Malta
How much does a trip to Malta cost?
Plan €1726 for 7 nights in Malta, return flight from London included, or €758 travelling cheap. On the ground that works out at €238 per person per day.
- From
- €101/day
- vs. London
- 117%
- Best month
- Oct
Your trip to Malta
Set the length, the number of travellers and the comfort level: the figures recompute here.
€1,726
per person, flight included
- on the ground
- €1,666
- flight from London
- €60
- per person per day, on the ground
- €238
InstantTripCost estimate
Full 7-night budget breakdown
Per-person estimate including flights from London, split across the six expense categories.
per person · Comfort
| Category | Budget | Comfort | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | €51 | €60 | €90 |
| Hotel | €315 | €665 | €1309 |
| Food | €273 | €609 | €1365 |
| Transport | €56 | €126 | €315 |
| Activities | €28 | €140 | €434 |
| Misc | €35 | €126 | €413 |
| 7-night total | €758 | €1726 | €3926 |
Flight from London (annual median).
Unit prices
comfort
Enough to check the total yourself, line by line, at the comfort level you picked.
- €13
- Breakfast
- €25
- Lunch
- €49
- Dinner
- €6
- City ride
- €20
- Site admission
- €238
- A full day
Orders of magnitude derived from our measured ranges, not surveyed venue by venue. Prices vary by neighbourhood and season.
The three tiers
What a budget traveller, a comfort traveller and a premium traveller typically spend.
Budget
€92
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €45
- Meal
- €13
- Transit / day
- €8
Comfort
€200
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €95
- Meal
- €29
- Transit / day
- €18
Luxury
€427
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €187
- Meal
- €65
- Transit / day
- €45
Why visit Malta
Malta is searched with the word "cheap" a great deal, and the measurements do not quite agree. The cost index sits at 117% of London and an entry-level night starts at €45, more than Zagreb or Budapest. The archipelago is not a budget destination in the Central European sense.
What is genuinely cheap is getting there and getting around. The return from London drops to €30 in October and €34 in September, against €87 in December. And buses serve the whole archipelago for a few euros, which removes the rental line that usually weighs heavily on an island.
The other particularity is linguistic and it matters for the budget: English is an official language alongside Maltese. No translation cost, no barrier to reading a menu or a bus timetable.
The country fits into 316 km² for 553,000 people, which has a practical consequence: almost everything is visited from a single base. Valletta, Mdina, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum and the Tarxien Temples are all reachable in a day without changing hotel. Over a week that saves the stopover nights and transfers other destinations impose.
For two people at mid-range comfort, plan roughly €190 to €260 a day excluding flights.
Weather & best time to visit
Average temperatures and conditions by month in Malta.
Best month to visitOctober
Where to sleep in Malta
Choosing a district
Price here does not follow distance from the centre, as it would in a mainland capital, but the seafront and the season. Our measurements give €45 a night at entry level, €95 mid-range and €187 upmarket. The gap between the first two bands, €50 a night, is €300 over six nights: by far the biggest lever of the trip, five times what the best flight date can save.
La Valette
The fortified capital, the smallest in the European Union, with St John's Co-Cathedral and the National Museum of Archaeology. Everything on foot, and the ferry reaches the Three Cities opposite. The priciest base, but the one that removes the most travel.
Sliema et St Julian's
The modern seafront, facing Valletta across the harbour. This is where the hotel stock concentrates, so the widest choice and the strongest price competition. The ferry reaches the capital in minutes.
Les Trois Cités
Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua, opposite Valletta. The same historic fabric as the capital, markedly less busy, with rates that follow. The ferry avoids any road detour.
Mdina et le centre de l'île
The old fortified capital and its St Paul's Cathedral, inland. Very few beds, so volatile rates, but the centre of the island puts everything else within half an hour by bus.
The hotels we measured
Accommodation picks by price range.
Corner Hostel
Hostel, decent (7.6/10) from 2,007 reviews.
Granny's Inn Hostel
Hostel, well rated (8.2/10) from 400 reviews.
The St. George’s Park Hotel
Hotel, standard (6.9/10) from 6,086 reviews.
Sliema Chalet Hotel
Hotel, decent (7.7/10) from 2,682 reviews.
Hotel Shoreline
guesthouse, decent (7.6/10) from 1,784 reviews.
C'est La Vie Boutik Swieqi
Hotel, rated excellent (9/10) from 1,168 reviews.
Ta' Guzeppi Boutique Stays Near St Thomas Bay
guesthouse, very well rated (8.9/10) from 227 reviews.
INNSiDE by Meliá Bugibba
Hotel, rated excellent (10/10).
