Valletta's ferries, to Sliema and the Three Cities

Of all Malta’s transport, this is my favourite. It’s cheap, quick, never stuck in traffic and it gives you the best view of Valletta without paying an entrance fee. There are two routes, to Sliema and to the Three Cities, and here’s when each runs and what it costs.

Two routes from Valletta

The service is run by Valletta Ferry Services and sold as part of Malta Public Transport’s network. There are two routes. One links Sliema and Valletta non-stop across Marsamxett Harbour. The other links Valletta with Cospicua, one of the Three Cities, across the Grand Harbour.

On weekdays both run every quarter of an hour. On Sundays and public holidays the hours depend on the season. In winter, from 1 November to 31 May, the Sliema boat runs from 08:45 to 18:30 and the Three Cities boat from 09:00 to 18:15. In summer, from 1 June to 31 October, both run until midnight.

How much is the Sliema to Valletta ferry?

By day it’s €3 single and €5 return for an adult, and €1 and €1.50 for a child. After 19:30 you pay the night fare instead, €3.50 one way or €5.20 return. The fares are the same on both routes.

The Explore Flex bus pass doesn’t include the ferry, but Malta Public Transport says you can top the card up to pay for it. Free travel is only for holders of the personalised tallinja card, which is linked to a government scheme and isn’t aimed at tourists. How the cards work is in Malta buses.

Sliema to Valletta, my favourite crossing

If you’re staying in Sliema, the ferry is the natural way into the capital. By road you have to go round the harbour through Gżira and Msida, with traffic at almost any hour. By boat you go straight across with Valletta’s walls ahead. In Sliema it leaves from the Sliema Ferries area on the seafront, where Malta Public Transport also has a ticket office.

My tip is to catch it in the late afternoon, when the light turns the stone gold, and come back after dark with the city lit up. The extra 50 cents of the night fare is money well spent.

To the Three Cities by sea

The other route drops you in Cospicua, and from there Birgu and Senglea are an easy walk. Arriving by water, looking up at the bastions, is how I’d want to meet the Three Cities for the first time.

It comes with a bonus. Anyone arriving in Valletta on the Cospicua ferry gets a ticket for the Upper Barrakka Lift, which climbs from the harbour to the gardens in the centre. There’s also a free shuttle from Marsamxetto to Lascaris, and the circular 133 bus links the quays with central Valletta.

How I’d fit it into the trip

Staying in Sliema, the ferry replaces the bus for almost everything you’ll do in Valletta. I’d buy a €5 day return when I know I’ll be back before 19:30, and singles when I’m not sure. If you want Valletta and the Three Cities on the same day, the triangle works beautifully, Sliema to Valletta in the morning, Valletta to Cospicua after lunch, and back up into town with the free lift ticket in the afternoon. Three boat rides and not a minute in traffic.

On winter Sundays, bear in mind that the last boats leave early, 18:30 from Sliema and 18:15 from the Three Cities. After that it’s the bus. If you’re arriving from the UK on a weekend in November or February, that’s worth knowing before you plan a late lunch across the water.

The traditional boats

They’re a lovely extra on a sunny afternoon, if not the cheapest way across. I’d save them for a slow afternoon rather than a commute.

The Grand Harbour also has dgħajsa, Malta’s traditional boats, and water taxis. Malta’s tourism authority lists them as a water taxi service, and the cruise port says they reach the Three Cities in about five minutes. I don’t have an official fare to give you, so I’d ask before climbing aboard.

For the full picture of getting about the island, by bus, car and the Gozo ferry, see getting around Malta.