Compare cars for Sliema — many companies deliver to your hotel, so you can skip the airport desk.
Local tips
Practical pointers from the CarsMT team in Malta, so there are no surprises at the rental desk.
Sliema is one of the most popular places to stay in Malta, with hotels and apartments all along its seafront. Many rental companies deliver the car to your hotel here, so you can skip the airport desk and only rent for the days you actually want to drive.
Sliema is busy and street parking is hard to find, especially in the evening. If your hotel has parking, check whether it's included or charged. Watch the bay colours: white bays are for everyone, blue and green are often for residents.
From Sliema it's an easy drive north to Mellieħa and the Gozo ferry at Ċirkewwa, or west to Golden Bay. For Valletta, the ferry across Marsamxett Harbour is often quicker than driving and parking.
In pictures
Questions
Yes. Some rental companies have offices in Sliema, and many more deliver the car to your hotel or apartment. Search with Sliema as your pick-up point to compare them — the delivery terms, and any fee, are shown before you book.
For getting around Sliema itself, St Julian's and Valletta, you don't need one — they're walkable or a short ferry or bus ride apart. A car pays off for the rest of the island: the beaches at Mellieħa and Golden Bay, Mdina, the south coast, and the ferry to Gozo. Many visitors rent for just two or three of those days.
Street parking along the seafront and in the side streets is hard to find, especially in the evening. Some hotels have parking — check whether it's included — and there are paid car parks around the Tigné and Gżira area. Watch the bay colours: white is for everyone, blue and green are often for residents.
The ferry across Marsamxett Harbour is usually quicker than driving round and finding parking in Valletta. Leave the car for the days you're heading out of town.
Usually 20–30 minutes, but allow longer in the morning and evening rush hours, when the roads through Msida and Marsa are busy. If you're returning the car at Malta Airport before a flight, give yourself extra time.
Updated October 2026 by the CarsMT team in Malta. About us
Other pick-up points
Read our full guide to renting a car in Malta — documents, insurance, parking and taking the car to Gozo.
Compare Malta's rental companies — deposits, debit cards and Gozo rules from their own terms.
Compared company by company: renting under 25, insurance excess, fuel policies.
Car hire prices in Malta by month — what a week's hire costs per day at the airport, in the towns and on Gozo.
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