Malta on a budget, without missing the best of it

Malta on a budget is very doable, and you don’t have to rough it. The island’s big advantage is that the things most worth seeing cost little or nothing. Where money leaks away is on accommodation and on last-minute decisions, like a taxi without an agreed fare or a poorly chosen airport transfer. Here are my tips, in order of how much they save.

Pick your dates carefully

This one moves the most money. The MTA’s 2024 figures show Malta’s hotels going from about five beds in ten occupied in the first quarter to more than eight in ten in the third. On Gozo the gap is wider still, from 65% in summer to 25% in winter. More empty rooms tends to mean lower prices, and in winter the bus also drops from €2.50 to €2, while the Gozo ferry offers a €4.05 night fare from November to March. If you want the sea, I’d aim for October, because Visit Malta says beach season runs until the middle or end of that month.

Where can you stay cheaply in Malta?

The MTA’s register lists 44 licensed hostels, with just over 3,000 beds, and 255 guesthouses. Above all, it lists 8,361 holiday lets, the biggest saving for groups or families happy to cook the odd meal. The council with the most is St Paul’s Bay, which covers Buġibba and Qawra, with 1,135. I compare the areas in Malta apartments.

Get about by bus, with the right card

Malta’s buses are cheap anyway, but you can do better. If there are two or more of you, the 12-journey card costs €19, can be shared and lasts six months, with two hours of changes on each journey. Travelling solo and on the move a lot, the Explore Flex for 4 days (€21) or 7 days (€27) gives unlimited travel. Under-4s ride free, and for ages 4 to 10 there’s a €7 Explore Child card for a week. All the detail is in Malta bus.

From the airport, Airport Direct costs €3 (€3.50 on the TD1). Taxis run on fixed fares from the terminal, but to Ċirkewwa that’s €32, so for one or two people it rarely makes sense.

Free sights, and when a pass pays

Malta is generous here. Wandering Valletta and Mdina, the Upper Barrakka Gardens, Marsaxlokk’s Sunday market, the Dingli Cliffs or Dwejra on Gozo cost nothing. For context without a ticket, a free walking tour in Valletta lets you set the price yourself. For paid sights, Heritage Malta’s joint pass is €60 per adult and €30 per child, lasts 30 days and pays off from four or five sites. A €130 family version covers two adults with two children between 6 and 17, and under-6s get into most sites free anyway. I compare the options in Heritage Malta Multisite Pass.

Two more Heritage Malta tricks. Hang on to your Hypogeum ticket, since it halves the price of the Tarxien Temples when you pay at their gate. And on Gozo, the €13 Discover Gozo combo bundles Ġgantija, the Ta’ Kola windmill and the Citadel.

Eating without the bill running away

Spain’s Foreign Ministry notes that food carries 0% VAT in Malta, and it also mentions supermarket chains such as Lidl, Eurospin, Welbee’s, Green’s and Smart, often open later and sometimes on Sunday mornings. With a kitchen, supermarket breakfasts and suppers make the biggest dent. I wouldn’t buy bottled water by default either, as the law requires the Water Services Corporation to keep the supply safe (see can you drink tap water in Malta). For eating on the go, pastizzi, flaky pastries filled with ricotta or peas, are the classic and simplest option.

Package or do it yourself?

British travellers book more packages to Malta than any other market the MTA surveyed, 62.4% of trips in 2025, paying roughly €1,000 a head up front. Independent travellers from the UK laid out around €460 before flying and spent the rest once in Malta. A package isn’t automatically dearer, especially in August, but outside the school holidays I’d price both ways before booking.

The costs that creep up on you

Three things I’d keep an eye on. Taxis, because Visit Malta recommends agreeing the price before you get in. Mobile data, as surcharge-free EU roaming is no longer guaranteed for UK networks, according to gov.uk, so check your tariff before you land; Malta’s buses and the airport both offer free wifi. And the eco-contribution, which since July 2026 adds €1.50 per adult per night to any licensed stay. For the overall picture, see is Malta expensive.