Malta Explorer

Accommodation · Guesthouses

A small Maltese guesthouse entrance with a carved limestone portal and a traditional gallarija balcony above

Budget accommodation in Malta: hostels, guesthouses and the €70-a-night reality

Where the genuine budget stays are: St Julian's hostels, Sliema inland apartments, Bugibba self-catering. What to avoid and what you get for the price.

Malta is not the cheapest European destination but it is not the most expensive either. For travellers on a tight budget, the €25-90 per person per night range covers genuine options across hostels, small guesthouses, and self-catering apartments. This is where to find them and what to expect.

Hostels (€20-35 per bed per night)

Malta’s hostel scene is concentrated in St Julian’s and to a lesser extent in Sliema. Most hostels operate near the Paceville nightlife strip, catering to young travellers on Mediterranean rotation.

St Julian’s / Paceville:

  • Hostel Malti in St Julian’s. The largest backpacker hostel on the island. Dorm beds €20-30, private rooms €60-90. Communal kitchen, bar, social atmosphere. Friday/Saturday nights are loud (Paceville-adjacent).
  • Inhawi Boutique Hostel in St Julian’s. Smaller, slightly more upmarket. €25-40 dorm, €80-120 private. Pool and rooftop terrace.
  • Marco Polo Hostel in St Julian’s. Mid-range hostel with a small kitchen and shared lounge. €22-32 dorm.

Sliema:

  • Hostel One at the Sliema-St Julian’s border. Quieter than the Paceville hostels but still walking distance. €25-35 dorm.

Valletta:

  • The Hostal Malta in central Valletta. The only meaningful hostel inside the walls. €28-40 dorm, €90-130 private. Tight on common space but the location is unique.

Note: hostels are scarce on Gozo. The few that exist are essentially small guesthouses rebranded.

Small guesthouses (€50-90 per night)

The mid-budget option. Family-run small properties (4-12 rooms) with private bathrooms and breakfast included.

Where:

  • St Paul’s Bay seafront has several reliable small guesthouses at €60-90. Quieter than Bugibba proper but with the same value pricing.

  • Mellieha village inland streets have B&Bs at €70-110 with character, walking distance to the village square.

  • Rabat (next to Mdina) has guesthouses at €80-120 with the bonus of evening access to Mdina (5-minute walk).

  • Marsaskala has a few seafront B&Bs at €70-100 with the southern-coast atmosphere.

  • Gozo’s Xlendi or Marsalforn seaside villages have guesthouses at €70-110.

What you typically get:

  • Private room with double or twin beds.
  • En-suite bathroom (some older properties share).
  • Air conditioning.
  • Basic breakfast (continental: bread, jam, coffee, sometimes eggs).
  • Wi-Fi.
  • No pool or spa (those add at least €30/night to the rate).

Self-catering apartments (€50-90 per night)

The strongest value for two-person couples or small families. Self-catering apartments are widely available through the major booking platforms across all regions.

Where:

  • Sliema Tower Road area: one-bedroom apartments at €70-90 with sea views. The Tower Road properties are the best value at this price point in central Malta.

  • St Julian’s inland streets: one-bedroom apartments at €60-80, away from the Spinola Bay restaurant strip.

  • Bugibba and Qawra: one-bedroom apartments at €40-70. The cheapest stock; the trade-off is the package-resort atmosphere.

  • Mellieha village or Mellieha Bay perimeter: studios and one-bedrooms at €50-90.

  • Gozo’s Xlendi seafront or Marsalforn: one-bedroom apartments at €60-90.

What to verify before booking the cheap stock:

  • Photos of every room, not just the living area.
  • Recent reviews (last 6 months) for hot water reliability and pest issues.
  • Floor level: ground-floor cheap apartments in older buildings can be damp.
  • Air conditioning in every bedroom for summer.

The Bugibba budget reality

The €40-60 apartments in Bugibba and Qawra are the cheapest sustained option on Malta. They work for travellers who:

  • Are genuinely budget-constrained.
  • Treat the apartment as a place to sleep rather than experience.
  • Accept the package-tourism atmosphere of the strip.
  • Have a car for daily transport out (the bus connections to Valletta are 60-90 minutes).

They do not work for travellers who:

  • Came to Malta for the limestone character.
  • Want to walk to Mediterranean restaurants in the evening.
  • Are uncomfortable with English-pub-themed bars dominating the seafront.

Be honest about which version of yourself you are before booking. The marginal cost of upgrading to a Sliema or Mellieha apartment (€20-30/night) buys substantially more atmosphere.

Couchsurfing and house-sitting

For travellers with maximum budget constraint:

Couchsurfing: a small but active community on Malta. Best in Valletta, Sliema and Victoria (Gozo). Send requests 2-3 weeks ahead; expect a 30-50% acceptance rate.

House-sitting: TrustedHousesitters and similar platforms occasionally list Malta and Gozo opportunities. Most are 2-3 week minimum stays for pet care. Free accommodation in exchange for the responsibility.

Both are realistic for travellers with flexibility on dates and location.

What budget travel buys you in Malta

A budget Malta trip at €60-90 per person per day (including accommodation, food, transport, sites) covers:

  • The same cultural sites as the mid-range trip (museum admissions are the same regardless of where you sleep).
  • The same beaches and natural spots (all free).
  • The same village atmospheres in the evenings.
  • A different restaurant scene: budget travel means kebab and pastizzi rather than the Maltese kitchen sit-down meals.

The compromise is mostly on accommodation comfort and dining quality. The Malta you see is largely the same.

What budget travel does not buy

  • Inside-the-walls Valletta (boutique hotels start at €150).
  • The Mdina experience overnight (cheapest inside-walls room is €130 at Point de Vue).
  • Gozo farmhouse with private pool (cheapest is around €140 even in shoulder).
  • Sit-down dinners at the better Maltese kitchens every night (single meal at Diar il-Bniet or Ta’ Frenc costs €35-45 per person).
  • The Hypogeum ticket (€40 fixed).

For some travellers, these are deal-breakers and warrant a slightly higher daily budget. For others, the budget version of Malta is genuinely sufficient.

A practical budget pattern

For a 7-day Malta trip on €70 per person per day:

  • Accommodation: €30-40 per person/night = €210-280 for 7 nights. A mid-budget St Paul’s Bay apartment, or split between Sliema and a Gozo guesthouse.
  • Food: €20-25 per day. Pastizzi for breakfast (€2), supermarket lunch (€4-6), one cheap dinner (€10-15) plus one nicer dinner per week.
  • Transport: €5-10 per day. Bus and ferry mix; one or two Bolts.
  • Attractions: €10-15 per day average. The major sites (St John’s €15, Hagar Qim €10, Ggantija €10).

Total: €70-90 per person per day. The €70 floor is genuinely achievable; the €90 version is more comfortable.

For the broader where-to-stay logic, see the where-to-stay overview and the regional pages.