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Travel to Valletta

Flying to Valletta

Airlines offering flights to Valletta from the UK include Air Malta, British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair. Cheap flights are available year-round, but fares tend to rise during school holidays. There are no direct flights from the USA.

Flight times

From London - 3 hours 10 minutes; New York - 12 hours (including stopover); Los Angeles - 16 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 12 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 26 hours (including stopovers).

Travel by road

Unless they are delivering a car, no one drives across Europe to get to Malta. There are car ferry services from some Italian ports but the cost/hassle against the option of cheap flights and the cheap cost of car hire on the island makes this a non-starter for conventional holidaymakers.

Traffic drives on the left and the minimum driving age is 18. You can drive on a valid national driving licence from another country for up to 12 months. Speed limits are 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas and 80kph (50mph) outside urban areas.

Routes

Getting to Valletta is relatively easy as it is the transport hub of the island and all main roads are signposted. Unless you are resident here (in which case ask your host about parking), park outside the walls in one of the marked car parks. Valletta's streets are steep and narrow and much of it is pedestrianised.

Time to city

From Rabat - 25 minutes; Birżebbuġa - 20 minutes; Mdina - 20 minutes.

Travel by boat

There are ferry services to and from the city to neighbouring islands as well as further afield.

Ferry operators

You can travel to Malta by high-speed ferry from Sicily with Virtu Ferries (tel: +356 2206 9022; www.virtuferries.com).

Gozo Channel (tel: +356 2210 9000; www.gozochannel.com) offers a 25-minute ferry service from Gozo to Malta.

A digital image at https://illuminoto.com

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Hilton Malta

A huge palm-filled atrium, a grand piano in the lounge, a platoon of flunkies, a choice of five excellent restaurants, three bars and 410 bedrooms with every comfort known to man - Brad Pitt liked it so much he offered to buy it, just so that he could extend the bar hours. Located in the prestigious Portomaso waterfront in buzzing st Julian's, this is the place to stay if you want to be close to the heart of the action.

Castille Hotel

Originally built as a home for the influential De Robertis family at the turn of the 16th century, Captain Giacomo De Robertis, a Bolognese, then passed the building on to the Testaferrata family and later to the Marquis Cassar Desain. The building is now a hotel with a sitting room, reading lounges on all floors and a coffee shop which formerly housed the stables. There are also two restaurants, serving local and global cuisine.

Maison La Vallette

This eccentrically-designed self catering luxury town house is situated in the old part of Valletta and dates back to the Knights of Malta. The house offers a large, air-conditioned bedroom with ensuite facilities, living room and separate kitchen. The decor is a mix of Maltese-style baroque and bespoke designer furniture. This is not your standard accommodation but it's memorable and suitably romantic.

Marco Polo Hostel

Bright, colourful and hipster-cool, this hostel in the heart of St Julian also offers bike hire, free Wi-Fi, and the views from its roof top terraces are glorious.

Hotel Juliani

Hotel Juliani is Malta's first boutique hotel, featuring lots of designer style and an excellent restaurant on the premises. The former seafront townhouse offers 44 rooms offering contemporary Med decor. It's also conveniently located for the nightlife and restaurants of St Julian's, on pretty (albeit very busy) Spinola Bay.

Phoenicia Hotel Malta

Built in the 1920s, this hotel is the oldest on the island but it's been carefully restored to retain its classical character. This former palazzo is near the Triton Fountain and features 5-star luxury rooms, beautiful public areas, 3 hectares (7 acres) of manicured grounds and top-class restaurants.