Tower Road promenade
Sliema's seafront walk
Walk it at sunset, and swim from the rock lidos along the way.
SliemaSwimmingWalk
Sliema & St Julian's, Malta
Ideal: 2 daysBest: Apr–OctPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Sliema & St Julian's in 60 seconds
Sliema and St Julian's are modern Malta: a continuous seafront of apartments, hotels and cafés running north from Valletta's harbour. The promenade along Tower Road is where the island walks in the evening, with rocky lidos cut into the shore for swimming, and from the Strand the ferry crosses Marsamxett to Valletta in minutes, with the best view of the capital's skyline on the way. Round the point, St Julian's curls around little Spinola Bay, its fishing boats in front of the restaurants, and Balluta Bay below an Art Nouveau apartment block and a neo-Gothic church. Paceville, behind, is the nightlife quarter. It is not the place for history, but it is the easiest base on the island — buses and ferries go everywhere from here.
Seafood
Best for
- Coast
- Nightlife
- Food
Known for
- Tower Road promenade
- Spinola Bay
- Ferry to Valletta
- Paceville
Skip if
You want old-world charm — this is Malta's most built-up stretch of coast.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Sliema & St Julian's fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Sliema ferry
Across Marsamxett to Valletta
The quickest way to the capital, with the classic view of its skyline.
The StrandFerryView
Spinola Bay
Fishing boats in St Julian's
Luzzus moored in front of the waterfront terraces.
St Julian'sHarbourSeafood
Manoel Island
Fort Manoel across the harbour
An eighteenth-century fort of the Knights, facing Valletta across Marsamxett.
GżiraFortress
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Sliema
Promenades and shopping
Lively by day, with the ferry and Tigné Point.
St Julian's
Bays, restaurants and Paceville
Spinola and Balluta by day, Paceville at night.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Sliema
ModerateSeafront hotels and apartments
The most practical base on Malta.
BusesFerry
St Julian's
ExpensiveHotels by the bays
For evenings out, a walk from Paceville.
Nightlife
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Buses from the airport and Valletta; the ferry from the Strand to Valletta.
- Swimming
- Rock lidos and ladders rather than sand; St George's Bay has a small beach.
- Nightlife
- Paceville is loud and late, mostly in summer.
- Taste locally
- Pastizzi from a pastizzeria, fish in Spinola Bay and imqaret for dessert.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1723
The Knights begin Fort Manoel on the island in Marsamxett Harbour.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Valletta & the Three Cities
The capital across the harbour
Valletta & the Three Cities has its own guide.
10 min by ferryHistory
Gozo
The sister island
Gozo has its own guide.
1 hr 30 min by bus and ferryIsland