Sliema
Malta's most cosmopolitan resort — a 4km seafront promenade facing Valletta's UNESCO walls
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Overview
Things To Do
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Travel Guide
Sliema is a coastal town and Malta's most cosmopolitan resort, sitting on the eastern coast directly across Marsamxett Harbour from Valletta. The town runs north-east from the Tigné Point peninsula (with its 18th-century Knights of Malta fortress) along a 4km seafront promenade through to Spinola Bay in St Julian's. Sliema's name comes from the original 16th-century chapel Tas-Sliema ("Our Lady of Peace"), and the town developed in the 19th century as the British colonial summer-retreat from Valletta. Modern Sliema is Malta's main shopping, restaurant and ferry-port hub — directly connected to Valletta by an 8-minute ferry across the harbour. UK travellers come for direct flights from over 20 UK airports into Malta International Airport (MLA), the year-round 17°C climate, the seafront-and-Valletta combination, and Malta's status as an English-speaking former British colony with an 80°C annual sea temperature low.
✨ Why Visit Sliema
- Direct ferry to Valletta — Malta's UNESCO-listed capital is 8 minutes by ferry across Marsamxett Harbour, €2.80 single, every 30 minutes.
- A 4km seafront promenade — flat, traffic-free, lined with cafés and connecting through to St Julian's and Spinola Bay.
- An English-speaking former British colony — English is an official language, the legal system is British-based, the cars drive on the left, and three-pin UK plugs are standard.
- A 300-sunny-days-a-year climate — Sliema averages 16°C in January and 31°C in August, the most reliable winter sun in mainland Europe.
- The 18th-century Knights of Malta heritage — the Order of St John's 1530–1798 rule left the Tigné fortress, the Sliema parish church and Valletta's UNESCO walls.
- Direct UK flights from over 20 airports — easyJet, Jet2, TUI, Ryanair, British Airways and Air Malta from Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow, 3hr 15min from London.
🌴 What Makes Sliema Special
Unlike the Costa del Sol or the Greek islands, Malta uses English as an official language alongside Maltese — meaning UK travellers can transact, navigate menus and read road signs without translation, with cars driving on the left and three-pin UK plugs throughout. Unlike Cyprus (Malta's closest English-speaking Mediterranean rival), Sliema is just 3hr 15min from London and pairs the seafront-resort experience with direct ferry access to Valletta's UNESCO walls. And unlike anywhere else on Malta, Sliema sits within walking distance of St Julian's nightlife, Tigné Point's modern shopping, the Roman Baths swimming rocks and Valletta's UNESCO old town. The combination of English language, year-round climate, UNESCO city across the water and direct UK flights makes Sliema the most rounded base for first-time Malta visitors.
📍 Key Areas to Explore
- Tigné Point — The northern tip of Sliema, with the 18th-century Knights of Malta fortress, the modern Tigné Point shopping complex and the panoramic ferry views to Valletta.
- The Strand & Sliema Ferries — The seafront harbour-side strip, with the Valletta Ferry terminal, the central restaurants and the bus station.
- Tower Road (Roman Baths) — The traditional Maltese seafront swimming-platform rocks running along the eastern Sliema coast.
- Spinola Bay (St Julian's, 2km north) — The pretty harbour-side restaurant strip with the famous Spinola Bay seafront.
- Paceville (St Julian's, 3km north) — Malta's nightlife epicentre, with bars, clubs and the Portomaso Yacht Marina.
- Marsamxett Harbour — The harbour separating Sliema from Valletta, with the ferry route and historic Manoel Island.
- Manoel Island — A small protected island in the harbour, with the 1726 Fort Manoel and the 1643 quarantine station.
- Valletta (8 minutes by ferry) — Malta's UNESCO-listed capital, with St John's Co-Cathedral, the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the Saluting Battery.
A 4km seafront resort that pairs Valletta's UNESCO walls with the Comino Blue Lagoon, Knights of Malta forts and English-speaking convenience — broken down by category below.
