Getting around Malta: free buses, harbour ferries and the Gozo crossing

Get a personalised tallinja card and most of Malta's buses and harbour ferries cost you nothing. Skip it and you'll pay every trip, like a tourist.

The short version

• A personalised tallinja card (with your name and photo) gives free travel on day and night bus routes, the Valletta harbour ferries, the Gozo High Speed fast ferry and the Barrakka Lift [1].
• The card costs €25 for adults and arrives in about two weeks [2].
• Without one, a day route costs €2 in winter 2026–27 and €2.50 in summer, paid in cash or by contactless [1].
• Airport Direct (TD) buses aren't covered by the free scheme. They cost €3 or €3.50 [1][3].
• The Gozo Channel car ferry charges €4.05 for foot passengers and €15.70 for a car and driver, paid on the Gozo side [4][5].

The personalised tallinja card: your first job

At home you tap an Opal or myki card and pay every time. In Malta, the government scheme makes travel free for holders of a personalised tallinja card [1]. The key word is "personalised". Malta Public Transport describes it as the card "with the name and photo of the holder on it" [1]. Anonymous cards and tourist tickets don't count.

Who can get one

Malta Public Transport sells personalised cards in several categories [2]:

Children under four ride free without a card [2]. Postage is extra.

How to apply

1. Register online on the Malta Public Transport site. You'll need an email address, a mobile number and a photo [2].
2. Upload your ID. If you have a Maltese e-ID, the system can pull your photo from the national identity database. Otherwise upload a photo and a copy of your document [2].
3. Or apply at a post office. MaltaPost branches take a paper form and your documents, with an admin fee [2].
4. Wait about two weeks for delivery [2].
5. Add some credit through the tallinja app, online or at a sales office. You'll still need it for Airport Direct and On Demand trips, and credit never expires [1][2].

The online form works best once you have your residence card from Identità, so sort that first. In the meantime, pay per trip.

Buses: what's free and what isn't

Malta's whole network is buses. There's no train, tram or metro. Smartraveller describes the buses serving the main towns as generally reliable, but warns some routes get very crowded, not every bus stops at every stop, and pickpockets work the busy tourist routes [6].

Fares if you're paying

Single tickets are bought from the driver, by cash or contactless, and are valid for two hours with free transfers [1].

Carry proof of travel. Inspectors can fine you €50 if you can't show it [1].

Living with the buses

Valletta's bus terminus sits just outside City Gate, next to the Triton Fountain in Floriana, and most routes start or end there. That makes Valletta easy, but cross-island trips can mean a change at the terminus. Use the tallinja app for live bus tracking, timetables and route planning [6].

Australians tend to underestimate summer. Buses fill up with beachgoers, and a full bus may sail past your stop. Build in buffer time for anything important, like a medical appointment at Mater Dei or a flight.

Harbour ferries: the best commute in Malta

From Sliema or Birgu, the ferry beats the bus every time. Valletta Ferry Services runs two short harbour crossings, and both are free with a personalised tallinja card [1]:

• Sliema to Valletta across Marsamxett Harbour. It lands below the city walls, a short climb from Republic Street.
• The Three Cities to Valletta across the Grand Harbour, linking Birgu (Vittoriosa) and nearby Senglea and Cospicua to the capital.

Coming from the Grand Harbour side, the Barrakka Lift carries you up from the waterfront to the Upper Barrakka Gardens, and it's also covered by the free scheme [1].

Smartraveller notes that weather can cancel or delay ferries [6]. On a windy winter morning, check before you rely on it, and know your bus back-up.

Getting to Gozo

Malta's sister island sits just across the Gozo Channel. You have two main options.

The Gozo Channel car ferry

The big roll-on, roll-off ferries run between Ċirkewwa, at Malta's northern tip, and Mġarr on Gozo. The quirky part is that you pay on the way back. Tickets are validated in Gozo, so drivers board at Ċirkewwa without paying and settle up at the Mġarr booths or online [5].

Lower fares for Gozitan residents need a valid Maltese identity card showing Gozo residence [4][7]. From Valletta, the TD1 Airport Direct and several day routes run to Ċirkewwa, so the trip is doable without a car.

The Gozo High Speed fast ferry

The fast ferry runs from Valletta's harbour straight to Mġarr, which saves the long bus ride up to Ċirkewwa. It's included in the free personalised tallinja scheme [1]. For Valletta-based commuters, that's the easier choice, though seas can cancel sailings.

Taxis, ride-hailing and the airport

Taxis and apps

Smartraveller sums up Malta's taxis: white taxis at ranks are either prepaid at a booth or metered, airport taxis have set prices, and app bookings lock in the fare up front [6]. Uber, Bolt and eCabs are the main providers [6]. Taxis generally don't take cards, but you can pay through the app when you book [6].

Expect a short trip within the harbour area to be quick, and anything crossing Msida or Marsa at peak hour to take longer than the map suggests.

Getting to MLA

Malta International Airport at Luqa is close to Valletta. Malta Public Transport runs Airport Direct (TD) routes from the airport terminal, with no booking needed [3]:

These cost €3 (€3.50 on TD1), paid by cash or contactless, unless you hold an unlimited travel card [1][3]. The free scheme doesn't cover tallinja Direct, so use credit on your card [1]. Regular routes also stop at the airport, including services to Mater Dei Hospital and the University of Malta [3].

Flying home to Australia

There's no direct flight from Malta to Australia. You'll connect through a Gulf hub or a European city, and the Malta leg is usually short. When you book:

1. Compare total travel time, not just the long-haul leg. A bad connection in Europe can add a night.
2. Allow a buffer for the airport run in summer, when buses fill and roads clog.
3. Check your Australian passport has enough validity for every country you transit. Our passport renewal guide explains how to renew from Malta.
4. Register your travel plans with Smartraveller if you're heading somewhere unsettled on the way.

Want to know who's sharing a taxi to the airport or which connection people rate this season? Ask in Cooee Malta, our Facebook group for Australians in Malta.

How it compares with home

Sources

1. Fares and tickets – Malta Public Transport
2. Personalised tallinja card – Malta Public Transport
3. Airport Direct – Malta Public Transport
4. Passenger fares – Gozo Channel
5. Ferry fares – Gozo Channel
6. Malta travel advice – Smartraveller
7. Car and driver fares – Gozo Channel

Keep reading

• Driving in Malta: swapping your Australian licence and the left lane
• Moving to Valletta from Australia: the complete guide
• Cost of living in Valletta vs Sydney and Melbourne
• Renewing your Australian passport overseas