, Valletta terminal, Buġibba terminal and Sliema Ferries, and tickets are sold at Agenda bookshops, 8TillLate and WHSmith. How to start from the plane is covered in Malta airport to Valletta.

The routes you’ll actually use

Valletta’s terminal is the hub. From there the 50, 51, 52, 53 and 56 go to Rabat and Mdina, the 2 to Birgu, and the 3 or 4 to Senglea, Kalkara and Cospicua in the Three Cities. For Marsaxlokk there’s the 81 and 85, plus the direct TD10 on Sundays. The 13, 13A, 14, 16 and 21 run to Sliema and St Julian’s, and the TD13 carries on up the coast to Buġibba with few stops.

Heading north, the 41, 42 and X300 reach Ċirkewwa for the Gozo ferry, and the 44 goes to Golden Bay. Route 101 starts at Ċirkewwa and calls at Popeye Village, Golden Bay, Għadira, Manikata and Mellieħa village. In summer the 44 connects with the 101 for Ġnejna.

On Gozo and at night

On Gozo the buses are run by the same company and take the same cards. The 301 and 303 reach Victoria and the 322 goes to Marsalforn, stopping at Qala and Nadur. For connecting with the boat, everything is in the Malta to Gozo ferry.

At night the N routes run at €3, and there’s an On Demand service booked through the tallinja app. I’d check it before going out, especially if you’re heading home from Paceville.

With children

Under-4s ride free, and children aged 4 to 10 can use the Explore Child, €7 for seven days, which is hard to beat. For older children and teenagers, the adult fares apply. If you’re travelling as a family and only taking a few buses, the shareable 12-journey card may work out cheaper than a pass each, as long as you remember that airport and night rides count double.

My tips

Traffic is the Maltese bus’s great enemy, so I’d avoid rush hour on the coast road and use the Sliema to Valletta ferry whenever I could. gov.uk warns about pickpockets on crowded summer buses between Valletta and St Julian’s, so keep your bag in front of you. And every bus has free Wi-Fi, handy for checking your next connection without using data. The rest of your options, from boats to hire cars, are in getting around Malta.