Travelling Around Malta

Here will be some tips and tricks for using the buses throughout your time in Malta, along with some of the best ways to navigate your way around the island along with some tips on how to access some of the best destinations.

Of course, probably the easiest way to travel around Malta is to drive. However, if you are undertaking a work placement or internship as a student, then chances are, you will not have the luxury of being able to drive a car.

Therefore, it is vital that you get to know some of the best means of travel around the islands and the cheapest ways of doing so.

As there are no trains in Malta, public transport availability is often limited to simply, buses. If you are not a fan of buses, then get ready to either use your legs or put up with a bus service.

The buses in Malta I have already said can be somewhat temperamental, with their leniency within their own timetables, lack of air-conditioning in some of the vehicles, as well as overcrowding. However, some bus routes do not get as busy, so if you can come to know the busiest routes and their alternatives, that will take you to the same destination, then I would recommend doing so.

On my first day here, I wanted to explore firstly by foot, but as Malta is quite hilly, it is a lot easier and less sweaty, to take the bus.

This is where Google Maps will become your best friend. I just type into the search engine ‘bus to… [desired location]’ and it will bring up all of the various routes and services available, and what time they depart.

The only difficulty with this, is that if there are two bus stops with the same name but on opposite sides of the road, it does not tell you which side you need to be on, so you need to then possibly look at the bus timetable stands and see which direction you need to be headed in.

Google Maps is also great if you are on foot, as it obviously will give you some of the best directions. However, I have often found that Google Maps likes to take you on an exploration, as it does not sometimes take you on the quickest routes. There have been numerous side streets that I have been able to walk down which would cut the duration of my route, however, Google Maps has other ideas and takes you on the more common routes.

Google Maps will even try and over complicated your bus route. When trying to plan a trip to Dingli cliffs, Google Maps told us that our journey would be over two hours long, with us having to travel to the airport first and then back on ourselves towards Dingli. Upon further research I found a direct route to Dingli with one bus, that would only take 50 minutes. So, don’t always trust Google Maps.

Another App that is great for the bus service is the Tallinja App. Tallinja is the bus service operator that runs in Malta and they have their own app that will give you the details of everything to do with your travel. However, this app can be very temperamental, and I have very rarely found a period of time where the App works consistently well. However, if you are simply looking for the details on the bus stops along a particular route, then this app works fine. However, if you are trying to use their journey planner, you may have further difficulty.

This is where the App Moovit comes in very handy. This has been my favourite App to use whilst in Malta as I have had the fewest complaints about its service. It provides the quickest bus route options of journey, giving not just one, but various alternatives should you need them. This alternative service is great to use when travelling during a feast period, when typically, the buses do not run as often. Also, as the buses are temperamental, it will give you an alternative way to travel, if your desired service does not show up.

There are also apps that you can use in Malta that don’t just concern bus or foot travel. There are also offerings of some great tips and tricks for the best sites to travel to whilst on the island.

Malta Goes Rural is a great App that will show you some of the best hidden countryside treasures that Malta has to offer. The App will provide you with a walking route from nine available walks, which promotes for visitors to travel by foot as opposed to by car or other transport. This environmental awareness promotion helps visitors to really explore the beauty of the Maltese country.

Another great App which I always recommend to people when visiting the island is Malta Info. This application has the capability to work offline, so if you are on a walk or hike in a remote area with no internet service, you can still access some of the routes and information.

Here are some of the main features of the App;

• General Info

• Areas and Places of interest

• Travel Guides

• Local Attractions

• Hotels

• Restaurants

• Bars

• What’s On

• Beaches

• Hospitals

• Car Hire

• Hospitals

• Shopping

• Leisure

• Health and Spa

• Weather Forecasts

• Essential phone numbers

• Locator Map

Xemxija Heritage Trail App is another great one to download before your visit to Malta. This app will give you insight and route explanations into some of the hidden treasures of Xemxija, which very few people have common knowledge of. Making these a great destination for those looking for somewhere a little more secluded. It will show you the 19 heritage sites and items on offer in your surrounding area which include; Roman baths, caves, megalithic temple and an apiary.

All of these applications are free to download meaning that you can access some of the best knowledge and routes, without any cost. I would highly recommend using these Apps as they have undoubtedly helped me a lot during my time in Malta.