San Ġwann, the town you pass between the airport and St Julian's

San Ġwann is one of those names you read on the airport bus display before you know where you are. It’s an inland residential council, with no coastline and no ticketed sights, and I’ll describe it that way because that’s the honest version.

A Maltese town that keeps growing

At the end of 2025 San Ġwann had 16,543 residents according to the NSO, 468 more than a year earlier. Unlike the Sliema and St Julian’s coast, two in three people here are Maltese, 11,006 against 5,537 foreign nationals. It’s school runs, corner shops and bus stops, and there’s no point looking for anything else. For a longer stay I rather like that, because you live among neighbours rather than other visitors. It’s also growing fast, which tells you people choose to live here.

A history shared with Birkirkara

The most interesting thing I’ve found with a source concerns its neighbour. The timeline on the website of St Helen’s Basilica in Birkirkara explains that the first parish church dedicated to the saint stood at the centre of what was then Birkirkara and now falls within San Ġwann. It’s a neat example of how parishes and towns in this part of the island have split over the centuries. Today’s church, the one in the photo, is in Birkirkara, Malta’s second largest town.

I don’t have an official list of the neighbourhoods that make up San Ġwann, nor any chapel with published opening times, so I won’t make them up. To place it among Malta’s 68 councils, see towns in Malta.

The Miller junction

Where San Ġwann actually enters your trip is the San Ġwann (Miller) stop. Malta Public Transport includes it on two limited-stop routes. The Airport Direct TD2 passes through on its loop from the airport to St Julian’s, Pembroke and Paceville, on a half-hourly loop for €3. And the TD13, which links Valletta and Buġibba, calls at Miller between Msida and St Julian’s. The TD buses fall outside the free scheme, but they are included in the Explore Flex card, €21 for four days or €27 for seven, which beats paying each time if you’re commuting from here. Transfer details are in Malta airport to Valletta.

Staying in San Ġwann

San Ġwann had no licensed hotels on 28 September 2026, according to the MTA, just two guesthouses and 57 holiday lets. I wouldn’t pick it for a beach holiday, but if a well-priced licensed flat turns up with the TD2 at the door, you’re a short ride from St Julian’s, Malta and on a direct line to the airport. For a long work or study stay, it makes sense, as long as the listing shows its MTA licence before you pay anything.