Sliema y St Julian's they are two bright, clear, modern cities, with beaches and open to the sea, correct, cosmopolitan ... They were the first tourist enclaves of Malta, where you can find a wide range of accommodation as well as shopping and leisure areas, constituting the heart of Maltese tourism, with all kinds of entertainment and an important nightlife. At any time of the day, you feel comfortable, calm, thinking: I like it. Shortly after being there, the first reference I take is the corner where Zara is (our clothing store) and that's how I find myself. Large number of franchises, those of all sides and places. Cafes and catering establishments. I'm already walking through Sliema. No hurry. The morning is clear and the temperature is pleasant. Very close to my place of accommodation, the following panorama appears.
It is the Church of Sliema. And next to the sea, the pool that appears in the image. And in the building on the right, a pizzeria, where I ate several times.
I move, I walk Tower Road (a 5 km walk, full of shops, restaurants, ... everything you may want). To my left the sea, and on the other side, modern buildings, with all kinds of commercial establishments. Behind me, the Portomaso Tower, the tallest building in Malta. You breathe calmly, you don't hear car beeps, car traffic is calm, people are patient ... (Patience, they told me, is a local virtue). The walk continues and you find old phone booths, old gas pumps, modern shops. Contrasts appear ... Along the walk, in a newsstand, a sign with the flag of Spain and a poster (in Spanish) that read: "Today's newspapers, for sale here." From Tower Road you can take the best pictures of the bastions and fortifications of Valletta.
In the above photograph, taken from Sliema, the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul appears in the center.
Sliema and St. Julians Natural Sites.
It is that, it is to cross the street and take a bath or sunbathe or go for a walk (next to restaurants, to have ice cream, beers or even eat, based on fish and seafood).
Another image of Sliema beach. The temperature of its waters never drops below 16ºC. And they are among the cleanest and most transparent in the Mediterranean ...
How to get there ... how to get around
I arrived By plane, flight FR7798, departure from VLC at 09:50 and arrival at MLA at ...
The flight was short. In addition to the jovial and friendly staff on board, it was influenced by the fact that we were a little more than an hour and a half ahead of the estimated time.
On arrival at Malta Airport there were television cameras waiting for the “flight”. It was the first, a regular line of this Company that made the Valencia - Malta route.
Malta International Airport is located in Gudja. It is connected to Valletta with a bus line (which I will talk about in the next section). There is also taxi service and car rental. Telephone: +35621249600. The Airport has a Tourist Information Center. (See Section I.- Information).
Once at the airport, to get around I used the bus. Specifically, line 8 is the one that makes the route Airport - Fuente del Tritón de Valletta, which is its bus terminal.
In the photo below, bus number 8.
At first, the truth is that it shocks you a bit. If you do not have a suitcase, the price of the journey is € 0,47, for adults and for children the price is € 0,35. The bus line no. 8 makes the route Valletta - Gudja - Malta Int. Airport. From 5.30 to 20.00, with a periodicity of 20 min. approx. The driver is paid. You can also get "tickets": The newspaper: € 3,49. 3 days: € 9,32. 5 days: € 11,65 and finally, the 7-day bonus: € 13,98. We catch another bus to go to Sliema. (Valletta - Sliema. –Msida-Gzira-Sliema Strand-Balluta-St. Georges Bay-St. Julians- It can be traveled, with the following lines: 62, 64, 67 and 68).
As for the Taxi service, the white ones have a taximeter (telephone 236960719) and can be caught at the Airport Terminal, on the Strand of Sliema and in Spinola, Paceville de St. Julians.
If you prefer to walk, be very careful, in the Maltese Islands, you drive on the left on public roads. At junctions, vehicles coming from your left have priority. The vehicle that enters a roundabout first also has priority. And if you walk, if you are a pedestrian, when driving in the Maltese islands on the left, you must first look to the right, when crossing a street or road.
And finally, when the plane arrives, taking a taxi or bus or having rented a car (you have to take into account the traffic regulations here, which we have already talked about a bit), also to travel to Valletta, you can do by ferry. From the Strand (in Sliema) to Valletta.
The service lasts about four or five minutes and is suspended when the weather conditions are adverse.
At this point, we are going to talk about something highly recommended: Take a cruise through the Great Harbor, a panoramic cruise through the ports, departing from the Sliema seafront, entering through the Sliema cove, around Manoel Island and inside Lazzaretto cove, known today as the Puerto Deportivo. We continue around Ta´Xbiex and Msida and the Cala de Pietà, passing next to the wall that encloses Valletta and Floriana, within the Grand Port.
We will continue inside the Menqa cove, Marsa cove, to see the shipyard located in the Cala de los Franceses. Passing around the Three Cities, Kalkara Creek, Rinella Bay and back to Sliema, having passed through the interior of 10 coves. I quote it here, because it starts from the port of Sliema, let's say, from where we took the photograph in which the Cathedral Church of St. John appears, but in the section on Valletta I will treat it more fully and include photographs. The price, to be negotiated with those responsible for the boat. With the Luzzu Cruises, after much negotiation: € 15,00. We will talk about it later, including photos.
Accommodation.
I stayed, as I said, in the Sliema - St. Julians area, with excellent value for money. I always think that finding or guiding a place to stay is something personal and that there are guides who do it well; there is also the Internet to make things even easier for you. Anyway, from what I saw, because of its location and facilities, if I had to go back I could go to the Sliema Hotel, close to where the ferry to Valletta departs and also the panoramic cruises to the Great Harbor.
A comment that I think may be useful. In the Maltese Islands the source of electricity is 240 volts, but with the British standard 3-pin system. If you don't want surprises with the hair dryer the next morning, take a plug adapter with you (easy to get there in electrical stores and tourist souvenir stalls).
It may be useful: www.visitmalta.com, info@visitmalta.com and the telephone number: 80072230 (toll free).
Information.
There are a number of Tourist Information Centers, both at Malta Airport (Arrivals Terminal; telephones: 23696073 and 23696074), and in Valletta, at the City Gate (tº .: 21337747).
As soon as I arrived, at the airport they treated me with a smile and in a willful Spanish, explaining routes, places of interest and giving me maps. On the street, if you speak English or are looking for someone who speaks a little Italian and is not in a hurry, you can make yourself understood and solve your doubts. There is also the free information telephone number, which appears in the previous section.
Tours and opinion.
I liked to walk from St. Julians, the Malta Hilton and Portomaso to the entrance to Manoel Island. In the morning, it would go down along the seashore and at sunset, it would return, let's say inland, each time looking for a different route. Commercial establishments, whatever type they were, had nothing to do with, nor were they anything alike, those in one area and another.
Maybe, like any other place, but for me, with charm.
At night, I liked to go through St. Julians and Paceville, full of bars and restaurants with terraces. An old neighborhood of St. Julians -Paceville- is the most funky area of the entire Island of Malta, in addition to the indicated establishments, there is a busy casino. Peaceful place. A little further inside, the public establishments were ending and the private houses were open and the space of the garden was confused with that of the living room. Whether alone or accompanied, the people who enjoyed the night greeted you and invited you to join their group, their party. Nothing was strident, nothing was excessively. I liked. Everything close by, without losing sight of the sea and without ceasing to perceive it.
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