Malta Airport to Valletta, Sliema & St Julian’s: 2026 Guide

The easiest way to get from Malta Airport to Valletta, Sliema or St Julian’s is a white taxi at a fixed fare bought from the pre-paid booth in the Welcomers’ Hall: €17 to Valletta and €20 to Sliema or St Julian’s, per car. The cheapest option is an Airport Direct bus: TD4 to Valletta, TD3 to Sliema and St Julian’s, or TD2 to St Julian’s and Pembroke, for €3 per person paid on board. The old X1–X4 airport express buses were withdrawn in April 2025, so ignore older guides that still mention them. If you would rather have a driver waiting with your name, compare operators on our Malta Airport transfers page.

Malta Airport to Valletta, Sliema and St Julian’s: quick comparison

Option	Price	Journey time	Runs	Best for
Airport Direct bus TD4	€3 per person	Around 20–30 min to Valletta	Every 30 min, early morning to around midnight	Valletta, Gozo fast ferry
Airport Direct bus TD3 / TD2	€3 per person	Around 30–50 min, traffic-dependent	Each every 30 min	Sliema, Gżira, St Julian’s, Pembroke
Airport Direct bus TD1 / TD5	€3.50 (TD1), €3 (TD5)	Around 1–1.5 hours	Roughly hourly each	Buġibba, Qawra, Mellieħa, Ċirkewwa (Gozo ferry)
White taxi (pre-paid fixed fare)	€17 Valletta, €20 Sliema / St Julian’s, €28 Buġibba	Around 15–40 min	24/7	Families, luggage, door-to-door
Ride-hailing apps (Bolt, Uber, eCabs)	Dynamic, quoted in the app	Around 15–40 min	24/7	Card payment, app users
Pre-booked private transfer	Fixed price agreed in advance	Around 15–40 min	24/7	Groups, late arrivals, child seats, Gozo

Bus fares are per person; taxi and transfer prices are per vehicle. For three or four people heading to Valletta, a €17 taxi costs little more than four bus tickets. Malta drives on the left.

Malta Airport bus to Valletta, Sliema and St Julian’s (Airport Direct)

Malta Public Transport runs limited-stop Airport Direct routes, branded Tallinja Direct (TD). They replaced the X1, X2, X3 and X4 airport express buses in April 2025:

• TD4 – Airport to Valletta, continuing to the Gozo fast ferry terminal. Every 30 minutes.
• TD3 – Airport to Gżira, Sliema and St Julian’s (Msida also served). Every 30 minutes.
• TD2 – Airport to St Julian’s and Pembroke, serving the St George’s Bay hotel area. Every 30 minutes.
• TD1 – Airport to Rabat, Buġibba, Mellieħa and Ċirkewwa (Gozo Channel ferry). Hourly.
• TD5 – Airport to Rabat and Buġibba. A handful of journeys a day that, together with TD1, give roughly a half-hourly service to Buġibba for part of the day.

The single fare is €3 per passenger (€3.50 on TD1), paid on board in cash or by tapping a contactless card or phone. Tickets are valid for two hours, including transfers. Airport Direct buses have more luggage space than regular routes, plus Wi-Fi and USB charging. Check the current timetable on the Malta Public Transport Airport Direct page or in the tallinja app, which shows live arrivals.

Where to catch the bus and buy tickets

The bus stop is just outside the terminal entrance, next to a 24-hour ticket machine. The Public Transport information and sales office in the Welcomers’ Hall is open daily from 08:00 to 19:30, and WHSmith in the same hall also sells tickets. You can simply pay the driver.

Bus passes worth considering

• Explore Flex 4-Day (from €21) and 7-Day (€27): unlimited buses including Airport Direct and night routes. Versions bundled with a Gozo fast ferry return or harbour cruise cost more.
• 12 Single Day Journeys (€19): shareable, valid six months, but Airport Direct and night journeys use two trips each.
• Explore Child 7-Day (€7) for ages 4–10. Under-4s travel free.

On regular day routes a single costs €2.00 in winter and €2.50 in summer; night routes cost €3.

Regular buses from the airport

Slower regular routes also serve the airport. Route 88 runs to Valletta via Gudja, Għaxaq, Tarxien, Paola and Marsa; route 214 runs to Buġibba via Marsa, Balzan, Ta’ Qali, Rabat, Mosta and Qawra; routes 117, 135, 208 and 218 go to Mater Dei Hospital and the University; 201 goes to Rabat and Dingli; 71, 72 and 73 serve Żurrieq, Safi and Qrendi from the Ċintra stop; and 119 runs to Birżebbuġa, Marsaxlokk and Marsaskala. They are mainly useful if your hotel is on one of these routes.

