Hotels in Valletta, and why booking early matters

Staying in Valletta is unlike staying anywhere else in Malta. It’s a capital of 5,189 people on a walled peninsula, with 320 monuments packed into 55 hectares according to UNESCO, and once the cruise passengers and coach tours leave it turns into a small, quiet town. The price of that is a very short list of hotels, which is why I start with the numbers.

Sixteen hotels, most of them small

Going by the MTA’s official data for 28 September 2026, Valletta has 16 licensed hotels. Four are five-star, four four-star, five three-star and three two-star. Together they have 941 rooms, but that figure is misleading, because the Grand Hotel Excelsior declares 433 and the other fifteen share 508. The median is 28 rooms a hotel.

In practice, a twenty-room hotel fills up with one wedding party, and in July and August, when national hotel occupancy runs above 80%, there’s no slack at all. With fixed summer dates, I’d lock in the Valletta room before the flight.

Guesthouse, hotel or flat?

Valletta has more guesthouses than hotels, 41 against 16, plus 594 licensed holiday lets. Guesthouses usually have a few rooms and a more personal welcome, and for one or two nights I rate them as highly as a three-star hotel. I’d only go for a flat from four nights or with a family, always with its MTA licence checked, as I cover in Malta apartments.

One practical warning. Valletta is built on a slope, with stepped streets and a lot of old buildings. Before booking, I’d ask about the lift and how far the door is from the bus terminal if I’m dragging a large case.

The five-stars and the splurge

The city’s four five-star hotels couldn’t be more different. The Excelsior is the only big one. The Rosselli, the Romegas and Iniala Harbour House have between 14 and 25 rooms each, which in practice means boutique hotels in historic buildings. Just outside the city gate, the Phoenicia appears under Floriana in the register, and it’s the other luxury option within walking distance of the centre. If this trip is the treat, see my page on luxury hotels in Malta.

When to book

Occupancy decides it. In 2024 hotels across Malta and Gozo ran at 83.9% in the summer quarter and only just over half, 51.3%, in the first quarter, according to the MTA, and in a city with so few rooms that gap bites far harder than in Sliema or St Julian’s. For July and August I’d book as soon as the dates are fixed. From November to March it’s a different story, with time to compare guesthouses and small hotels before committing. I go through the busy and quiet months in the best time to visit Malta.

You’re also competing with a lot of fellow Brits. The UK is Malta’s biggest market, with 841,397 visitors in 2025 according to the MTA and the NSO, so if your dates can move, it’s worth checking a week or two either side of the peak before settling for whatever is left.

Getting there and getting about

The airport link is easy. The Airport Direct TD4 runs every 30 minutes, costs €3 and stops at the Valletta bus terminal by the city entrance. Full details are in my guide to Malta airport to Valletta. The same terminal has buses to almost everywhere on the island, which makes Valletta a good base for day trips too.

Inside the walls you walk. The Upper Barrakka lift takes you down to the harbour, and ferries cross to Sliema and the Three Cities for €3 single by day. I’d use both routes at least once, if only to see the city from the water.

If Valletta is over budget

The obvious answer is Sliema, a short ferry ride away, with 24 hotels, 32 guesthouses and over 1,000 licensed flats. It’s all in hotels in Sliema. The other answer is to split the stay, two nights inside the walls to see the city after dark and the rest somewhere cheaper. To me that’s the best use of money in Malta.

Budget for the eco-contribution too, in force since July 2026, which adds €1.50 for every adult, every night, outside the room rate. Four nights for a couple comes to €12, so it won’t change your mind, but it’s worth knowing before you check out.