Where to stay in Malta
The airport is about 8 km by road from Valletta and about 29 km from the Gozo ferry. The choice of base comes down to walking, parking and the ferry.
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How the areas differ
Valletta is the walled capital on its peninsula, a place for walking, with the Grand Harbour below the bastions. Across Marsamxett Harbour, Sliema and St Julian's form a long built-up seafront, with the promenade, Spinola Bay, restaurants and nightlife, and a ferry from Sliema back to Valletta.
In the north, the resort towns of St Paul's Bay, Buġibba and Qawra line the bay with hotels and holiday apartments, about 19 km from the airport. Mellieħa sits on its ridge above Mellieħa Bay and the sandy beach of Għadira, about 6 km from the Gozo ferry at Ċirkewwa.
Gozo is the smaller island, a crossing of about 25 minutes from Ċirkewwa to Mġarr. Victoria and its citadel sit in the middle; Xlendi and Marsalforn are bays on the coast, each about 9 km from the harbour.
Staying with a rental car
Malta drives on the left. For the speed limits, the fines and the ferry in detail, GetCar's guide Driving in Malta: the Airport, Driving on the Left, Speed Limits and Fines, the Valletta Camera Charge, Parking, the Gozo Ferry with a Rental Car covers the road side of the trip.
Valletta charges cars by camera. The Controlled Vehicular Access system bills entry from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 18:00: the first 30 minutes are free, then EUR 0.82 an hour or part of an hour, up to EUR 6.52. Entry after 14:00 on weekdays, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays is free. The bill goes to the registered owner the following month, which for a hire car means the rental company, and GetCar suggests parking outside the walls in Floriana.
Sliema and St Julian's are the hardest places on the island to park, in GetCar's assessment; the multi-storey car parks at Tigné and Portomaso and the Valletta ferry are the working answers. The national parking policy defines white and yellow bays; the blue and green bays seen in Sliema, St Julian's and Valletta are not in it, so the plate at each bay sets the rule. Double yellow lines mean no waiting at any time.
The Gozo Channel ferry takes cars from Ċirkewwa to Mġarr. Car and driver pay EUR 15.70 and each further adult EUR 4.65, once, at Mġarr or online, and one national rental brand's terms name it as the only ferry the car may board. For St Paul's Bay, Mellieħa and Gozo no official parking source turned up, so a booking with its own space is the safe choice.
What the eco contribution and licence rules mean for a guest
Malta charges an eco contribution on stays in licensed accommodation. From 1 July 2026 it is EUR 1.50 per night for each guest aged 18 or over at the start of the visit, up to EUR 22.50 per person per visit. The provider collects it and must show it separately from the room price on the receipt. The cap covers one visit across several places, Malta and Gozo included, and a guest who moves between properties can keep the earlier receipts as evidence for the cap.
Holiday rentals need a Malta Tourism Authority licence. The Tourism Accommodation Regulations 2026, in force since 15 June 2026, set rules a guest can see: two persons per bedroom, no sofa beds elsewhere in the property, no more than 10 beds in an apartment, no basement bedrooms, and a sign on the outside, for which the MTA is issuing further instructions. An operator found letting without a valid licence is barred from applying for three years, and so is the property.
Under the EU rules on short-term rental data, each operator is to have a registration number, separate from the licence number, shown on every listing and on the outside sign; the MTA said it would publish how to obtain it. The MTA's STR Licence Validator already checks a licence number online before booking.
When to book what
Book the base and the car together. A stay in Valletta or Sliema works without a car for the first days, and a car for the days out; in St Paul's Bay, Mellieħa or on Gozo the car is part of the stay.
For a trip that splits between Malta and Gozo, the eco contribution counts as one visit, so keep the receipt from the first stay. For Valletta days with a car, arriving after 14:00 on a weekday or at the weekend costs nothing at the camera.
Which area for which trip
A city stay on foot: Valletta.
Restaurants, nightlife and the Valletta ferry: Sliema and St Julian's.
A resort week with a car: St Paul's Bay, Buġibba or Qawra.
A sandy beach and the Gozo ferry close by: Mellieħa.
A quiet week or a month, farmhouses and bays: Gozo.
Questions
Is it better to stay in Valletta or Sliema?
Valletta for the walled city on foot and the Grand Harbour; driving in means the camera charge on weekdays. Sliema for a seafront with restaurants, services and the ferry to Valletta, with parking GetCar rates the hardest on the island.
Is the eco contribution charged for children?
No. It applies to each guest aged 18 or over at the start of the visit, at EUR 1.50 a night from 1 July 2026, capped at EUR 22.50 per person per visit. Without documents showing otherwise, guests are treated as adults.
Where can a rental car park near Valletta?
Outside the walls in Floriana, as GetCar suggests, or inside the charging zone on weekday afternoons after 14:00 and at weekends, when entry is free. On weekdays from 08:00 to 18:00, entry is charged by camera after the first 30 minutes.
Do holiday rentals in Malta need a licence?
Yes, a Malta Tourism Authority licence under the Tourism Accommodation Regulations 2026, and the MTA says listings must also show a separate registration number. The MTA STR Licence Validator checks the licence number online.
Is Gozo worth staying on with a car?
Yes for a quiet week: the car goes over on the Gozo Channel ferry, EUR 15.70 for car and driver, and Victoria, Xlendi and Marsalforn are all within about 9 km of Mġarr harbour.