Maltese Nightlife

The best night life in Malta.

Before arriving to Malta, I had already heard about some of the night life experiences my friends had had there. All of which were positive, might I add.

Night life is something that plays a big role within British society and the lives of many people my age, as it is seen to be a great way to socialise and meet new people.

It seems that a lot of people seem to have alcohol in common, as we all enjoy a little treat every now and again. Although, back home, a lot of people abuse this substance and it can actually make it a dangerous situation to put oneself in.

So, it is always best to ensure that especially when you are drinking abroad, that you are able to stay safe and are surrounded by people who will be able to look out for you, should anything problematic occur.

However, enough of the parenting. I’m sure by now we all know how to drink responsibly.

Back to the Maltese night life!

It seems that the British don’t quite have the knack of late nights and early morning returns from a night out. In my previous experience, we would leave the house at 10pm and make our way into the city centre so that we are able to leave comfortably at 2am or 3am.

Above: Havana nightclub in Paceville

However, in Malta and some other European countries, it seems that this is not the way forward, as many clubs and bars stay open until the early hours of the morning, to which us Brits may never have really experienced before.

Our German and Portuguese house mates made somewhat a mockery of our shoddy attempts at a true night out to the clubs, so we decided to follow their lead and become a sheep to their ways.

So, we decided to ‘begin’ the night at our household, to which we got so entirely distracted, that we did not actually end up leaving the house until 2am. This is normally the time that I am arriving home when I am back in England, so I could already feel my second-wind begin to protrude through my skin and keep me awake for the rest of the night.

As the buses stop running at 10:30pm, one is obliged to utilise the islands’ taxi services. Which I also have some tips for;

• White taxis - When using the taxis in Malta, I would not recommend using their white cabs. These are very comparable to the black cabs we have back in England, which normally run on surcharge, which is still unbeknownst to me as to why they do this. The white cabs circle the city centres looking for their tourist prey that they can lure in when sensing that people require transportation and ‘offer’ you some great rates for your travel. But sometimes what they do not tell you, is the charge differentiation between the time of the day that you are travelling with them. So, after hearing some unsavoury experiences with these taxis, we have always opted for alternative providers. As with any country, there are always taxi companies such as this that will work to being the best in the business, but people are becoming more inclined to pay less for their travel, if it means that they have to wait slightly longer.

• Download taxify – This free app’s interface looks a light like uber’s, so if you are used to using that particular app for travel then this would be a great taxi app for you. The great thing about this app, is that you do not have to pay by card. The offering of a standard 5-seater or executive 5-seater, or a minivan, is comparable again to the offering of uber and you are given a price range there and then for your destination of travel. Taxify is not as expensive or the white cabs but can be a little bit more pricey than the taxi stands around the island. However, we have never waited more than 10 minutes for a taxi when using this service and we have always been given a clean and spacious taxi.

• e-cabs – If taxify have no available cars, then the next best option would be to use e-cabs. This service operates very similarly to that of taxify, however, their service is slightly more expensive. One thing that is a little frustrating about this company, is that sometimes they will send an executive car to you if there are no available standard issue cars, which thus means that you have to pay for your trip, just because the branding of the car is more up market.

• Taxi stands and smaller companies can be the way forward – Some smaller independent taxi companies are sometimes the ones that you often want to support more. Granted the vehicle types aren’t as well upholstered than those of taxify and e-cabs, however, they get you home just as safely and often a lot cheaper. On average, for our group (7 of us), we are required to get a minivan, which with taxify and e-cabs normally costs us around €25 from Paceville to Birkirkara. However, with some other local taxi firms, we have been charged only €17 for the same trip. This may not seem like a lot when divided between the group, but this mounts up greatly over time.

Back to the bars!

Paceville is always our go to place on a weekend to have some fun and a decent drink. We tend to start the night walking down the main strip towards Hugo’s boutique hotel, where either side of you are various bars and clubs all offering a varying music type.

Our main places to visit are, Hugo’s, Havana, Clique, Footloose and Clique. All of these places have a little bit of something for everyone.

Havana is probably the place that we tend to visit most and it has various floors that you can choose from, depending on what kind of music you like. This venue is often one of the busiest during the weekend and it can often mean that you are sweltering hot just as you walk through the front door. The one thing I will say however, is that Havana normally has some great air conditioning units, but they can be slightly temperamental. A vodka and lemonade will not cost you much in this establishment, with the average being around €3.

Most of the clubs and bars and Malta are well air conditioned, but the weekends are that busy, that it doesn’t make much of a difference whether they have it or not. It’s a sticky mess that I am not really a big fan of.

Another thing - that I hate to discuss - but feel it is necessary, is having to be more careful as a woman on a night out. There have been many occasions during my time in Maltese clubs where I have felt very uncomfortable due to being placed in certain situations. Luckily, I am surrounded by a group of boys who always keep their eye out, but it can be very difficult to stop these incidents from happening. In Britain, this sort of thing does not happen as much as I have had it happen over in Malta, which has left me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth with Paceville. I know that I am not the only girl to experience a bad night out, however, it is my preference not to go to certain establishments after previous experiences.

However, despite some sour night in Malta, I can say that the nightlife is always bustling and always incredibly busy. Around St Julian’s and Paceville one will find a plethora of clubs to choose from, that will suit everybody’s music tastes and price ranges. There are also promoters of such bars working on the strip itself, offering deals and freebies to those passing by, so even if you don’t stay in the establishment long, you can take advantage of their offerings and grab yourself a free shot or drink.

My advice for Maltese night clubs is

• To always be with a group

• Never stray from that group as the clubs are that busy that you will probably never find them again

• Keep a tight hold of your belongings

• Be nice to the toilet attendants, they have probably seen some sights during their time

• Take advantage of the freebies on offer

• Be prepared for a late night

• Be prepared for long taxi waits if travelling on a weekend

• Drink responsibly

• Have fun!

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