Malta Airport to St Julian’s: car, bus or taxi?
The trip from Malta Airport to St Julian’s is short: about 10 km, or 20 minutes in normal traffic, from the terminal at Luqa to the bays of St Julian’s on the north-east coast. Your driver meets you in the Welcomers’ Hall at Malta International Airport, loads the cases and drives you to your hotel door in St Julian’s, Paceville or Sliema.
Malta is small, but its roads are busy, and the honest comparison is with the bus and the taxi. The Airport Direct buses TD2 and TD3 run to St Julian’s every 30 minutes with space for luggage, and for a solo traveller they are the obvious choice. Taxis from the official operator are available on arrival. A pre-booked car makes sense for families and groups, since the price is for the vehicle, for late arrivals, and for anyone who would rather walk out to a named driver than join a queue.
Planning more of the islands? Our guide to private transfers in Malta covers Valletta, Mellieħa and the Gozo ferry.
| Pickup | Malta International Airport (MLA) |
|---|---|
| Drop-off | Any hotel, villa or address in St Julian’s |
| Distance | About 10 km by road |
| Journey time | 20–40 min, depending on traffic |
| Best for | Island |
| Busiest season | April–October |
| Availability | 24/7, including late-night and early-morning flights |
The drive from MLA to St Julian’s
Malta has no motorways, and traffic keeps to the left, as in the UK. From the airport at Luqa, your driver heads north on the main roads that link the south of the island with the harbour towns: past Luqa, through the Marsa junction at the inner end of the Grand Harbour, onto the Regional Road past Santa Venera and Msida, and through the Kappara junction before dropping down into St Julian’s. That is the line on the diagram below, about 10 km.
It is a short distance on crowded roads. Car ownership in Malta is exceptionally high, with more than 1,200 registered vehicles per square kilometre, so even a short trip depends on the time of day. In free-flowing traffic the drive takes 15 to 20 minutes. In the weekday rush hours, allow up to 40 minutes. For Sliema the route is the same as far as Msida, then runs along the waterfront through Gżira, and takes about the same time.
The last stretch is the slowest per metre. St Julian’s streets are narrow and steep around the bays, and on summer evenings they are busy with people until late. Your driver knows the approaches and stops at the hotel entrance, or at the closest point a car can reach.
Late at night and early in the morning the roads are much quieter, and the trip often takes less than 20 minutes. Fuel, parking and waiting time are included in your fixed price.
Schematic, not to scale. Route line © OpenStreetMap contributors
Pickup · 0 min
Malta International Airport (MLA)
Your driver meets you in arrivals and loads the luggage.
About 10 min · 4 km
Marsa
The junction at the inner end of the Grand Harbour, where roads from the south of the island meet. Allow for queues here at rush hour.
About 15 min · 7 km
Msida
The Regional Road passes Msida and the University of Malta campus before climbing to the Kappara junction, the last big crossroads before St Julian’s.
Arrival · 20–40 min · 10 km
St Julian’s
Drop-off at your hotel door on Spinola Bay, in Paceville, around St George’s Bay or along the Balluta and Sliema seafront.
MLA to St Julian’s: one fixed price for the whole car
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Meeting your driver at Malta Airport
Malta International Airport has one terminal. Schengen and non-Schengen flights arrive through separate halls, and both lead into the Welcomers’ Hall, where your driver waits holding a sign with your name. From there it is a short walk to the car in the airport’s pick-up zone or the Park East car park, which is linked to the terminal by a tunnel.
Malta International Airport has a single terminal. Schengen and non-Schengen flights arrive through separate halls, and both lead into the Welcomers’ Hall, where your driver waits with a sign showing your name. From there it is a short walk to the car in the pick-up zone or the Park East car park.
Add your flight number when you book: we track it, the pickup moves with any delay at no extra cost, and your 60 minutes of free waiting start when you actually land. Your driver’s name and phone number reach you before you fly, so you can message from baggage reclaim.
For the trip home, your driver collects you from your hotel entrance and waits up to 15 minutes from the agreed time.
Arriving here for somewhere else? See every Malta Airport transfer we run.
Where we drop off in St Julian’s and Sliema
St Julian’s wraps around a string of small bays on Malta’s north-east coast, from Balluta and Spinola to St George’s Bay, with Paceville’s bars and clubs on the headland between them. Most hotels have a drop-off at the door. Some streets in Paceville fill with people at night and the seafront roads are narrow, so tell us the hotel and we plan the closest stop.
Spinola Bay
The small harbour at the heart of St Julian’s, with traditional boats and restaurants around the water. Hotels on the bay road get a drop-off at the door.
