Malta - Where to stay near Msida?
Discussion
I've luckily been booked to go and work at the University of Malta for 2 months, starting in 3 weeks. I'm negotiating with my project manager to get an apartment instead of a hotel, but Im not sure wheres best to stay?
I need somewhere thats close to the Uni, but obviously somewhere nice would be good! I wont have a car so need good transport links.
Any ideas anyone?
I need somewhere thats close to the Uni, but obviously somewhere nice would be good! I wont have a car so need good transport links.
Any ideas anyone?
Malta is very well served by cheap public transport, especially Msida...I would suggest have a Google round St.Julians if you like a bit of nightlife, or Sliema, both around a fifteen minute bus ride away.
If you need any general help pm me, as I used to have property in Mellieha, and am going there on holiday next week.
Good luck.
If you need any general help pm me, as I used to have property in Mellieha, and am going there on holiday next week.
Good luck.
aircooler said:
I'm in Malta quite a lot (in fact there right now 
) As mentioned, St Julian's is a good place to stay because there are loads of restaurants/bars etc and bus to Msida isn't very long and will cost €0.47 each way. Msida itself will be a lot more quiet restaurant/bar wise.
Oh, I don't know, you can squeeze about fifty people on it....... ) As mentioned, St Julian's is a good place to stay because there are loads of restaurants/bars etc and bus to Msida isn't very long and will cost €0.47 each way. Msida itself will be a lot more quiet restaurant/bar wise. 
AbarthChris said:
Excellent! cheers guys. I dont suppose either of you know any apartments for rent or any people who own apartments?
Hows the weather at the minute?
Been following it the last couple of weeks on the net, fairly cool 15c and cloudy, however April/May is usually very pleasant indeed, around 20/25c..Hows the weather at the minute?
June/July/August, no rain and very hot, especially mid day.
Don't know anywhere specific, but Frank Salt are Dhalia are two of the Island's main letting agents. I would have thought the university could help in this regard anyhow....
Here is the Malta Airport weather forecast which is the most relable one since it's local:
http://www.maltairport.com/weather/page.asp?p=1714...
Weather right now is around 16/17C but getting warmer as the days go by. April & May are very nice months to be here, normally low 20Cs and nice mild evenings.
To get an idea of rental prices/locations, The Time of Malta classifieds is good but scroll down to a section for adverts placed on a Sunday since that's the most popular day to advertise:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/classifieds/to-let
depends on your budget as usual and if you want a sea/coastview etc.
http://www.maltairport.com/weather/page.asp?p=1714...
Weather right now is around 16/17C but getting warmer as the days go by. April & May are very nice months to be here, normally low 20Cs and nice mild evenings.
To get an idea of rental prices/locations, The Time of Malta classifieds is good but scroll down to a section for adverts placed on a Sunday since that's the most popular day to advertise:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/classifieds/to-let
depends on your budget as usual and if you want a sea/coastview etc.
Wacky Racer said:
aircooler said:
I'm in Malta quite a lot (in fact there right now ) As mentioned, St Julian's is a good place to stay because there are loads of restaurants/bars etc and bus to Msida isn't very long and will cost €0.47 each way. Msida itself will be a lot more quiet restaurant/bar wise.
Oh, I don't know, you can squeeze about fifty people on it....... ) As mentioned, St Julian's is a good place to stay because there are loads of restaurants/bars etc and bus to Msida isn't very long and will cost €0.47 each way. Msida itself will be a lot more quiet restaurant/bar wise. Edited by aircooler on Wednesday 17th March 07:08
aircooler said:
Wacky Racer said:
aircooler said:
I'm in Malta quite a lot (in fact there right now ) As mentioned, St Julian's is a good place to stay because there are loads of restaurants/bars etc and bus to Msida isn't very long and will cost €0.47 each way. Msida itself will be a lot more quiet restaurant/bar wise.
Oh, I don't know, you can squeeze about fifty people on it....... ) As mentioned, St Julian's is a good place to stay because there are loads of restaurants/bars etc and bus to Msida isn't very long and will cost €0.47 each way. Msida itself will be a lot more quiet restaurant/bar wise. Many of the buses are privately owned, and once we were on an old AEC boneshaker and the driver had his pet canary in a cage, hanging from the rear view mirror...You don't see that in the UK....
What next? A theme park inside Mdina?.....
When in Malta, three things for Petrolheads to enjoy btw:-
The excellent car museum on Tourist Street, Qawra.
http://www.classiccarsmalta.com/TheMuseum.htm
Drag racing at Hal Far, (near the airport)usually on a Saturday afternoon.
http://www.maltadragracing.com/
Gathering of classic cars and motorbikes at the "Apples eye" cafe, at Golden Bay at the North of the Island on Sunday Mornings around 9:30/10am.
http://www.vrmalta.com/malta-tour/source/golden-ba...