All observed hotels in Malta
24 properties, nightly rate for a 2-night stay arriving 15 October 2026.
| Hotel | Category | Rating | From / night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corner Hostel | Budget | ★ 7.6 | €20 |
| Hostel On | Budget | ★ 7.3 | €25 |
| Granny's Inn Hostel | Budget | ★ 8.2 | €28 |
| SC Club Village | Budget | ★ 7.5 | €31 |
| Walter's Guesthouse | Budget | ★ 8.6 | €32 |
| Dormitory shared hostel by Vallettastay | Budget | ★ 5.9 | €32 |
| Boho Hostel | Budget | ★ 8.6 | €32 |
| Windmill Hostel | Budget | ★ 8.4 | €33 |
| The St. George’s Park Hotel | Mid-range | ★ 6.9 | €56 |
| Sliema Chalet Hotel | Mid-range | ★ 7.7 | €61 |
| Hotel Shoreline | Mid-range | ★ 7.6 | €68 |
| 54, Emerald | Mid-range | ★ 9.4 | €75 |
| Rotas B | Mid-range | ★ 9.5 | €76 |
| Alexandra Hotel | Mid-range | ★ 7.5 | €77 |
| Privilege Suite | Mid-range | ★ 7.5 | €77 |
| C'est La Vie Boutik Swieqi | Luxury | ★ 9 | €77 |
| C'est La Vie Hotel Marsascala | Mid-range | ★ 9.5 | €78 |
| Ta' Guzeppi Boutique Stays Near St Thomas Bay | Luxury | ★ 8.9 | €88 |
| INNSiDE by Meliá Bugibba | Luxury | ★ 10 | €100 |
| Vivaldi Hotel | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €124 |
| Maritim Antonine Hotel & Spa | Luxury | ★ 9 | €125 |
| Palazzo Castagna Boutique Hotel | Luxury | ★ 9.2 | €164 |
| The Diplomat Hotel | Luxury | ★ 8.4 | €168 |
| Mercure St. Julian's Malta | Luxury | ★ 9 | €168 |
Eating in Malta
Concrete benchmarks to set your meal budget, from the morning coffee to dinner.
The food budget follows the general index, at 117% of London. Plan roughly €12 to €18 for a main in a neighbourhood restaurant, more on the Sliema and St Julian's seafronts, where the location is paid for as everywhere.
Savoury pastries are the cheapest and most local option. The pastizz, a flaky parcel filled with ricotta or peas, sells for under a euro in neighbourhood bakeries. Two or three replace a lunch, and it is the snack Maltese people actually buy.
English everywhere removes a hidden cost. Menus, signs and prices are readable without effort, which avoids the misunderstandings and surprise bills other Mediterranean destinations hold in store.
Tap water is desalinated and its taste puts off a share of visitors. Bottled water therefore becomes a real line over a week for two, worth buying in large format rather than by the unit.
Moving around Malta
Transit, distances and the smart moves so you don't pay the tourist tax.
Buses make renting unnecessary, which is rare on an island. The network serves the whole archipelago from Valletta for a few euros a ride, and a weekly card pays for itself within the first days. Over a week for two that is a saving of several hundred euros against a car, fuel and parking included.
The ferry is the shortcut road maps hide. Valletta, Sliema and the Three Cities face each other across the harbour: the crossing costs a few euros and takes minutes, where going around by road takes far longer.
Distances mislead. The archipelago is 316 km², so no stop is far, but roads are narrow and traffic dense at peak hours. Count time in bus minutes, not kilometres.
The airport is about twenty minutes from Valletta and the bus links it straight to the centre, with no paid shuttle to budget for.
Things to do in Malta
Recommended activities and tours.
Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni
The Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni (Maltese: Ipoġew ta' Ħal Saflieni [ɪpɔˈd͡ʒɛʊ̯ tɐ ħɐl sɐfˈlɪːnɪ]) is a Neolithic subterranean structure dating to the Saflieni phase (3300 - 3000 BC) in Maltese prehistory, located in Paola, Malta. It is often simply referred to as the Hypogeum, literally meaning "underground" in Greek.
Archaeological site
St. John's Co-Cathedral
St John's Co-Cathedral (Maltese: Kon-Katidral ta' San Ġwann) is a Catholic co-cathedral in Valletta, Malta, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was built by the Order of St.
Church
Tarxien Temples
The Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex (Maltese: Il-kumpless Preistoriku ta' Ħal Tarxien [ɪl kʊmˈplɛsː prɛɪ̯sˈtɔːrɪkʊ tɐ ˈħɐl tɐrˈʃɪːn]) is an archaeological complex in Tarxien, within the Port region of Malta. They date to approximately 3400 BC.
Archaeological site
St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Paul (Maltese: Il-Katidral Metropolitan ta' San Pawl), commonly known as St Paul's Cathedral or the Mdina Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in Mdina, Malta, dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle.
Church
Għar Dalam
Għar Dalam (Maltese pronunciation: [ɐˤːr ˈdɐlɐm]; "Cave of Dalam", Dalam being a fifteenth-century family name)[A] is a 144-metre long phreatic tube and cave, located in the outskirts of Birżebbuġa, Malta. The cave contains the bones of animals that lived on Malta during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs.
