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Sliema & St Julian's with Kids

Sliema and St Julian's form one continuous urban seafront across the harbour from Valletta, and this is the base most families use for sightseeing rather than swimming. A promenade runs from Sliema around Tignè Point and up to St Julian's, flat enough for a pushchair the whole way, with a ten-minute ferry into Valletta at one end and restaurants at every price point along it. The trade-off is that there is no real beach here: swimming is off flat rock and concrete lidos with ladders into deep water, and the nearest substantial sand is around forty minutes north by bus. The second trade-off is that St Julian's includes Paceville, a dense nightlife district, so the exact street a hotel sits on matters more here than the district name does.

Best for ages
4+
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Best months
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Daily budget
€210

Mid-range, family of four

Why Sliema & St Julian's works with children

  • A ten-minute ferry into Valletta

    The Sliema harbour ferry crosses to the capital far faster than the bus, and runs frequently enough not to plan around.

  • A flat, continuous seafront promenade

    Several kilometres of level pavement from Gżira through Sliema to St Julian's, workable with a pushchair or a scooter.

  • Swimming off rock lidos, not sand

    The Sliema and Exiles shore is flat limestone with cut-out pools and ladders — fine for confident swimmers, hard with toddlers.

  • Eating out without a plan

    Hundreds of restaurants along the two seafronts, most serving from early evening, which suits children's timings.

Where to stay

Best areas in Sliema & St Julian's for families

4 areas cover most trips here; the difference is mainly sightseeing-led trips versus cheaper stays on the same bus routes.

  • Sliema (The Strand & Tignè)

    Best for sightseeing-led trips

    The Valletta ferry, the promenade and most bus routes all start here, and aparthotels with kitchens are the common product. It is the most built-up part of the country and much of it is actively under redevelopment.

  • Balluta & Spinola Bay

    Best for families who want a quieter seafront

    Two small bays at the St Julian's end, ringed by restaurants and calmer in the evening than Sliema's main strip, with swimming off rock platforms rather than sand.

  • Paceville

    Best for not families

    A compact nightlife district of clubs and bars at the top of St Julian's, loud until the early hours at weekends. Several hotels marketed as St Julian's sit inside it or a few hundred metres downhill, so the street address is worth checking before booking.

  • Gżira & Ta' Xbiex

    Best for cheaper stays on the same bus routes

    One bay south of Sliema, with noticeably cheaper apartments and a 15-minute walk to the ferry, but a very busy seafront road and little green space.

Family hotel picks in Sliema & St Julian's

  • Sliema — aparthotels on the seafront and Tignè
    Sliema / Tignè PointMid-range

    Sliema — aparthotels on the seafront and Tignè

    A kitchen and a separate bedroom for well under the price of two hotel rooms, within walking distance of the Valletta ferry and the flat promenade, which together remove the transport from most sightseeing days.

    • Kitchen or kitchenette and a washing machine in most units
    • Walking distance to the Valletta harbour ferry
    • Flat seafront promenade for pushchairs and scooters
    • Bus routes to the whole island from the same street

    Fitting a family in

    One- and two-bedroom apartments sleep four to five without a rollaway; studios with a sofa bed are common and tight for four.

    Watch out. There is no sandy beach here — swimming is off flat rock with ladders. Seafront rooms face a busy road, and this strip is the most actively redeveloped part of the country, so ask which way the room faces and what is being built next door.

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  • St Julian's — family hotels around the bays
    Balluta / Spinola BayMid-range

    St Julian's — family hotels around the bays

    Quieter in the evening than Sliema's main strip while keeping restaurants around a small bay on the doorstep, with a pool at the hotel for the afternoons when the rock swimming is too much effort.

    • Pools, most with a children's section
    • Restaurants ringing the bay, serving from early evening
    • Ferry and bus connections a short walk or bus ride away
    • Rock and lido swimming directly on the seafront

    Fitting a family in

    Family rooms sleeping four are standard and interconnecting doubles are widely available; check whether a sofa bed counts towards the stated occupancy.

    Watch out. Paceville, a dense nightlife district, starts a few hundred metres uphill, and noise carries across the surrounding streets at weekends. Check the exact address and the walking route to the door before booking.

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  • Gżira — apartments a street back from the water
    Gżira / Ta' XbiexBudget

    Gżira — apartments a street back from the water

    Noticeably cheaper than Sliema for the same bus routes and a 15-minute walk to the Valletta ferry, which suits families spending their days out rather than at the hotel.

    • Self-catering with full kitchens
    • Same bus corridor as Sliema and St Julian's
    • 15-minute walk to the Valletta ferry
    • Supermarkets and bakeries on the doorstep

    Fitting a family in

    Two- and three-bedroom apartments in older blocks, usually the cheapest way to sleep five near the ferry.

    Watch out. The Gżira seafront is one of the busiest roads on the island and rooms facing it are loud from early morning. There is very little green space, no beach, and lifts are missing from many older buildings.

