Hotels in Sliema, across the water from Valletta

Ask me for one place to stay in Malta and I’ll say Sliema. Not because it’s the prettiest town, since there are plenty of apartment blocks, but because it solves the thing that matters most on a short break, which is getting about. Valletta is right across the water, and the ferry beats any bus.

The numbers behind the seafront

According to the MTA register, Sliema had 24 licensed hotels at the end of September 2026. Two are five-star, The Palace and the Barceló Fortina, nine four-star, eleven three-star and two two-star. They’re mid-sized, with a median of 78 rooms, far bigger than Valletta’s. On top of that there are 32 guesthouses, 12 hostels and 1,039 licensed holiday lets.

The hostels are worth a second look. Sliema has 12 of the 44 licensed in the whole country, more than anywhere else, which makes it the natural base if you’re travelling solo, on a budget, or here for an English course in Malta.

It’s also a town with a big international crowd. At the end of 2025 the NSO counted 13,234 foreign residents against 10,336 Maltese, and you feel it in the cafés, the shops and the sheer number of flats to let.

Why the ferry decides everything

The Sliema to Valletta ferry leaves from the seafront, crosses without stops and costs €3 single or €5 return by day. From 19:30 the night fare kicks in, €3.50 and €5.20. From 1 June to 31 October it runs until midnight on Sundays and public holidays, so dinner in the capital and a boat back is easy. Full times are in my guide to Valletta ferries.

That gives me a simple rule for picking a Sliema hotel. The closer to the ferry landing, the better. A hotel at the far end of the promenade towards St Julian’s can be a twenty-minute walk from the boat, and twice a day for a week, that adds up.

Sea view or side street?

Sliema is one of the most densely packed places in Malta, 18,186 residents per square kilometre according to the NSO. Some hotels face the sea, others sit a few streets back between apartment blocks. If you’re paying extra for the view, check the address on a map first, because the advert’s photo isn’t always your window.

The sea itself is never far away. There’s no sandy beach, but the front has rock platforms with steps down, such as Fond Għadir, and on a hot afternoon they’re full of swimmers. For proper sand you’ll need to head north or to Gozo, as I explain in the best beaches in Malta.

When is Sliema cheapest?

Season is everything. The MTA’s figures for 2024 make the point, with hotels 83.9% full in summer and only 51.3% in the first quarter. With this much supply, Sliema is where that winter dip is easiest to use, and it’s when I’d look at a four-star on the front that I wouldn’t pay for in August. Whatever the rate, an extra €1.50 per adult per night goes on top for the eco-contribution.

Buses, taxis and a hospital note

From the airport, the Airport Direct TD3 comes every 30 minutes for €3, calling at St Julian’s before Sliema, Gżira and Msida. Around the island, routes 13, 13A, 14, 16 and 21 and the TD13 link Sliema and St Julian’s with Valletta, and the TD13 carries on to Qawra and Buġibba. Tigné Point, with its shopping centre, is at the Sliema end of the bay.

A note for anyone carrying a GHIC or EHIC. GOV.UK says it covers medically necessary state healthcare, and Malta’s main public hospital, Mater Dei, is in Msida, next door. The Saint James Hospital near Sliema is private, which is exactly where your travel insurance earns its keep.

Sliema, Gżira or St Julian’s?

If Sliema is full, its neighbours are close cousins. Gżira, just south, has 11 hotels, 5 hostels and 406 holiday lets and is a short walk from the ferry. St Julian’s, to the north, is a different animal, with more five-stars and Paceville’s nightlife, and I compare it in hotels in St Julian’s. And if you’d rather sleep inside the old city, start with hotels in Valletta.