🏞️ Nature & Outdoor Activities
- Walk the 4km seafront promenade from Tigné Point to Spinola Bay
- Ferry day trip to Comino's Blue Lagoon and Crystal Lagoon
- Snorkel from the Tower Road Roman Baths swimming rocks
- Catamaran day cruise around Malta's coastline
- Scuba dive at the offshore wrecks with Divewise (Malta's longest-running dive centre)
🏖️ Beaches
- Tower Road Roman Baths — flat limestone swimming rocks (Sliema's traditional swimming spot)
- Tigné Beach — small sandy patch at the foot of the Tigné fortress
- Exiles Bay — small sandy cove between Sliema and St Julian's
- Comino Blue Lagoon (45 minutes by ferry) — the headline turquoise posidonia-meadow bay
🍽️ Food & Drink
- Order pastizzi (Maltese ricotta or pea-stuffed flaky pastries) from Crystal Palace Bar in Mdina (50 cents each, eaten standing)
- Try fenkata (rabbit stew) at L-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa or Ta' Marija in Mosta
- Sample stuffat tal-fenek (slow-cooked rabbit) at Tarragon in St Julian's
- Order ftira (Maltese flatbread) with tuna and capers at Cafe Cordina in Valletta
- Sip Cisk lager (Malta's national beer, since 1928) at any seafront chiringuito
🎉 Nightlife & Entertainment
- Bars and clubs at Paceville in St Julian's (3km north)
- Cocktails at Hugo's Lounge on Spinola Bay
- Sundowners at the Manoel Island Yacht Yard
- Live music at Bridge Bar Valletta (Friday jazz nights)
- Late-night gambling at the Dragonara Casino in St Julian's (Malta's oldest, since 1964)
📸 Instagram-Worthy Spots
- Valletta's UNESCO walls from the Sliema seafront at golden hour
- The 18th-century Tigné fortress at the northern peninsula tip
- Spinola Bay's painted fishing boats at sunset (St Julian's)
- The Comino Blue Lagoon turquoise water from the cliff-top viewpoint
- The Saluting Battery cannon firing at noon (Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta)
Best Value Deals
🏨 All-Inclusive Holidays
Sliema runs a smaller AI market than Mediterranean island resorts — the town leans toward boutique heritage hotels, half-board four-star properties and self-catering apartments. Hotel Plaza, Hotel Diplomat, AX The Palace and Marina Hotel Corinthia Beach Resort lead the half-board rankings. Hotel Excelsior Floriana (Valletta-side, 5 minutes from the ferry) and InterContinental Malta (St Julian's) add the upper-tier options. Shoulder-season weeks with UK flights typically open from £329pp in May or October, climbing to £849pp at August half-term.
👨👩👧👦 Family Holidays
Sliema is a city-break-and-couples destination rather than a pure family-resort base — for sandy beach holidays, consider Mellieħa Bay or the Gozo island instead. Within Sliema, the central Roman Baths swimming platforms and the Tigné Point's small sandy patch handle older children well, and the Comino Blue Lagoon day trip and Mdina's medieval city are family fixtures. Marina Hotel Corinthia Beach Resort, Hotel Plaza and AX The Palace lead the family inventory.
💎 Luxury Holidays
Malta holds Europe's strongest converted-palazzo luxury inventory. Phoenicia Malta (Floriana, set in 1947 colonial gardens between Sliema and Valletta) and Iniala Harbour House (Valletta old town) are the headline five-stars. Within St Julian's, Corinthia Hotel St George's Bay (with the Apollo Spa) and InterContinental Malta deliver the polished resort-style luxury. The new Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour (Senglea, opposite Valletta) and Casa Ellul (Valletta boutique) round out the upper-tier inventory. Within Sliema itself, AX The Palace is the leading polished option.
⏰ Last-Minute Deals
Sliema carries solid late-availability stock outside the August peak. The strongest discounts surface in mid-May to early June and from late September into late October — discounts of 20–25% inside three weeks of departure are realistic on Hotel Plaza, Diplomat, Marina Corinthia Beach and AX The Palace properties. Unlike most Mediterranean resorts, Sliema's year-round climate keeps a meaningful core of hotels and restaurants open through winter — November to February UK winter-sun deals are achievable, with golf and cultural day trips taking over from beach activity.
