Malta Explorer

Practical · Budget

A pastizz and a small black coffee on a Maltese café counter at mid-morning, a few euro coins on the honey-limestone surface beside

Malta on a budget, mid-range and comfort: realistic daily figures

What a day in Malta actually costs by travel style. Accommodation, food, transport, attractions and the small extras most budgets forget.

Malta sits in the mid-range of European destinations for cost. More expensive than Portugal or Greece, cheaper than France or Italy by a small margin, roughly equivalent to mainland Spain. The euro is the currency, card payment is universal, and you do not need to carry cash for most transactions.

The honest daily figures below are for shoulder season (April-May, September-October). July-August adds 30-50% to most lines. November-March discounts 20-30% to most lines except restaurants.

Budget travel: €60-90 per person per day

The package that works: one bed in a Bugibba or Marsaskala apartment, bus everywhere, supermarket lunch and one restaurant dinner per day, two paid attractions across a week.

  • Accommodation: €30-45 per person per night for a shared apartment or basic guesthouse in Bugibba, Sliema budget zone, or a Marsaskala self-catering. Hostel beds in St Julian’s are €20-30 a night.
  • Transport: €2.50 per single bus journey, or €15 for an unlimited 7-day Tallinja card. Budget travellers take 3-4 buses a day, so €8-10 per day for transport.
  • Food: pastizz + tea at a corner café for breakfast (€2), supermarket-bought lunch (€4-6 for bread, ham, fruit, water), one casual dinner at a Maltese kitchen (€12-18 for a main course + glass of wine).
  • Attractions: €6-10 per entry. Average 1-2 paid sites per day. Many of the best things (Mdina walls, the Sliema promenade, Marsaxlokk Sunday market, Dingli Cliffs, San Anton Gardens) are free.
  • Coffee and incidentals: €4-6 a day.

What budget travel does not include in Malta: the Hypogeum (€40 ticket), good wine in restaurants (€20+ for a bottle), private guided tours, and serious diving.

Mid-range travel: €120-180 per person per day

The package that works for most visitors: a Tower Road apartment in Sliema or a Mellieha boutique hotel, a mix of bus and Bolt, two restaurant meals per day, all the cultural sites including the Hypogeum.

  • Accommodation: €70-110 per person per night for a 4-star hotel double room or a one-bedroom mid-range apartment. Includes breakfast at hotels; not at apartments.
  • Transport: bus for the cheap journeys, Bolt for the longer or late-night ones. Average €15-25 a day across both.
  • Food: hotel or café breakfast (€5-8 if extra), a casual lunch (€12-18 for a main course), a sit-down dinner (€25-40 per person with wine).
  • Attractions: 2-3 paid sites per day at €6-15 each. The Hypogeum (€40) if you booked it. A Sunday market lunch in Marsaxlokk (€30-40 for full seafood plate).
  • One-day car rental for the southern day (Hagar Qim + Marsaxlokk + Dingli): €30-45 including basic insurance.
  • Incidentals: €15-25 a day for coffees, gelato, water, the occasional gift.

This is the budget for most first-time visitors. It covers the country properly without compromising on the things that distinguish Malta from other Mediterranean destinations.

Comfort travel: €250-400 per person per day

The package that works: a Valletta or Mdina boutique hotel, a car for the duration, sit-down restaurant meals, private experiences (a sailing day, a wine tasting, a guided Hypogeum tour), the higher-end activities.

  • Accommodation: €180-300 per person per night for a 5-star or boutique double. Inside the Valletta walls or at the Xara Palace in Mdina at the high end.
  • Transport: rental car for the full stay (€35-60 a day), plus Bolt or taxi for evenings out (€15-25 a day).
  • Food: hotel breakfast (€20-30 if extra), a sit-down lunch (€30-50 with wine), a serious dinner at one of the recommended kitchens (€60-100 per person with wine).
  • Attractions and experiences: a guided Hypogeum visit (€40+ if booked privately), a sunset sailing trip (€80-120 per person), a wine-tasting tour (€60-90), a private cooking class (€110), spa treatments at the Maltese resorts (€80-150 per session).
  • The Iniala Harbour House or similar experience-driven hotel: from €500 a night.

