Hi everyone!
My partner and I are planning to travel to Malta end of March staying two weeks. I have skimmed through this subreddit and have found a lot of helpful information but I have some open questions that I hope you will be able to help with.
I will be including information I have gathered from this subreddit at the bottom so it might help other travellers in the future.
**Places to stay**
We are looking at staying in:
* St. Julian’s
* Sliema
* Gzira
We prefer to stay in an area with nice local cafés and restaurants, cool pubs, small local shops and businesses. It would be great if anyone could tell us something about these neighbourhoods.
Also if you can recommend another area please let me know!
**Pubs & Bars**
Looking for nice (hipster) bars and pubs. We love craft beer and pubs that have a unique decoration.
**Live Music**
What is the live music scene like? Would be great to learn about little gig venues where we could see some local bands play. Our interest in music is broad but for gigs Indie, Singer-Songwriter, Electro/Synth-Pop, Punk would be interesting.
**Football/Soccer matches**
It looks like the regular season end on March 13th. *The league then splits into two groups. Teams that finish in positions 1–6 compete in the “Championship Group” and teams that finish in positions 7–12 play in the “Relegation Group”.*
Can someone let me know if there will still be matches played after March 25th?
Tickets should be 10-15 EU and can be bought online [https://tickets.mfa.com.mt/](https://tickets.mfa.com.mt/) or at the gates (best check on home team’s website)
**Art exhibitions and venues**
Would be interested to visit some art exhibitions and places were artists and people interested in the arts come together.
**Covid & Vaccination**
EU Vaccination Certs are valid (2 shots or 2 shots + booster) – no quarantine but check below to be certain:
[https://deputyprimeminister.gov.mt/en/health-promotion/covid-19/Pages/travel.aspx](https://deputyprimeminister.gov.mt/en/health-promotion/covid-19/Pages/travel.aspx)
Travellers need to submit their **passenger locator form (PLF) via** [https://app.euplf.eu/#/](https://app.euplf.eu/#/),
No need to present certificates anymore to enter restaurants, the restriction were lifted in January.
**Public Transport**
[https://www.publictransport.com.mt/tourist-information](https://www.publictransport.com.mt/tourist-information)
​
Thanks for your help!
2 comments
If you want a local experience, stay away from Gzira, St Julians, Sliema.
**St Julians / Sliema / Gzira** are all similar and recommended to stay. For having the most bars / restaurants / shops. They are 15 minutes walking distance from each other. Best bus access (you can be in Valletta or Paceville in 15 minutes), etc. The differences are minimal: Sliema has more shops, rocky beaches, view of Valletta and the ferry. Gzira has cheaper restaurants, and you’re closest to Valletta/Msida by bus (this is relevant because you will often have to go to there to catch a bus to explore the rest of the island), St Julians has some of the best restaurants and is walking distance to Paceville.
If you’re staying 2 weeks, seriously consider to book a hotel for 1 night on Gozo or for 2 nights somewhere in the North (so you can explore Gozo, Comino and the North side of the island from there).
**Art exhibitions:** check out [Malta’s National Centre for the Arts](https://www.kreattivita.org/en/about/) in Valletta.
**Public Transport:** plan your trip with Google Maps, but then use the Tallinja app to check the timetable for busses. If your trip is 1.5+ hours, always double check both eCabs and BOLT (taxi apps) if it is perhaps worth it to book a taxi (and then for example take the bus back) to save a lot of time.
**Restaurants:** do some pre-research where to eat. Some of the best (cheap) restaurants are [only open for lunch](https://lovinmalta.com/food/amazing-places-to-get-a-plate-of-pasta-in-malta/), or are [closed on sunday](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g227101-d1015025-Reviews-Wigi_s_Kitchen-Saint_Julian_s_Island_of_Malta.html), or always require a reservation made days in advance. Assuming you want 1 really good dinner, you may have to plan that ahead. Similarly since many tourists go to Marsaxlokk for the fish market on Sunday, you need to make a reservation for the [best Marsaxlokk restaurants](https://www.tripadvisor.nl/Restaurant_Review-g190323-d1911172-Reviews-Tartarun_Fish_Restaurant-Marsaxlokk_Island_of_Malta.html).