Sliema, the seafront that stares at Valletta

Sliema never makes the top-ten lists, and yet nearly everyone who comes to Malta ends up walking its front. It has the best view of Valletta on the island, a long promenade and a ferry to the capital at the bottom of the street. I wouldn’t ask more of it, and I wouldn’t ask it to be something it isn’t.

A town for strolling, not sightseeing

Malta Public Transport sums up Sliema and St Julian’s as two of the island’s busiest areas, known for shopping centres, cafés and restaurants. It describes the promenade as a place for coastal views, walking and jogging, and that is exactly how to spend time here. I’d do it late in the afternoon, as Valletta lights up across the water.

It’s also crowded and very international. The NSO put Sliema at 23,570 residents at the end of 2025, behind only San Pawl il-Baħar, Birkirkara and Mosta, and 13,234 of them were foreign nationals. At 18,186 people per km², apartment blocks run right down to the shore, so don’t expect a quaint village.

Where do you swim in Sliema?

This is where plenty of visitors get a surprise. There’s no sand. According to Blue Flag Malta, the national programme operator, the whole coast from Qui-si-Sana to Balluta Bay is one long stretch of rock, with deep, clean water that’s good for snorkelling in Malta. The favourite spots it names are the Tigné area, Qui-si-Sana, Għar id-Dud, The Exiles and Fond Għadir.

Fond Għadir is the Blue Flag stretch, about 219 metres long, with MTA lifeguards on duty. I like one detail in particular. The rocks are dotted with small hollows once used to make sea salt on a small scale, now handy for sunbathing. Check the flag before you get in. The MTA flies green for calm water, yellow for medium hazard, purple when there are jellyfish and red for high hazard. If you want sand, I compare the options in the best beaches in Malta.

Tigné Point and the tip of Sliema

At the end of Sliema sits Tigné Point, which Malta Public Transport calls a shopping and entertainment complex. To me it’s the practical corner of the area, where you sort out last-minute shopping and the view over Marsamxett and Valletta opens up completely. It has its own page, Tigné Point.

The same stretch of quay, known as Sliema Ferries, is where the excursion boats and the Valletta ferry leave from. Heritage Malta ran its Cruising to Filfla trips from here in summer 2026, which tells you Sliema’s harbour is good for more than a hop to the capital.

The ferry and other connections

The Sliema to Valletta ferry is the reason so many people stay here. It crosses without stops for €3 by day and €5 return, rising to €3.50 after 19:30. From June to October, on Sundays and holidays, it keeps sailing until midnight. Timetables are in the Sliema to Valletta ferry guide.

By road, the 13, 13A, 14, 16, 21 and TD13 run from Valletta terminal, and the 15 takes the harbour route via Msida, Ta’ Xbiex and Gżira. The TD3 heads to the airport half-hourly for €3, and the 222 heads up to Mellieħa. That leaves Sliema well connected to most of the island without a car.

Sliema or St Julian’s?

They’re neighbours sharing a promenade that continues to Balluta and Spinola Bay. The difference is the mood. Sliema is residential, all strolling and ferries; St Julian’s has the Paceville nightlife and most of the five-star hotels. If sleep is your main concern, the figures and my view are in hotels in Sliema. And the sockets take a British three-pin plug, so the travel adaptor can stay at home.