Traveling to Malta: The 3 Best Ways to Get Here

Every stay in Malta begins - naturally - with the journey itself. But which method of travel is actually the most pleasant? Many of you will immediately say: "By plane, obviously." But is the fastest way necessarily the most comfortable?

Traveling to Malta by Plane

Like many of our clients at Dr. Werner & Partners, I usually use the plane, for instance, to get back to Malta after visiting my home country. Flying is definitely the fastest option. You can cover the 1,400 kilometres (from Central Europe) in just under 2.5 to 3 hours. Especially for individuals who are in Malta solely for a company formation or another business appointment, this is really the only time-efficient solution.

For a return flight to mainland Europe, you should budget around €200. However, if you fly with Ryanair or similar low-cost carriers, you can occasionally snag a real bargain and fly there and back for less than €50.

A quick tip for those planning to rent a car at Malta International Airport: The security deposits for rental cars here are often in the four-figure range. Please check your credit card limits before you travel to avoid any nasty surprises at the counter!

Traveling to Malta by Car

If you want to drive to Malta, you really need to be someone who enjoys being behind the wheel. For the journey from Central Europe (approx. 2,000 kilometres), you will need at least 24 hours of pure driving time - and significantly longer if you are driving alone.

The route typically takes you over the Alps, past Milan, Florence, and Rome, before you reach the very toe of the Italian boot. From there, you must take a ferry to Messina on the island of Sicily. Once you have crossed to the other end of Sicily, you take another ferry to Malta to finally reach your destination.

As you can see: The drive is only for the hardcore road-trippers. Fuel alone for the return journey will cost at least €500 for an average car, not to mention wear and tear, tolls, and ferry fees.

Traveling to Malta by Train

Traveling by train is also a major undertaking. Here, too, you should expect a travel time of around 24 hours. However, the time passes much more pleasantly than in a car, and if you use sleeper trains, it is considerably more comfortable. The route follows a similar path to the driving route down through Italy.

What often proves somewhat difficult is the transfer from the train stations to the ferries. However, in Messina, for example, there are several bus lines connecting the railway station and the harbour.

Regarding costs: The price depends heavily on the booking date. There are also various offers to consider, such as Interrail passes or cross-border saver fares. As a rough guide, however, I can say that you must expect to pay at least €200 per person for the round trip, including all ferries.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the truly simplest and fastest way to get to Malta is by plane. Even if it might cost slightly more than a budget train journey (though often flights are actually cheaper), the time saved is enormous.

From my experience, I can say that flying is preferred by almost everyone - by holidaymakers, by the local population, by clients of Dr. Werner & Partners, and by myself. Especially if you are only in Malta for a short time - perhaps to set up a Malta Limited or to visit relatives over the weekend - you will be very happy to accept any potential extra cost in exchange for the time you save.