Comfort travel in Malta does not buy a substantially different experience from mid-range; the cultural sites and the country itself are the same. It buys you the better dinner restaurants, the boutique inside-the-walls accommodation, and the ability to skip the bus.

What costs what: a price reference

Food

  • Pastizz at a counter: €0.50-0.80
  • Coffee at a café: €1.50-2.50
  • Beer at a bar: €3-5
  • Glass of wine: €4-7
  • Hobz biz-zejt sandwich (Maltese bread with tomato, olive oil, tuna, capers): €5-7
  • Plate of pasta or pizza at a local kitchen: €10-16
  • Fenek (rabbit stew) main course: €18-25
  • Sit-down lunch with starter, main, dessert, wine: €30-45
  • Sit-down dinner at a good restaurant with wine: €50-80 per person
  • Tasting menu at a Michelin restaurant (De Mondion, etc.): €120-160 per person

Transport

  • Bus single fare: €2.50 (€1.50 winter)
  • 7-day Tallinja card: €21
  • Bolt within Sliema: €5-9
  • Bolt Sliema to Valletta: €8-12
  • Bolt Sliema to airport: €15-25
  • Bolt Sliema to Mdina: €15-22
  • Sliema-Valletta ferry one way: €1.50
  • Cirkewwa-Mgarr car ferry return (car + driver): €15.70
  • Valletta-Mgarr fast ferry one way: €7.50
  • Comino small-operator boat return from Cirkewwa: €15-25
  • Comino small ferry return from Mgarr: €10
  • Car rental, economy car per day: €25-40 shoulder season, €40-60 in summer
  • Petrol per litre: €1.30-1.40

Attractions

  • Mdina Cathedral and Museum: €10
  • St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta: €15
  • Hagar Qim and Mnajdra (combined): €10
  • Ggantija temples + Ta’ Kola windmill: €10
  • Tarxien Temples: €6
  • The Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni: €40
  • National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta: €6
  • Fort St Elmo and War Museum: €10
  • Casa Rocca Piccola tour: €9
  • Fort St Angelo, Birgu: €10
  • The Cittadella combined ticket, Victoria (Gozo): €15
  • The Blue Grotto boat trip: €8
  • The Inland Sea boat trip (Dwejra, Gozo): €4
  • Manoel Theatre tour, Valletta: €7

Accommodation (per double room, shoulder season)

  • Budget hostel bed: €20-30 per person
  • Bugibba budget apartment: €60-100
  • Sliema mid-range apartment: €90-140
  • Mellieha boutique hotel: €110-170
  • Valletta boutique hotel: €180-300
  • Xara Palace, Mdina: €350-600
  • Iniala Harbour House, Valletta: €500-900
  • Gozo converted farmhouse: €140-280

What people underbudget

  • The Hypogeum ticket if they did not pre-book (the closest alternatives still cost €40+).
  • Comino boat operators: the cheap Sliema cruise looks like €25 but the better small-operator from Cirkewwa is €20-25 for a much shorter and quieter day.
  • Restaurant water: bottled water is €2-3 a bottle even at modest places. Tap water is fine to drink; ask for it (jugs are usually free).
  • The cover charge (coperto) at some restaurants in Valletta and Marsaxlokk: €2-3 per person.
  • Parking in Sliema and Valletta if you bring a car: €15 per day each location.

Currency, payment, tipping

  • Currency: euro. Joined the eurozone in 2008.
  • Card payment: universal. Contactless is the norm. Even market stalls in Marsaxlokk take cards.
  • Cash: useful for small purchases (pastizz, water, ferry fares, parking meters). €100 in small notes covers most of a week.
  • Tipping: 10% at restaurants if service was good and not included; round up at cafés and Bolts. Hotel porters: €1-2 per bag. No tipping required at buses, taxis (the meter is the fare), or museums.