Msida, the marina town where half the university lives

Msida is one of those names you notice on bus stops and hospital paperwork before you see it in a guidebook. It’s the head of Marsamxett Harbour, a place of everyday life, students and workers, and I’ll describe it honestly as such.

A town of newcomers

At the end of 2025 Msida had 17,500 residents according to the NSO, and 11,594 of them were foreign nationals, two in three. That’s among the highest shares in the country, as in neighbouring Pietà, where the Villa Frere gardens welcome visitors one Sunday a month, and it makes sense because this is where the university area is. Malta Public Transport places G.F. Abela Junior College in Msida and runs a tallinja Bike station by the university Quadrangle, and the MTA register lists Campus Hostel on Triq l-Università, Msida, with 358 beds, second only to Sprachcaffe in Pembroke. If you’re coming to an English school in Malta on a tight budget, that’s worth knowing.

The marina

Visit Malta, describing Gżira, names Msida’s marina alongside the one at Ta’ Xbiex, both kept busy by local yacht suppliers. Msida’s harbour is the photo on this page, with its church behind. For a livelier stroll along the water, I’d carry on to Gżira and Manoel Island, which has the promenade with a view.

Mater Dei Hospital

This is the practical fact about Msida that matters most. Mater Dei, Malta’s main public hospital, is here. GOV.UK says state treatment that’s medically necessary requires a GHIC or EHIC, so pack yours along with travel insurance. Bus 122 runs from Valletta to Mater Dei via Floriana, Ħamrun and Msida, and the X300 stops there as well.

A walk along the water

Msida is more weekday than holiday, but it makes a good starting point for a harbour stroll. Follow the shore north through the moored yachts of Ta’ Xbiex, the marina district, on to Gżira’s promenade facing Manoel Island and finally into Sliema, with Valletta across the water the whole way. It’s flat, by the sea and easy to cut short, because route 15 runs along the same shore.

Staying in Msida

On 28 September 2026 the MTA listed three hotels, six guesthouses, three hostels and 218 holiday lets. For long study or work stays it’s practical, with the hospital and the university within reach. For a holiday, I’d choose Gżira or Sliema, just as well connected and with the sea on the doorstep.

Getting there

From Valletta terminal, the 15 runs through Msida towards Sliema, the 49 heads for Naxxar and Mellieħa, and the 122 goes to Mater Dei. The TD3 links Msida with the airport at half-hourly intervals (€3), and the TD13 calls at Msida (Kulleġġ) on the way to St Julian’s and Buġibba. The TD services sit outside the free travel scheme, so you pay the fare even with a personalised tallinja card, from €1.50 a journey.