Archaeological site
Our Lady of Victory Church
The Our Lady of Victory Church, formerly known as the Saint Anthony the Abbot Church, was the first church and building completed in Valletta, Malta. In 1566, following the Great Siege of Malta, Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette and his Order showed interest to build a church in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin as a form of thanksgiving; the construction was funded by de Valette.
Church
National Museum of Archaeology
The National Museum of Archaeology (Maltese: Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arkeoloġija) is a Maltese archaeological museum located in Valletta, with artefacts from Maltese prehistory, Phoenician times and a notable numismatic collection. It is managed by Heritage Malta.
Museum
Upper Barrakka Gardens
The Upper Barrakka Gardens (Maltese: Il-Barrakka ta' Fuq) are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. Along with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, they offer a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour.
Garden
MUŻA
MUŻA is an art museum located at Auberge d'Italie in Valletta, Malta. It was formerly located at Admiralty House between 1974 and 2016, when it was known as the National Museum of Fine Arts (Maltese: Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti).
Art museum
Lower Barrakka Gardens
The Lower Barrakka Gardens (Maltese: Il-Barrakka t'Isfel) are a public garden in Valletta, Malta, twinned with the Upper Barrakka Gardens in the same city. The gardens have a view of the Grand Harbour and the breakwater.
Park
Places referenced on Wikidata. Admission prices vary by season - check each venue's official site.
Paying less in Malta
What moves the needle
What each decision takes off the €1732 total, strongest lever first.
- − €959
Travel cheap rather than mid-range
Hostel or entry-level hotel, local canteens, public transport. Accommodation is where the gap opens up.
- − €476
Stay five nights instead of seven
Two fewer nights also removes two days of meals, transport and sightseeing.
- − €332
Travel as a pair
The room is shared, nothing else is. Travellers themselves name this as the strongest lever.
Differences computed from our own measurements, for a 7-night mid-range stay, excluding flights.
7 tips on the ground
- Dropping one hotel category is worth €300 over six nights. The gap between €45 and €95 a night is the trip's biggest lever, far ahead of the flight date.
- Flying in October rather than December saves €57 from London, €30 against €87, and October still averages 22°C, warmer than a British summer.
- August is the dry month, not July. The 1991-2020 normals give 0.7 rainy days in August and 0.1 in July, but August is also the hottest at 27°C: the comfort difference is marginal, the fare difference is not.
- Skip the car. Buses cover the whole archipelago and the ferry links the three harbour poles: rental is an avoidable line, which is true of almost no other Mediterranean island.
- Sleep in the Three Cities rather than Valletta. Same historic fabric, same ferry access, lower rates.
- Make lunch a pastizzi run. Under a euro each in neighbourhood bakeries, against €12 to €18 for a restaurant main.
- Avoid November and December. They are the wettest months, 9.4 and 9.8 rainy days, with the shortest daylight at 9.8 hours and a fare that climbs back up.
FAQ
FAQ - Malta
- Is Malta really a cheap destination?
- Not in the Central European sense. The cost index sits at 117% of London and an entry-level night at €45, more than Zagreb or Budapest. What is cheap in Malta is the flight, from €30 return out of London in October, and getting around, where buses make renting unnecessary.
- How much does a week in Malta cost?
- Plan around €660 per person on a budget and roughly €1,570 at mid-range comfort, excluding flights, for seven nights. The return flight from London adds €30 in October and up to €87 in December.
- Do you need to rent a car in Malta?
- No, and that is the archipelago's particularity. Buses serve every site from Valletta for a few euros, and the ferry links the capital to Sliema and the Three Cities in minutes. Rental is a whole line Malta lets you avoid, unlike most Mediterranean islands.
- Where should you sleep in Malta to pay less?
- In Sliema, where hotel density drives competition, or in the Three Cities, which offer the same historic fabric as Valletta at a lower rate, with a ferry of a few minutes to the capital. From €45 a night against €60 and up inside the walls.
- Do you need Maltese to visit Malta?
- No. English is an official language alongside Maltese and is spoken everywhere, including in shops and on transport. No practical barrier to plan for, and the currency is the euro.
- What is the cheapest month to visit Malta?
- October from London, at €30 return, with the mean still at 22°C. September follows at €34 and 24.7°C. December is the one to avoid, at €87, for the year's wettest weather.
- How many days should you plan for Malta?
- Three nights cover Valletta, the Three Cities and Mdina. A week allows the prehistoric sites, including the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, which caps daily visitors and must be booked ahead. With the archipelago fitting into 316 km², everything is done from a single base, with no stopover night.
At a glance
Wikidata, Wikipedia and Open-Meteo data
- Population
- 553k
- Area
- 316 km²
- Language
- English, Maltese
- Currency
- €
- Time zone
- UTC+01:00
- Founded
- 1964
- Avg. July temp.
- 26°
- Avg. Jan. temp.
- 14°
- Rainy days / year
- 59
inhabitants
Euro
24° - 27°
12° - 15°
About
Malta in brief
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago which is 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The two official languages are Maltese and English; Maltese is recognised as the national language. The country's capital is Valletta, which is the smallest capital city in the European Union by both area and population.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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