Public Transport in Malta and Gozo
Are you planning a trip to Malta, and looking for the best way to get around the island? You’ll be happy to hear that Malta has an excellent bus system! Sight-seeing will be easy as 1-2-3 with this handy guide on Malta’s public transport service.
Bus Fares & Cards
Single Tickets
Single tickets are extremely cheap compared to most European countries. A bus ticket will cost you €1.50 in winter, and €2 in summer. The price for a ticket on a night route is €3. Simply give money to the bus driver, who will print out your ticket for you. Don’t forget to keep your ticket after purchase, as they are valid for 2 hours. You will need to present your ticket if you need to transfer to another bus. Furthermore, checks are performed regularly during which every passenger must present their valid ticket.
Tallinja Cards
Not a fan of carrying cash around? Then you might want to buy a Tallinja Card! Malta Public Transport has created three Tallinja Cards specifically for tourists. These are the Explore Card, the ExplorePlus Card and the 12 Single Day Ticket card. You can buy any of these cards at numerous official sales points and third party outlets on the island. You can find a full list on the official Malta Public Transport website.
Sales points at Malta Airport:
Arrival Hall: Sales & Information office (open from 08:00 to 19:30), WHS Express.
Departure Hall: Agenda Book Shop
Explore Card
€21 for Adults, €15 for children
- Valid for 7 days
- €21 for Adults
- €15 for Children up to 10 years old
- Unlimited Traveling for 7 days
- Night routes included
ExplorePlus Card
€39 for everyone
- Valid for 7 days
- €21 for everyone
- Unlimited Traveling for 7 days
- Night routes included
- 2 Trips on the Valletta Ferry
- Full day tour with a hop-on / hop-off bus
- Boat Trip to Comino
12 Single Day Journey Card
€15 for everyone
- Valid for 1 year
- €15 for everyone
- 12 Single Day Journeys OR
- 6 Single Night Journeys OR
- Combination of both
Plan your journey with the Tallinja App
You can easily plan your trip ahead by using the Malta Public Transport website, the Tallinja App or even Google Maps! You do need an internet connection for these options. Thankfully, Malta is filled with Wifi hotspots where you can connect for free! If you know in advance that you will not be able to connect to 4G or a wifi spot, we recommend you to map out your trip in advance and simply make notes on your phone or screenshot the route. Each bus stop is also provided with a timetable for passing routes.
If you do have internet acces we highly recommend you to download the Tallinja App. It’s available for iOS and Android devices and gives you easy access to numerous features. You can find some examples below:
Journey Planner
Use the Journey Planner to find out everything you need to know. Enter a locality, place of interest, street or road, bus stop name or use your current location to map out your route.
My Next Bus
Already at a bus stop? Check when your next bus is coming. This system uses GPS tracking and will provide you with a real-time view on which route will pass by your bus stop in the next 30 minutes.
Places of Interest
Not sure what you want to do? Check out the Places of Interest listed in the app, and plan your journey to archaeological sites, beaches, diving centres, gardens and more!
Tip: going around Malta by bus is easy. However, we don’t recommend you to use the public transport system if you’re time restricted. Malta is a small island, with even smaller roads, but counts more cars than people! Delays are inevitable, which can be frustrating and crucial to prevent in certain situations. Need to go to an important meeting or catch a flight? In that case we recommend you to take a taxi.