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Things to do in Sliema & St Julian's with kids

  • Valletta harbour ferry
    City

    Valletta harbour ferry

    Sliema & St Julian's

    The crossing of Marsamxett Harbour between the Sliema seafront and Valletta, roughly ten minutes each way, with the full length of the capital's bastions in view. Cheap enough to use as transport and short enough to count as the ride.

    Ages
    1–16
    Time
    30 min
    Adult, from
    €3

    Good to know. The open deck is exposed and sailings are suspended in strong northerly wind, which is the reason to keep a bus plan in reserve. The Valletta landing sits at the foot of the bastions, so the way up into the city is a steep ramp and steps; the separate Three Cities ferry, on the Grand Harbour side, lands beside the Barrakka lift instead.

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  • Valletta's streets and bastions
    Culture

    Valletta's streets and bastions

    Sliema & St Julian's

    A walled sixteenth-century capital laid out as a grid on a peninsula, small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes. The bastion gardens look down over the Grand Harbour, a cannon battery below them is fired daily, and the side streets are lined with enclosed timber balconies.

    Ages
    5–16
    Time
    3h
    Adult, from
    Free

    Good to know. The grid runs across a ridge, so roughly half the cross-streets are flights of steps — a pushchair only works along the two level main streets. There is almost no shade at midday, and the bastion edges in the gardens are low walls rather than railings.

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  • Birgu and the Three Cities
    Culture

    Birgu and the Three Cities

    Sliema & St Julian's

    The fortified towns across the Grand Harbour from Valletta, reached by a second harbour ferry or by traditional dgħajsa water taxis. Fort St Angelo stands at the point, and the waterfront below Birgu is a row of restored warehouses.

    Ages
    6–16
    Time
    3h
    Adult, from
    €10

    Good to know. Getting here from Sliema means two ferries or a long bus ride, so it is a half-day rather than an add-on. The waterfront is at sea level and the town above it is a climb, and Fort St Angelo has long ramps, uneven surfaces and unfenced ramparts.

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  • A limestone seafront promenade and flat rock bathing shelves
    Water

    Splash & Fun water park

    Sliema & St Julian's

    The islands' water park, on the coast road at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq between St Julian's and Mellieħa, with graded slides, a wave pool and a shallow area for small children.

    Ages
    3–14
    Time
    5h
    Adult, from
    €20

    Good to know. The larger slides carry height minimums, typically around 120 cm, so paying for a full day for a small child buys access to a fraction of it. Shade is limited and the water programme runs through the summer season rather than year-round.

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Getting around Sliema & St Julian's

The ferry is the tool that makes this base work: Sliema to Valletta takes about ten minutes, and a day return costs little more than a single. Buses to everywhere else leave from the Sliema seafront or from Valletta, on a flat fare, and the Tallinja Explore card covers a week of them if the plan is bus-led. A hire car is close to a liability here — parking is on-street, competitive and often several streets from the door — so most families rent one only for the days they leave the conurbation, or use the ride-hail apps that operate across the islands.

Sliema & St Julian's tips for families

  • With kids

    Check the street, not the district

    St Julian's covers both quiet bays and Paceville, which is a nightlife district with clubs running into the early hours. A hotel described as St Julian's can be two minutes' walk from it. Find the address on a map and look at what is on the surrounding streets before booking.

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  • Getting around

    Take the ferry to Valletta, not the bus

    The bus route into the capital loops inland through traffic; the ferry crosses the harbour in about ten minutes. It also arrives at the foot of the bastions, so factor in the climb up into the city at the other end.

  • Packing

    Swimming here means rock — pack for it

    The shore is flat limestone with ladders and small cut pools, not sand. Swim shoes matter, the rock gets very hot by midday, and there is no shade at all. Families who want a sand day take the bus north to Mellieħa Bay or Golden Bay, around forty minutes each way.

  • With kids

    Ask which way the room faces

    This strip is the most actively redeveloped part of Malta, and a sea view on one side of a building can be a construction site on the other. Seafront rooms also face a busy road. Both are worth asking about directly.

Sliema & St Julian's with kids: common questions

Is there a beach in Sliema or St Julian's?
Not a sandy one. Swimming is off flat rock platforms and concrete lidos with ladders into deep water. St George's Bay in St Julian's has a small strip of imported sand, and it is crowded. Real sand means a bus north to Mellieħa Bay or Golden Bay.
Should families avoid Paceville?
As a place to sleep, yes. It is a small, dense nightlife district with clubs open until the early hours, and noise carries over the surrounding streets at weekends. The quieter parts of St Julian's around Balluta and Spinola Bay are only a few minutes away and are a different proposition entirely.
How do you get from Sliema to Valletta with children?
The harbour ferry, which takes about ten minutes and runs frequently through the day. It lands below the city walls, so the way up into the grid is a steep ramp and steps.
How many days do you need in Sliema with kids?
Three to five. That covers Valletta, the Three Cities, a water park or a boat trip and a day north to the sand, without a hotel change.

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