Wacky Racer said:
Yes, mostly because of the demands of the EU. It was one of the conditions of EU membership that the main roads had to be brought up to "standard"....no more potholes all over the place.....If they are not careful, Malta will lose a lot of it's "charm" and just become "another" European holiday destination....For example the Hilton Porto Maso tower monstrosity.......
Many of the buses are privately owned, and once we were on an old AEC boneshaker and the driver had his pet canary in a cage, hanging from the rear view mirror...You don't see that in the UK....
Well, Malta isn't the same as other Mediterranean islands which are basically islands off a mainland. Malta has no mainland to support it, it's on its own. The locals need to have a decent living and can't survive solely on Tourism. It's been a financial centre for much of the Mediterranean for quite a few years now and the Portomaso tower houses a number of banks (including Barclays) and a host of online gaming companies which are now based out of Malta. The high tech park Smart City will have it's first tennants in September and is the biggest inward investment in the history of the islands. I don't have a problem with the PM tower but the Hilton hotel next door is superb.Many of the buses are privately owned, and once we were on an old AEC boneshaker and the driver had his pet canary in a cage, hanging from the rear view mirror...You don't see that in the UK....
Malta can't stay with old buses, bad roads and minimal health & safety. It's ok for those visiting for a few days but if you live there it's not sustainable if the younger generations want to remain there. There's a lot of investment coming in to the islands and the recession has hardly dented the economy here since they weren't involved in dodgy lending. Joining the EU has allowed a number of infrastructure upgrades, althought these only started a couple of years ago. It's also the largest centre for English Language courses in Europe, with nearly 100,000 students coming each year (a lot considering there's 400k people on teh island to start with).
It's a unique place with unique problems being the most densely populated country (by some way) in Europe and being so small these problems tend to get magnified and are highly visible. One of these is the illegal immigration from North Africa which really has to get stopped in the near future because the islands size and the completely different culture of the locals isn't workable.
Still I like it a lot and come here several times a year.
Edited by aircooler on Wednesday 17th March 11:31
aircooler said:
Wacky Racer said:
Yes, mostly because of the demands of the EU. It was one of the conditions of EU membership that the main roads had to be brought up to "standard"....no more potholes all over the place.....If they are not careful, Malta will lose a lot of it's "charm" and just become "another" European holiday destination....For example the Hilton Porto Maso tower monstrosity.......
Many of the buses are privately owned, and once we were on an old AEC boneshaker and the driver had his pet canary in a cage, hanging from the rear view mirror...You don't see that in the UK....
Well, Malta isn't the same as other Mediterranean islands which are basically islands off a mainland. Malta has no mainland to support it, it's on its own. The locals need to have a decent living and can't survive solely on Tourism. It's been a financial centre for much of the Mediterranean for quite a few years now and the Portomaso tower houses a number of banks (including Barclays) and a host of online gaming companies which are now based out of Malta. The high tech park Smart City will have it's first tennants in September and is the biggest inward investment in the history of the islands. I don't have a problem with the PM tower but the Hilton hotel next door is superb.Many of the buses are privately owned, and once we were on an old AEC boneshaker and the driver had his pet canary in a cage, hanging from the rear view mirror...You don't see that in the UK....
Malta can't stay with old buses, bad roads and minimal health & safety. It's ok for those visiting for a few days but if you live there it's not sustainable if the younger generations want to remain there. There's a lot of investment coming in to the islands and the recession has hardly dented the economy here since they weren't involved in dodgy lending. Joining the EU has allowed a number of infrastructure upgrades, althought these only started a couple of years ago. It's also the largest centre for English Language courses in Europe, with nearly 100,000 students coming each year (a lot considering there's 400k people on teh island to start with).
It's a unique place with unique problems being the most densely populated country (by some way) in Europe and being so small these problems tend to get magnified and are highly visible. One of these is the illegal immigration from North Africa which really has to get stopped in the near future because the islands size and the completely different culture of the locals isn't workable.
Still I like it a lot and come here several times a year.
As you say, the biggest threat Malta faces now is the influx of illegal immigrants, mostly from Libya, and an increasing drugs trade.
Do I need to bring my winter woolies next week then?......
Wacky Racer said:
aircooler said:
no winter woolies required but probably a long sleeve for the evenings. It'll be around 20-21C next week by the looks of things. It's a fantastic clear blue sky today and looks like rest of the week also.
from me!Some great info here guys, thanks very much.
