St Julian's, three bays and Malta's nightlife in one short stretch

St Julian’s is Sliema’s other half. They share a promenade and very nearly the same streets, but here the mood shifts with every bay, from the fishing boats of Spinola to the neon of Paceville. Once you understand that map, St Julian’s is a great place to be. If you don’t, you can spend a week without a decent night’s sleep.

Three bays, three moods

Coming from Sliema, the first is Balluta. Malta Public Transport describes St Julian’s as famous for beaches such as Balluta Bay, for its nightlife and for its restaurants, and the Blue Flag operator places Balluta at the end of the rocky shore that begins at Qui-si-Sana. It’s the most neighbourly part of town.

Next comes Spinola. Malta Public Transport calls it a picturesque bay lined with restaurants, great for dinner with a view, and Visit Malta adds that St Julian’s Bay is still used by fishermen and lined with bougainvillea-covered cafés. For me it’s the best evening meal in the area, boats in front of you and no taxi needed to get home.

The third is St George’s Bay, the only sandy one. It’s small, about 135 by 17 metres according to Blue Flag Malta, and in 2009 it became Malta’s first Blue Flag beach. It has its own guide, St George’s Bay in Malta.

Paceville after the sun goes down

Between Spinola and St George’s, up the hill, is Paceville. Visit Malta calls it the island’s main nightlife area, open all year round, with clubs, piano bars and a casino in Villa Dragonara, once the home of a 19th-century Maltese aristocrat. A night out there is fine if you go in with your eyes open. The FCDO has warned about drink spiking there, and Spain’s travel advice puts the district in its medium-risk category at night. More in my guide to Paceville.

Beyond the waterfront

Malta Public Transport singles out the Mercury Tower as the tallest building in Malta. I’m attributing that to them because I haven’t found a planning source that confirms it. Under the water there’s something odder. Heritage Malta says a Fairey Swordfish, a Second World War torpedo bomber, was found off St Julian’s Bay in 2017 at a depth of 65 metres, strictly for highly trained technical divers. It sits with the others in Malta wreck diving.

It’s also a very international place. Of its 15,594 residents at the end of 2025, 8,879 were foreign nationals, according to the NSO.

Where to stay

Counting Paceville, the MTA register listed 58 hotels on 28 September 2026, ten of them five-star, plus 1,046 licensed holiday lets. Nowhere in the country has more rooms in one place. My street-by-street view is in hotels in St Julian’s. Whatever you pay, the eco-contribution comes on top, at €1.50 per adult per night, in force since 1 July 2026.

Getting about

Two direct routes come in from the airport. The TD2 loops through San Ġwann, St Julian’s, Pembroke and Paceville, and the TD3 continues to Sliema, Gżira and Msida, both every 30 minutes for €3. For Valletta there are the 13, 13A, 14, 16, 21 and the TD13, which also runs north to Qawra and Buġibba. The FCDO notes pickpocketing on those Valletta buses, so on a packed summer service I’d keep my phone in a front pocket. To reach the capital by boat, walk to Sliema for the ferry.

There’s also a tallinja Bike station at the Ross stop in the centre, with the first half hour at €3. For short hops along the front, I find it easier than waiting for a full bus.