Where to stay in Malta: the back story

About Where to stay in Malta: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Malta Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The Maltese islands are small, so where you sleep decides the shape of your days rather than how far you can reach. Valletta gives you the cathedral, the museums and dinner on foot; Sliema and St Julian’s give you the sea front, the ferries and the nights out; Mdina gives you silence after dark; Gozo slows everything down.

Inside the walls

Valletta has become a city of small palazzo hotels. On Merchants Street, Rosselli is home to Under Grain, which holds one MICHELIN star (MICHELIN Guide Malta 2026 (guide.michelin.com, read 25 October 2026)), and to Grain Street, a Bib Gourmand. Ursulino and Palazzo Consiglia are on St Ursula Street; Domus Zamittello is at the top of Republic Street. Iniala Harbour House, on the St Barbara Bastion, is home to ION Harbour by Simon Rogan, the islands’ only two-star restaurant. Just outside the City Gate, The Phoenicia stands on The Mall in Floriana, and the Grand Hotel Excelsior on Great Siege Road looks over Marsamxett Harbour.

Across the harbour

In Senglea, Cugó Gran Macina occupies a waterfront building at the tip of the peninsula, facing Valletta across the Grand Harbour; the Valletta Ferry Services boats cross to the Three Cities in minutes.

Stay in Valletta for the first nights, then cross to Gozo: the two islands feel like different countries.

Mdina and the centre

The Xara Palace, on Misraħ il-Kunsill, is a Relais & Châteaux hotel inside the walls of Mdina and home to De Mondion, one MICHELIN star. Corinthia Palace, in Attard, sits close to the San Anton Gardens.

Sliema and St Julian’s

The sea-front towns are where most visitors stay: AX The Palace and Barceló Fortina in Sliema, Hotel Juliani on Spinola Bay, and Corinthia on St George’s Bay. Here you have the promenade, the ferry to Valletta and the restaurants of Balluta and Spinola.

Gozo and Comino

On Gozo, Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz is in the west of the island, Ta’ Ċenċ is on the cliffs at Sannat, and the Grand Hotel stands above the ferry harbour at Mġarr. On Comino there is a single hotel, the Comino Hotel.

Our advice: book Valletta for culture and dinner on foot, and leave a car-free day for Gozo.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Where to stay in Malta: the back story before you go.