Paceville and St George’s Bay
Malta’s main nightlife district, with large hotels around the small sandy beach at St George’s Bay. At night the car stops as close to your hotel as the crowds allow.
Portomaso
The marina, offices and apartments between Spinola Bay and Paceville. Give us the building name and your driver goes straight to its entrance.
Balluta Bay and Sliema
Balluta Bay leads straight into the long Sliema seafront. A few minutes beyond Spinola Bay, and the ferry to Valletta leaves from the Sliema waterfront.
Pembroke and Swieqi
Quieter residential streets and hotels just north and inland of Paceville, a few minutes beyond the bays. Share a map pin for private apartments.
When to book your St Julian’s transfer
St Julian’s is busiest from April to October, with the peak in July and August, when hotels are full and the bays are crowded until late. Summer is also the season of village festas, when parishes across Malta celebrate their patron saints with processions and fireworks, and local roads can close for the evening.
Dates to know: the Rolex Middle Sea Race starts from Valletta’s Grand Harbour on Saturday 17 October 2026, hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club at Ta’ Xbiex, a short drive from St Julian’s. Carnival fills Valletta in the days before Lent, and Holy Week brings processions in towns and villages across the islands.
Arriving in the rush hour: if you land on a weekday morning or late afternoon, expect the slower end of the range, up to 40 minutes, mostly in the queues at Marsa and Kappara. We track your flight, so the pickup always matches your real landing time.
Private transfer vs other ways to reach St Julian’s
| Option | Door to door | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 20–40 min | Straight to your door, fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting in arrivals. |
| Airport Direct bus TD2 or TD3 | 35–60 minutes + walk | Both leave every 30 minutes from the bus terminus outside arrivals, with luggage space. TD2 runs to St Julian’s and Pembroke; TD3 goes via Msida, Gżira and Sliema. You walk from the stop. |
| Official airport taxi | 20–40 minutes | Malta Taxi runs the official airport taxi service, and you can calculate the fare on its website before you fly. No booking needed, but you go to the taxi desk rather than being met by name. |
| Rental car | 20–40 minutes + desk queue | More than 30 rental companies operate at the airport. Remember that Malta drives on the left, and check whether your hotel has parking before you book a car. |
Skip the changes: door to door to St Julian’s
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Vehicles, prices and what's included
You pay one fixed price for the vehicle, not per seat, quoted for your date and group before you book. Tolls, fuel and parking are in the price, and so is waiting time: 60 minutes from your actual landing, or 15 minutes at a hotel or address pickup.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Couples and solo travellers |
| Executive sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Mercedes E-Class or similar |
| Minivan | Up to 7 passengers | 6–7 suitcases | Families and golf or ski bags |
| Minibus | 8–16 passengers | One suitcase each | Groups, weddings, events |
Exact models vary by local partner. Tell us about oversized luggage, golf bags, skis or strollers and we will size the vehicle to fit.
Not included: waiting beyond the free time, and stops or detours added on the day. Planned stops are fine: ask for them with your quote and they are priced in. Tipping is up to you.
Who the St Julian’s transfer suits
Families
Child seats fitted before pickup and one price for the car, not per seat. A minivan takes up to seven people with all their luggage in one vehicle.
Late-night arrivals
Landing late? A driver waiting in the Welcomers’ Hall means no wait for the next bus or the taxi desk, and a drop-off at the hotel door even when Paceville is busy.
Business travellers
Heading to a conference hotel or an office in St Julian’s or Portomaso? A booked car goes straight from arrivals to the door, with a fixed price agreed in advance.
Groups and celebrations
Birthday weekends, stag and hen parties and wedding guests: a minibus seats up to 16, one price for the vehicle, and everyone arrives at the same door together.
Plan the rest of your St Julian’s stay
- For Valletta, take the ferry from Sliema rather than a car. It crosses Marsamxett Harbour to the capital, and you avoid the traffic and the search for parking.
- Going to Gozo? The Gozo Channel car ferry leaves from Ċirkewwa, at the northern tip of Malta, 35 to 50 minutes from St Julian’s by car. The Gozo fast ferry leaves from Valletta instead.
- Mdina, the walled hilltop city in the centre of the island, is about 20 to 30 minutes from St Julian’s by car. We quote return trips with a pickup at an agreed time.
- Planning to hire a car later in the trip? Pick it up after a few days in St Julian’s, once you have seen how the roads work, rather than at the airport on day one.
- For your flight home, leave St Julian’s about two hours before a European departure, and allow longer on weekday mornings and late afternoons, when Marsa and Kappara are slow.
- Combining Malta with Sicily? Catania is a short flight away, and we also run Catania Airport to Taormina transfers with the same fixed-price service.