Somewhat annoyingly, I'm also going there on holiday 6 days before I get sent back out for work! I'm going with the gf for her birthday and we booked it before i got the assignment. Bugger
What should we see in the 4 days we have there? Wed-Sun. Must see beaches, towns, areas, museums etc
AbarthChris said:
What should we see in the 4 days we have there? Wed-Sun. Must see beaches, towns, areas, museums etc
Loads of ancient sites if that's your thing, some of them older than the pyraminds by all accounts. Love Malta and love Gozo just as much. Not sure if your trip coincides with Easter but the Easter Sunday Parade in - god forget the name now - is it Victoria on Gozo is a sight to behold whether you are religious or not.AbarthChris said:
Somewhat annoyingly, I'm also going there on holiday 6 days before I get sent back out for work! I'm going with the gf for her birthday and we booked it before i got the assignment. Bugger
What should we see in the 4 days we have there? Wed-Sun. Must see beaches, towns, areas, museums etc
Google all these-
Fort Rinella, near Kalkara.......(Saturday afternoon)
Best beaches:- Mellieha and Golden Bay..(Have a trip round the caves on Charlie's speedboat)..
Mdina, (Pronounced Imdina)...The silent city.....Unmissable
Best Church...Mosta....Read about the unexploded WW2 German bomb.
Shopping:- Republic Street, Valletta.
Something different:- Popeye's Village.
Boat trip:- Around the Grand Harbour, Valletta
Car Museum:- Tourist Street, Qawra
Day Trip:- 30 mins ferry to Gozo, see Victoria, Marsalforn, Xlendi, Ramla Bay
Two war museums in Valletta, The main one and Lascaris bastion war rooms
Trip to the Blue Grotto
Night life:- St Julians
Prices, (food etc) are roughly the same as the UK.....
That should keep you busy,....I would highly recommend you hire a cheap small car, around £18 a day, they drive on the same side of the road,.. just be very careful where you park, the Maltese police are very keen, and don't park within 15ft of any road junction...
Have fun....
Also don't forget :-
Views of the Grand Harbour from Upper Baraka Gardens (might see a few cruise ships berthed)
Three cities on opposite side of Grand Harbour from Valletta
Several sites for Neolithic temples
Azure window in Gozo
http://images.google.co.uk/images?um=1&hl=en&a...
You can get to Gozo from Valletta by seaplane if you want a different experience than using a ferry:
http://www.harbourairmalta.com/harbourair/home.asp...
Gahjn Tuffieha beach - my favourite, next along from Golden Bay
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=ghaj...
A great website covering where/how to go & what to do in Malta is this one:
http://www.visitmalta.com/main?l=1
A car is useful to get to quite alot of places. Just be careful of the driving since most don't indicate, hog the outside lane, don't stop at zebra crossings etc - the usual southern Med way of doing things
Pint of nice local beer called Cisk (pron. Chisk) in a pub in Paceville (bar/club area near St Julians) is €2.75.
Water is probably a bit cool this time of year (15C right now) but there will be some people swimming. Locals start swimming season in May.
Views of the Grand Harbour from Upper Baraka Gardens (might see a few cruise ships berthed)
Three cities on opposite side of Grand Harbour from Valletta
Several sites for Neolithic temples
Azure window in Gozo
http://images.google.co.uk/images?um=1&hl=en&a...
You can get to Gozo from Valletta by seaplane if you want a different experience than using a ferry:
http://www.harbourairmalta.com/harbourair/home.asp...
Gahjn Tuffieha beach - my favourite, next along from Golden Bay
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=ghaj...
A great website covering where/how to go & what to do in Malta is this one:
http://www.visitmalta.com/main?l=1
A car is useful to get to quite alot of places. Just be careful of the driving since most don't indicate, hog the outside lane, don't stop at zebra crossings etc - the usual southern Med way of doing things
Pint of nice local beer called Cisk (pron. Chisk) in a pub in Paceville (bar/club area near St Julians) is €2.75.
Water is probably a bit cool this time of year (15C right now) but there will be some people swimming. Locals start swimming season in May.
Edited by aircooler on Thursday 18th March 11:39
aircooler said:
Azure window in Gozo
That old boy still there trying to flog brochures and charge you for parking? Persistant bugger he is, but a lovely chapaircooler said:
You can get to Gozo from Valletta by seaplane if you want a different experience than using a ferry:
We got a helicopter transfer, I think it was one of the first helicopters ever made, great fun and a great way to get there. Stayed at Ta'Cenc superb little place away from it all with some lovely cliff top walksWacky Racer said:
As you say, the biggest threat Malta faces now is the influx of illegal immigrants, mostly from Libya, and an increasing drugs trade.
Do I need to bring my winter woolies next week then?......
Oi. I am not an illegal immigrant - they let me in of their own accord Do I need to bring my winter woolies next week then?......
Malta is only 45 mins away from TIP so easy to pop over on a Thurs - Sat for a bit of normality.
Claire
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