Valletta on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Valletta works on a budget thanks to cheap buses, ferries and snacks, and a compact, walkable city. Plan on about €85 per person per day (bed €40, food €25, sights €15, transport €5).
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | €40 | €90 | €190 |
| Food & drink | €25 | €45 | €85 |
| Sights & tickets | €15 | €30 | €50 |
| Local transport | €5 | €10 | €35 |
| Per person, per day | €85 | €175 | €360 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Valletta day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Upper Barrakka Gardens and the view of the Grand Harbour
- Watch the Saluting Battery fire its cannon at 12:00 or 16:00 from the gardens
- Walk Republic Street and Strait Street
- Walk the lanes of Birgu and the Gardjola Gardens in Senglea
- Walk Mdina's lanes and the ramparts at Bastion Square
- Sunset at the Dingli Cliffs
Cheap eats
- Pastizzi with ricotta or peas: about €0.60–1 each
- Ftira filled with tuna, olives, capers and tomato: a few euros
- Imqaret, date pastries, sold hot near City Gate: a few euros
- Pastizzi breakfast with tea or coffee: about €2
- Taverna meal with stuffat tal-fenek: about €25–40 per person
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in Floriana, just outside City Gate, or in Gzira, near the Sliema ferry, where rooms are about €70–120 for a double, 10 minutes from Valletta's bus terminus.
Getting around cheaply
Walk in Valletta. Buses start from the terminus outside City Gate, about €2.50 a ride in summer, and bus X4 goes to the airport in about 20–25 minutes. The Sliema ferry (5 minutes) and the Three Cities ferry (10 minutes) are cheap and quick.
A sample budget day
- Morning: Upper Barrakka Gardens and the noon cannon (free)
- Lunch: pastizzi and ftira (about €5)
- Afternoon: ferry to Birgu and Fort St Angelo (about €10 plus the ferry fare)
- Evening: sunset ferry back and a simple dinner (about €15–20)
- Total: about €35–40 plus your bed (€40 per person), so roughly €75–85
More ways to save
- Use a bus card if you will ride often; single tickets add up.
- Pick one or two paid sights a day rather than all of them.
- Swim from free rocks in Sliema rather than paying for lidos.
- Visit Gozo by the Cirkewwa car ferry; the return fare of about €5 is paid when leaving Gozo.
- Travel in spring or late autumn for lower room prices and warm weather.
- Buy snacks at pastizzerias rather than tourist cafes on Republic Street.
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Common questions
Can you visit Valletta on a budget?
Yes. Stay in Floriana or Gzira, use buses and ferries, and eat pastizzi and ftira.
What is the cheapest way from the airport?
Bus X4, about 20–25 minutes to Valletta.
What can you do for free?
The Upper Barrakka Gardens, the cannon salute, Republic and Strait Streets, Birgu's lanes, Mdina and the Dingli Cliffs.