Practical Information
Flights
Flying to Malta is easy. Flights depart directly from most of the European capital cities. Fares are quite inexpensive when booked in advance. All arrive at Malta’s one international airport, which is no more than 45 minutes by car or taxi from anywhere on the main island, or a little longer by bus.
Accommodation
The University of Malta has arranged some special rates for our Conference participants. Check these options:
GRAND HOTEL EXCELSIOR – 5*
Great Siege Road, Floriana
Email : Alexia.bugeja@excelsior.com.mt
Deluxe inland room for sole use @ €185 per night on bed & breakfast basis
Deluxe partial Seaview room for sole use @ €205 per night on bed & breakfast basis
Kennedy Nova Hotel – 4*
116 The Strand, Sliema Creek, Gzira
Email : sales@kennedynova.com
Single standard room @ €87 per night on bed & breakfast basis
Single harbour view room @ €105 per night on bed & breakfast basis
Radisson Blu Resort – 5*
St George’s Bay, St Julians
Email : Christopher.mallia@rdbmalta.com
Deluxe room for sole use @ €125 per night on bed & breakfast basis
Luciano Valletta Boutique Accommodation
Merchants Street, Valletta
Email : maltatravel@onvol.net
Double duplex room with St John’s Cathedral view @ €150 per night on bed & breakfast basis
Double room with street view @ €140 per night on bed & breakfast basis
Double indoor room, no street view, window overlooking internal courtyard @ €90 per night on bed & breakfast basis
Corinthia Hotel – 5*
St George’s Bay, St Julians
Email : Estelle.borg@corinthia.com; luke.sammut@corinthia.com
Double room for sole use @ €205 per night on bed & breakfast basis
Marina Hotel at the Corinthia Beach Resort – 4*
St George’s Bay, St Julians
Email : Estelle.borg@corinthia.com; luke.sammut@corinthia.com
Double room for sole use @ €170 per night on bed & breakfast basis
handy information
To do
To find tourist attractions and events you can try the Visit Malta website.
Valletta is also a European Capital of Culture 2018. To see the events specific to this click here.
plugs
Malta uses a 3-pin plug, identical to the British model. If you have arrived in Malta without an adapter, you can find them in the Agenda bookshop in the airport or you may be able to loan one from your hotel reception. Otherwise you can try tourist shops or ironmongers.
language
While Maltese is widely spoken you will also find the vast majority of Maltese people are fluent in English. Signage, menus and so on will also be in English more often than not.
water
Tap water is drinkable and bottled water is inexpensive. There will also be water fountains available during the conference.
health
The main hazards in Malta (other than the drivers) include the sun, mosquitoes and jellyfish. While annoying, mosquitoes in Malta do not carry any serious diseases. Still, when out and about, it is good to cover the arms and legs or apply some sort of protection. When swimming you should be aware of jellyfish. Signs should be available showing which species of jellyfish may be in the area. Finally, while October is not the hottest month in Malta it will still reach 25 °C, therefore please bring sun protection if necessary.
The main hospital in Malta is Mater Dei and while the main emergency number is 112, you can also call 196 specifically for an ambulance.
taxis
There are two main taxi companies in Malta; eCabs and Taxify, both with apps available for download, as well as white cabs that operate directly from the airport.
Taxify are the cheapest option (depending on traffic) with a very accessible app but only allow for immediate bookings and cars must be available at the time. You can get €5 off your first ride using the code 6QZWN.
eCabs are slightly more expensive with a slower app but will allow you to pre-book journeys.
White cabs have a fixed price and you can take them direct from the airport without booking. As you leave arrivals, turn left and you should see a ticket booth. The price to Valletta is €15.
We recommend using white cabs from the airport to Valletta, Taxify for any journeys during your stay and eCabs for any journeys you need to pre-book (such as an early ride back to the airport).
public transport
Malta has two main public transport systems which include buses and ferry services.
Buses are available at the cost of €2 per ticket (excluding night time services and TD services which operate at €3). When purchasing a ticket, this can be used on as many buses as desired for 2 hours, at which point you will need another ticket. There are also prepaid cards which can be purchased through Tallinja. More information here.
While there are bus schedules available the bus service can be unpredictable and the most accurate way to find out when a bus is arriving is to download the Tallinja app and check the ‘My Next Bus’ section. It should be quite easy to get a bus from Valletta but please note that buses get full very quickly and hailing a bus mid-route can be more difficult.
Ferries are available between Valletta – Sliema and Valletta – Cospicua. We highly recommend the ferries as they are reasonably priced as well as the fastest way to travel from Valletta to other sections of the coast. You can find the schedule and pricing here.
If you have extended your stay, you may also like to take the ferry to the sister island of Gozo. The fare is below €5 and is paid on the return journey only. You can find the schedule here.
spending
ATMs: There are numerous ATMs around Malta for cash withdrawal, with the main banks being Bank of Valletta and HSBC.
You can find the nearest Bank of Valletta here and the nearest HSBC here.
Paying by Card: Please note that many establishments do not have card machines and it is good to have cash available. If you do not have cash, we recommend asking if a vendor takes card before proceeding.
Tipping is customary in Malta if no service charge has been applied and is usually between 5-10%.
