Malta International Airport – Gateway to the Maltese Archipelago

Malta International Airport – Gateway to the Maltese Archipelago

My family and I visited Malta in March 2019. Malta International Airport (MIA) is the official airport of the Maltese Islands. It’s the only airport in Malta and is indeed a small and clean airport constructed with proper planning. There is only one terminal in this airport.

Following are some of the famous airlines that fly out of this airport.

Air Malta (Hub), RyanAir, Air France, Air Baltic, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Etihad, Wizz Air, Alitalia, Meridiana, Brussels Airlines, Austrian, Iberia, Qatar Airways (Starting in June 2019); And there are many seasonal airlines aswell.

As soon as you come out of the arrival gate, you can find the ‘Malta Public Transport’ office. The staffs are very welcoming, and they would help you in getting your doubts clarified (related to Malta Public Transport).

You can also find the Bus routes and the time schedule in the display board kept inside the office.

There are options to buy some tourist friendly cards like Valletta card here.

When in Airport, Following are the main 5 Bus routes that you should be aware of:

1) X1 (Cirkewwa, from where you get Ferry to Gozo and boats to Comino)

2) X2 (San Giljan)

3) X3 (Bugibba)

4) X4 (Birzebbugia)

5) TD3 (Bugibba, This is a limited stop bus and the ticket price is high)

You will find all the above bus near the exit gate (take right from the arrival gate and walk straight).

Bus Number plate starts with ‘BUS’, here in Malta.

Bus Ticket Price:

Winter –> 1.5 Euros

Summer –> 2 Euros

Night –> 3 Euros

Tickets can be purchased from the Bus Driver on all the Buses. These Cash Tickets are Single Journey tickets that can be used to get to any destination within two hours, including interchanging. Rates vary between Summer and Winter months. Summer rates apply between mid-June and mid-October.

More details here –> https://www.publictransport.com.mt/

Malta Transfer:

Malta Transfer is MIA’s official hotel shuttle service. It offers convenient trips to and from your hotel in Malta or Gozo.

You can manage your transfers with fixed prices through the booking options provided in their website. Alternatively, you can also visit their booking desk in the baggage reclaim area and make your transfer arrangements upon your arrival in Malta.

Most of the hotels are listed in their booking website.

More details here –> https://www.maltatransfer.com/

Taxi Service:

Taxi services between MIA and any destination in Malta are available 24 hours a day.

Pre-paid tickets can be purchased in the airport near the arrival gate.

More details about the rate can be found here –> https://www.maltairport.com/passenger/getting-here/taxi-service/

Taxi Number plate starts with ‘TAXI’, here in Malta.

You also have an information centre (take right from the arrival gate and walk straight) in the airport, where the staff would help you on the queries. There is a luggage Deposit room where you can store your baggage. They charge around 5 Euros/Bag/day. The receipt can be taken from the information centre. Please note that your baggage will undergo a security scanning, before being stored in the luggage deposit room.

There is a nice food court inside the airport (take right from the arrival gate and walk straight). Many chains like KFC is available in the food court (located in the -1 Floor)

Some helpful information/ Interesting observation:

1) In all the bus stops across Malta, you will find the board which displays the bus numbers which pass through that route/bus stop. The bus timings will also be shown (not digital display)

2) You will find lot of displays (like below) in various places like Hotel Lobby. Pick up cards that you find useful for your trip. For Example: I have seen such cards which carry 3 Euros discount to the Malta National Aquarium ticket. These cards can save some bucks.

3) Pastizzeria:

This is one amazing thing in Malta. You will find similar shops across Malta. You can find a lot of snacks (decent price) in such stores. Good Enough that you can have a low budget lunch or dinner from such stores.

Don’t forget to taste Pastizz (traditional savoury pastry from Malta- Its like a National snack). It costs around 50 Cents.

Heard that Rabbit Stew (Or garlic fried Rabbit) is another tasty item that you get in many restaurants in Malta (not in Pastizzeria though).

4) Another interesting thing that I noticed is the old classic cars that are running in the Maltese roads. Citizens here have an amazing collection of such cars and you will be really surprised to see some very old classic models still on the road.

5) In some major tourist attractions, you will also find some small shops which sell traditional snacks. I personally did not like the taste, but you can try your luck.

6) Old traditional telephone booth:

You will also find such traditional telephone booth in many places in Malta. May be some remains of the old British rule in this island. Not sure if all of these are still functional.

7) Additional tax in hotel:

All the Hotels take an additional 1-2 Euros as some Government tax from you.

So don’t get surprised if the person in the reception demands for this money. Anyway, they will give you a proper receipt for the same.

I had spend around 6 days along with my family in this beautiful country and have covered a lot of places. In my perspective, Malta is a very safe country. The Public transport is also nice (but the waiting time might be more). People are very friendly and welcoming.

You can very well include this small county in one of your future trips.