Sliema holidays
Seaside Maltese town offering a long promenade, shopping and practical bus links between Valletta and St Julian's.
Prices on this page are shown from the UK. Change market
29°C SeptemberBest Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep4–7 nightsRecent nonstop return fare from London Stansted
At a glance
- practical Malta base
- walkable seaside stay
- public-transport users
- shopping-focused trips
Trip cost
- Return flight
- ≈€69
- Stay
- ≈€452
- Food & local
- ≈€120
Includes the return fare from London Stansted. An estimate, not a quote — each booking happens separately with its supplier. How we work this out.
Prices shown on this page are indicative estimates in euros, not quotes. Every booking happens separately with its own supplier, at that supplier's own live price. How we work this out.
Stays
Stays in Sliema
Typically around €62/night, a Malta-wide estimate · €113 mid-range — not a live listing price
Map
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Self-catering
Prefer a place of your own? Browse holiday homes and apartments in Sliema on Holidu.
Getting to Sliema
- AirportMalta International Airport (MLA)
- Transfer optionsBus, taxi
Malta International Airport connects to Sliema by the Airport Direct TD3 bus, which stops at Sliema Ferries among other points and also serves Gżira, Msida and St Julian's; taxis are the alternative.
Indicative, per traveller. You book with Aviasales.
Areas of Sliema
A few places people base themselves, and who each tends to suit.
- Tigné PointModern waterfront and shopping district, suits visitors wanting contemporary apartments and mall access.
- Qui-Si-SanaEastern end of the promenade, relatively quiet stretch good for families and walkers.
- Tower Road seafrontCentral promenade area with consistent sea views, ideal if you want coastal walks right outside your accommodation.
- Manuel Dimech and side streetsInland grid of streets offering a more local feel and potentially calmer evenings than the direct seafront.
- Sliema FerriesArea around the Valletta ferry and bus stops, convenient for frequent crossings to the capital.
Sliema weather by month
Sliema is warmest in July, when daily highs average 32°C, and coolest in February at 16°C. November is the wettest month at about 59 mm, July the driest at 1 mm. Taking warmth and rainfall together, June, July, August, September score best for a trip.
- Best overall
- June · July · August · September
- Hottest
- July · 32°C
- Wettest
- November · 59mm
- January: average daily high 16°C, 44mm rainfall.
- February: average daily high 16°C, 39mm rainfall.
- March: average daily high 17°C, 31mm rainfall.
- April: average daily high 19°C, 22mm rainfall.
- May: average daily high 23°C, 31mm rainfall.
- June: average daily high 29°C, 4mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- July: average daily high 32°C, 1mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- August: average daily high 31°C, 5mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- September: average daily high 29°C, 28mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- October: average daily high 25°C, 56mm rainfall.
- November: average daily high 21°C, 59mm rainfall.
- December: average daily high 18°C, 37mm rainfall.
How these figures are worked out
Monthly averages — multi-year historical data, not a standard 30-year climate normal or a forecast. Gold months are the best weather fit: each month scores on how close its average daily high sits to about 27 °C, with heavy rainfall counting against it, and months far outside that range are not ranked at all.
What each season is like
- Spring
- Promenade is pleasant with moderate use; sea generally cool, but buses and ferries already run regular schedules.
- Summer
- Seafront and swimming spots become very busy and traffic can feel dense, especially around evening stroll times.
- Autumn
- Still good for sea access with slightly fewer visitors, though stormier days can make the coastline feel exposed.
- Winter
- Quieter and more local in feel; some outdoor cafe seating and sea-oriented activities scale back.
What’s on in Sliema
See all events in Sliema on Wanderistan (opens in a new tab)
Compare Malta destinations
Still deciding? Other Malta destinations, with the same weather and typical-stay data behind them.
| Destination | Aug | Typical stay |
|---|---|---|
| St Julian's | 31°C | 4–7 nights |
| Valletta | 31°C | 3–5 nights |
More from the UK
Good to know about Sliema
Why go
- Makes a more everyday, residential-leaning base than Valletta while still close to the capital by ferry or bus.
- Offers easier bus connections and shopping than smaller coastal neighbours like Gżira or Msida.
- Lets you walk along the coast to St Julian's while staying somewhere quieter than Paceville.
- The ferry to Valletta leaves from The Strand and runs daily, later into the evening in summer — a short harbour crossing that avoids the road round Marsamxett entirely.
- Swimming here is off rock shelves and carved pools rather than sand, but the stretch is official bathing water: the health authorities monitor and classify sites at Fond Għadir, beside Għar id-Dud and along Qui-Si-Sana.
- Harbour cruises and boat trips to Comino and the Blue Lagoon leave from Sliema Ferries on The Strand, so the island's most popular boat outings start on the doorstep.
Worth knowing
- Area is strongly developed with hotels and apartments, so it feels more like a modern town than a historic centre.
- Rocky shoreline means limited traditional sandy beach access compared with northern resort areas.
- Traffic along the main seafront road can be busy and noisy at peak times.
- Since May 2025 anyone arriving at Comino's Blue Lagoon by boat has to pre-book a time slot, with numbers capped, so a boat trip there needs the booking arranged rather than a spontaneous decision on the promenade.
Official references
Authoritative pages worth checking before you go to Sliema.
- Airport Direct TD3 route (opens in a new tab) — Malta Public Transport
- Valletta Ferry Services schedule for the Sliema crossing (opens in a new tab) — Valletta Ferry Services
- Sliema bathing water profile (opens in a new tab) — Environmental Health Directorate, Government of Malta
- Blue Lagoon visitor booking plan (opens in a new tab) — Malta Tourism Authority