Why book with us:
💷 Low deposits from £49pp
🔄 Flexible payment plans with balance due 6 weeks before travel
🛡️ ATOL Protected — your money and flights are safeguarded
✅ Free amendment window on selected packages
📞 UK-based customer support, 8am–11pm every day
📅 Best Time to Visit Sliema
Sliema is one of the most year-round-able resorts in Europe. Peak season is mid-July to mid-September, with daytime highs of 30–34°C, sea temperatures of 25–27°C, and the seafront, Comino ferries and Mdina at full capacity. May, June and September are the value-strong shoulder months at 24–28°C with cheaper hotel rates and the Valletta walking tours and Mdina visits at their best. April and October still deliver 21–24°C, with the sea around 18–20°C — pleasant for the seafront walks and the cultural day-trips. Winter (November to March) holds at 16–18°C with 5+ hours of daily sunshine — Sliema works as one of mainland Europe's most reliable UK winter-sun destinations, with Valletta, Mdina and Gozo at their best for visiting.
🏨 Where to Stay
- Families: Marina Hotel Corinthia Beach Resort (St George's Bay), Hotel Plaza (Sliema seafront), AX The Palace (Sliema)
- Couples: Hotel Diplomat (boutique seafront), Phoenicia Malta (Floriana, heritage)
- Luxury travellers: Phoenicia Malta, Corinthia Hotel St George's Bay, InterContinental Malta, Iniala Harbour House (Valletta)
- Budget travellers: Hotel Plevna, Sliema Hotel by ST Hotels, self-catering apartments around The Strand
- City-break first-timers & culture lovers: AX The Palace, Hotel Diplomat, Casa Ellul (Valletta heritage boutique)
🚗 Getting Around
The 12km transfer from Malta International Airport (MLA) to Sliema takes 20 minutes by taxi (around €25) via the Marsa bypass; the TM2 airport bus runs direct to Sliema for €1.50 in 35 minutes. Within Sliema, the seafront promenade is fully walkable end to end (4km from Tigné Point to Spinola Bay), and the Sliema Ferry to Valletta runs every 30 minutes for €2.80 single. Public buses are excellent — the Tallinja network covers the whole island for €2 single (€1.50 in winter); buses 13 and 14 connect Sliema to Valletta, bus 51 runs to Mdina. Hertz, Sixt and Goldcar rent cars from around €25 a day at MLA — note Malta drives on the left, like the UK. Gozo Channel Line runs the ferry from Cirkewwa (north of Malta) to Mġarr (Gozo) every 45 minutes for €4.65 round trip.
💡 Travel Tips
- Malta runs Central European Time — one hour ahead of the UK year-round.
- The currency is the Euro (€).
- Malta has the lowest VAT rate in Europe at 18% (5% on accommodation) — restaurants and hotels are noticeably cheaper than the EU average.
- Plug type is the British three-pin Type G at 230V — UK plugs work directly without an adapter, the only Mediterranean destination where this is the case.
- Tap water is technically safe but heavily mineralised; locals drink bottled.
- English is an official language alongside Maltese — UK travellers can transact, navigate and read menus without translation.
- Cars drive on the left in Malta, like the UK — useful for hire-car drivers used to the right side.
- Restaurants in Malta typically don't fill until 8.30pm — book ahead at the Spinola Bay seafront in summer.
- The Comino Blue Lagoon ferry from Sliema fills 24 hours ahead in August — book through the ferry website.
- The Saluting Battery in Valletta fires daily at noon and 4pm year-round — arrive 15 minutes early for the best Upper Barrakka Gardens viewpoint.
- Malta has Europe's lowest tipping culture — round up the bill or add 5–10% in restaurants.
- The Gozo Channel ferry from Cirkewwa books no advance reservation — turn up and queue, with crossings every 45 minutes.
Map Of Sliema
Top Experiences
Walk Sliema to St Julian’s promenade
Scenic 4km seafront route with cafés, gardens, and views across to Valletta; perfect for sunset walks.
Ferry to Valletta
Quick harbour crossing with stunning views; explore historic streets, gardens, and landmarks within minutes of arrival.
Boat trip to Blue Lagoon
Crystal-clear waters ideal for swimming, snorkelling, and relaxing on one of Malta’s most famous islands.
Swim at Sliema rocks
Traditional swimming spots with ladders into the sea; clear waters and popular with locals year-round.
Visit Fort Tigné
Historic fortress with harbour views, nearby shopping, and scenic coastal surroundings.
Day trip to Mdina
Quiet medieval city with narrow streets, historic buildings, and panoramic island views from its bastion walls.
Top Hotels In Sliema
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Travel Information
Everything You Need To Know Before You Jet Off To Sliema.