The town of St. Julian's ( San Giljan in Maltese) is the centre of the tourist and nightlife scene on the island of Malta.

Due to its good accessibility and central location, San Giljan is also a popular place to stay for your entire holiday in Malta.

Long nights and luxury in Paceville

The northern part, the Paceville district, is famous for its rich nightlife. Modern buildings are interspersed with bars, large clubs, discos, upmarket shops and casinos, and the promenade is marked by a marina for the yachts of luxury hotel complexes.

Paceville is also very popular with young people and students. Unlike Ibiza in Spain, for example, entertainment is relatively affordable. Accommodation and bar prices are incomparably lower.

Rooftop Bar in Paceville

Pizza Hut in San Giljan

How much does it cost to visit a bar?

The vast majority of clubs, discos and of course bars have no entrance fees, as is common in Ibiza.

Popular are the so-called Happy Hours, where at certain times (usually between 15:00 and 19:00) you get two drinks for the price of one.

Cocktail - 8 eur for a regular drink to 15 eur for the company's signature drink
Beer - 5 eur
Food - 25 eur

Happy Hours in San Giljan

Dinner at Spinola Bay

The southern part of St. Julian's will give you the feel of Italian seaside towns with narrow streets, small restaurants and waterfront condos.

A popular spot is Spinola Bay, with its many restaurants and beautiful promenade with benches.

Spinola Bay Promenade

Spinola Bay

Beaches in San Giljan

Don't look for nice beaches right in Paceville or St. Julian's. The only public beach is St. George's Bay, but it's just a narrow strip of sand right in the middle of town that's only good for a quick morning or night dip at most.

Accommodation - St. Julian's

San Julian's and especially the Paceville district are home to large resort hotels, luxury hotels and smaller local hotels.

The lowest rates at regular hotels are around 160 eur.

Hotel Valentina *** - Good value for money, great location right in the centre of Paceville
Cavalieri Art Hotel **** - cheap hotel with a beachfront location in a quieter part of St. Julian's
Hilton Malta ***** - one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in all of Malta

Hotel Hilton, San Giljan

Transportation to San Giljan

The town is part of the densely populated north coast belt. Traffic in the centre is lively and slow-moving queues are present day and night.

By bus

From other parts of Malta, we recommend taking the bus, although you can't rely on timetables due to the congestion.

There are several routes that run through San Giljan. Click on the line number to see the timetable and map.

Line X2 - Airport, Sliema, Gżira (runs once an hour)
Line TD2 - Airport, Sliema, Gżira (runs once per hour)
Line TD13 - Valletta, Bugibba (departs twice per hour)
Line 13 - Valletta, Sliema, Gżira, Pembroke, Splash & Fun Water Park (runs 3 times per hour)
Line 14 - Valletta, Sliema, Gżira, Pembroke (runs 3 times per hour)
Line 16 - Valletta, Sliema, Gżira, Pembroke, Swieqi (runs 3 times per hour)
Line 110 - Sliema, Pembroke, Birkirkara, Mater Dei (runs 1x per hour)
Lines 120 and 121 - Pembroke, San Gwann, Paola, Zabbar, Xghajra (runs twice per hour)
Line 202 - Sliema, Pembroke, Mosta, Naxxar, Mdina (runs twice per hour)
Line 212 - Sliema, Pembroke, Splash & Fun Water Park, Bugibba (runs 2 times per hour)
Line 222 - Cirkewwa Harbour (boats to Gozo and Comino), Sliema, Pembroke, Splash & Fun Water Park, Mellieha, Ghadira (runs 3 times per hour)
Line 225 - Sliema, Pembroke, Splash & Fun Water Park, Ghajn Tuffieha and Golden Bay beaches (runs 1x per hour)
Line 233 - Sliema, Gżira, Pembroke, Swieqi, Mater Dei (runs 1x per hour)

For ticket prices and more information about buses in Malta, see the Transport chapter.

By car

San Giljan's invariably congested streets and lack of parking are not a good combination for travelling by car.

If you're already driving to San Giljan, we recommend using the pay garage at the Welbee's supermarket in Paceville. The entrance is from the first roundabout after exiting the freeway (location on google.com/maps). You pay 2 eur per hour or 15 eur for the whole day.