Malta Airport taxi fixed fares

Licensed white taxis work from the airport 24 hours a day at fixed fares. Pay at the pre-paid taxi booth in the Welcomers’ Hall, take your ticket to the rank and give it to the driver. Fares are per vehicle. Selected fares from the official airport table:

Destination	Fixed fare
Valletta / Floriana	€17
Valletta Cruise Terminal	€17
Sliema, Gżira, Ta’ Xbiex	€20
St Julian’s, Paceville, St George’s Bay, Swieqi	€20
Pembroke	€21
Vittoriosa (Birgu), Senglea, Kalkara	€20
Mdina / Rabat	€22
Buġibba, Qawra, St Paul’s Bay	€28
Golden Bay / Għajn Tuffieħa	€30
Mellieħa, Popeye Village	€33
Ċirkewwa (Gozo ferry), Marfa, Armier	€37

The airport notes that the fixed fares exclude administrative fees, and a flat €4.50 surcharge applies on 25 December and 1 January. There is no separate night rate on the published table. The full list of more than 100 destinations is on the Malta Airport taxi service page. White taxis can also be booked through the Malta Taxi app. A taxi normally takes around 15–20 minutes to Valletta and 25–40 minutes to Sliema or St Julian’s, depending on traffic.

Bolt, Uber and eCabs at Malta Airport

Bolt, Uber and the local firm eCabs all operate in Malta, using private hire cars rather than white taxis. Prices are dynamic, so they can be cheaper than the fixed taxi fare at quiet times and more expensive during surges, for example when several flights land together. Since July 2025, app-booked rides at the airport no longer pick up outside the main entrance: the pick-up zone is on Level -1, reached through the tunnel from the main car park and signed inside the terminal. Collect your luggage first, then request the ride and walk to the zone. The apps let you pay by card, so you do not need cash.

Pre-booked private transfers from Malta Airport

For two people with normal bags, the taxi booth works well. A pre-booked transfer is often worth it when:

• You are a group of five or more and need a minivan or minibus.
• You land late at night, when buses have finished and queues at the taxi booth can be long.
• You are travelling with children and need child seats fitted in advance.
• You are heading to Gozo and want the driver to handle the ferry, or a door-to-door price including the crossing.
• You want meet and greet with a name sign, help with luggage and flight tracking if you are delayed.

Compare companies serving the airport on our Malta Airport (MLA) transfers hub, or browse operators across the island on the Malta transfers page. Local companies listed include CABS+, Platinum Cabs, Get Cab Malta, Dacoby Chauffeur Service, United Minibus Service and Gozo Taxi Service. You book directly with the company, so confirm the price, vehicle size, child seats, waiting time and any ferry costs in writing.

Malta Airport to Buġibba, Mellieħa and Gozo

Malta Airport to Valletta, Sliema and St Julian’s hotels

Valletta is the shortest trip: TD4 or a €17 taxi. For Sliema and Gżira hotels take TD3; for Paceville, St George’s Bay and Pembroke, TD2 is usually closer. Operators by area are on our Valletta, Sliema and St Julian’s transfer pages. Arriving for a cruise? See Valletta Cruise Port transfers; the taxi fare to the cruise terminal is €17.

Malta Airport to Buġibba, Qawra and Mellieħa

The north-west resorts are the furthest from the airport. TD1 (€3.50, hourly) and TD5 (€3) run to Buġibba via Rabat, and TD1 continues to Mellieħa and Ċirkewwa. Expect around an hour or more by bus. A taxi costs €28 to Buġibba, Qawra or St Paul’s Bay and €33 to Mellieħa. See Buġibba transfers and Mellieħa transfers.

Malta Airport to Gozo: Ċirkewwa ferry

The Gozo Channel car ferry crosses from Ċirkewwa, at Malta’s northern tip, to Mġarr in Gozo in about 25 minutes. It runs daily, as often as every 30 minutes in the daytime, with less frequent sailings at night. Foot passengers do not pay on the way out: you pay for a return (around €4.65 for adults, €1.15 for children aged 3–12) when you leave Gozo, at the Mġarr terminal or online. Cars pay on the return leg too. To reach Ċirkewwa from the airport take TD1 (€3.50, roughly 75–90 minutes) or a taxi at the €37 fixed fare. Times are on the Gozo Channel schedule page.

Malta Airport to Gozo: Valletta fast ferry

The Gozo Highspeed passenger-only fast ferry sails from the Grand Harbour in Valletta to Mġarr in about 45 minutes. The adult single fare is around €7.50, with cheaper fares for children and online returns; book ahead in summer, as sailings are less frequent than the Ċirkewwa ferry and seats are limited. Check in 15–20 minutes before departure. TD4 runs from the airport to the fast ferry terminal, which makes this the simplest public transport route to Gozo. Explore Flex bus cards can include a fast ferry return. For door-to-door options on the island, see Gozo transfers.

Tips for arriving at Malta Airport

• Night arrivals: Airport Direct buses stop running around midnight. After that, use the 24-hour taxi booth, a ride-hailing app or a pre-booked transfer.
• Use the official booth: buy a fixed-fare ticket at the pre-paid taxi booth or use a licensed app. Ignore offers of rides inside the terminal.
• Know the fixed fare: €17 to Valletta and €20 to Sliema or St Julian’s. Check the fare on your ticket matches your destination.
• Paying by card: buses take contactless, the taxi booth issues pre-paid tickets and apps charge your card. Carry a little cash as a backup.
• Tipping: not expected. Rounding up for help with heavy bags is appreciated.
• Peak traffic: roads around Marsa, Msida and Sliema are congested at weekday rush hours. Allow extra time, especially for an evening ferry or a flight home.
• Summer buses: in July and August Airport Direct buses can fill up when several flights land together. If you have a tight connection to Gozo, a taxi or pre-booked transfer is more predictable.