Vivir en La Valeta

If you are looking to move to a city that has amazing weather, is surrounded by the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and where you can get by with English, then Valletta is the place to be! The stunning capital city of Malta, located below Italy in the Mediterranean Sea, has over 3,000 hours of sunshine per year and has a warm Mediterranean climate. If you are looking to get away from your cold and rainy environment, Valletta is the perfect destination for you. After reading this blog you will know more about Valletta’s environment, nightlife, culture, public transport, housing, health care, and some words to get you started.

Fun Facts about Valletta:

•   The city was built in only 15 years!
• Valletta was not always the capital of Malta. Until 1571, the capital of Malta was Mdina.
• A Caravaggio painting is housed in St John’s Co-Cathedral.
• Valletta offers some of the finest wine & dining experiences.
• Malta has a reputation as a Diving Hotspot.

• The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise passed off a few Maltese landscapes as Caribbean beaches. ‘Game of Thrones’ also contains several scenes filmed around the intensely photogenic capital of Valletta.
• The Maltese still drive on the left-hand side of the road, after 160 years of British rule,  making Malta one of only four European countries, including Britain, that still drive on the left.
• Valletta is the sister city of Palermo, in Italy!

City overview 

Valletta is the capital city of Malta and the smallest capital city in the European Union based on population. It lies on a peninsula, and it is a pre-planned city, which is reflected in the chessboard pattern in which the streets are laid out. Valletta has 8 (unofficial) neighborhoods: Deux Balles, il-Baviera, Strada Rjali, il-Kamrata, Manderaggio, I-Arċipierku, il-Fossa and il-Biċċerija.

The population of Valletta is 6,315 and the area is 80 hectares. The city was founded in 1566 by the Frenchman Jean de Valette. In 2018 it was the cultural capital of Europe and since 1980, Valletta has been on the World Heritage list of UNESCO.

Entorno

Temperature
Valletta is located in the Mediterranean Sea and therefore has a Mediterranean climate as well. The city has mild and wet winters with temperatures ranging from 10℃ to 16℃ in January. The summers, on the other hand, are hot and dry with temperatures ranging from 23℃ to 32℃ in August. Valletta’s annual average is above 23℃ during the day and 16℃ at night.

Rainfall & Sunshine
In Valletta, most rainfall is in the winter. During summer there is almost no rainfall at all. Throughout the year the average amount of precipitation is 580.7mm. July has the most hours of sunshine and December has the least hours of sunshine. During the whole year, you can expect 3,054 hours of sunshine in Valletta.

Landscape
Valletta’s natural landscape is defined by karstic rock and typical Mediterranean plants and is influenced primarily by its geomorphology, climate, biodiversity, and various settlement patterns and practices, including agriculture. The peninsula has low, rocky islands with rugged, steep coastal cliffs.

Culture & Nightlife

What to see

Of course, when you go to Valletta you can learn all about the history of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. Valletta has many beautiful historical sights to see such as St. John’s Co-Cathedral, but also, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Grand Master’s Palace, Fort St. Elmo, and Casa Rocca Piccola.

It also has interesting museums such as the National Museum of Archaeology, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the National War Museum. If you want to go shopping, Republic and Merchant Street are the places to be. Other places to visit are the Upper Barraka Gardens, the Teatru Manoel, the city gate, and the Valletta waterfront.

Furthermore, if you want to see other places outside of Valletta, you can go to the Three Cities of Malta. These are Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua and they are right across the Grand Harbour of Valletta. These cities are pieces of living history kept alive by hundreds of years of preservation.

Food

Valletta has one of the best Mediterranean cuisines with many great restaurants. Some good restaurants are Rubino, Dimitri Café, and Beati Paoli Restaurant. The traditional dish in Valletta is Stuffat Tal-Fenek (rabbit stew). Other things you should try in Valletta are Bragoli, Brungiel Mimli, Kapunata, and the sweets Helwa Tat-Tork.

Vida nocturna

The nightlife scene in Valletta is not so extensive, however, that makes the nights even more fun. Because there are no nightclubs in Valletta, all the people of Malta go to the bars for drinks together. It may not have a big dance floor, but you can still enjoy a night out. Some popular bars in Valletta are Bridge Bar, StrEat Whisky, King’s Own Band Club Bar, and Trabuxu.

Holidays

Throughout the year there are 14 public holidays in Valletta. Here is a list of all the holidays and their dates:

• 1st January: New Year’s Day
• 10th February: Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck
• 19th March: Feast of St. Joseph
• 31st March: Freedom Day
• 15th April: Good Friday
• 1st May: Worker’s Day
• 7th June: Sette Giugno
• 29th June: Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul
• 15th August: Feast of the Assumption
• 8th September: Feast of Our Lady of Victories
• 21st September: Independence Day
• 8th December: Feast of the Immaculate Conception
• 13th December: Republic Day
• 25th December: Christmas Day

Transporte público

Valletta is a relatively small city and therefore it is possible to move around by foot. If you do want to move around using public transport there are a few options, such as buses, and taxis and you can use the ferry to travel to Sliema and Cospicua.

Buses

The most common means of transportation are buses. These buses are operated by Malta Public Transport, who have over 400 buses in the city. This bus service provider also has an app available for Android and iOS. In this app, you can plan your ride and find additional information about the bus service. The app is called Tallinja and is completely free of charge.

Download the app now!

• For Android
• For iOS

You don’t have to worry about the costs, because bus tickets are cheap. There are 3 ticket options: a single journey ticket, a 12-journey card or you can use your personalized Tallinja transport card. The Tallinja transport card is an intelligent contactless bus card designed to make it easy for you to use the bus. The card is personalized with your photo and name and can be charged with credit easily online, over the phone, at any of our sales outlets, or any Malta Post post office. 

Next to the Tallinja transport card, you can buy regular tickets. A single-journey ticket differs in price depending on the season. Winter tickets are €1.50, summer tickets are €2 and when you travel at night the tickets are €3. With this ticket, you can travel to any destination within 2 hours, including interchanging. Finally, you can get a 12-journey ticket for €15. This ticket can also be used for night buses, and it can be shared with others, your family for example.

Taxis

Cuando quieres viajar por Valletta en coche, tu única opción es tomar un taxi, ya que el tráfico dentro de Valletta está restringido. Estos taxis son todos eléctricos y están disponibles desde 10 puntos en la ciudad hacia cualquier destino que desees. Sin embargo, tomar un taxi es más caro que el autobús. Los taxis en Valletta tienen una tarifa inicial de €4 y cobran €2 por km.

Aparcamiento disuasorio

Si insistes en ir a Valletta en coche, el aparcamiento disuasorio en Floriana es tu mejor opción. Se trata de un parking situado justo fuera de la ciudad, donde puedes dejar tu coche e ir a Valletta en un autobús lanzadera disponible en el aparcamiento. Tiene más de 750 plazas de aparcamiento y solo cuesta €0,40 por día.

Ferry

Para visitar las ciudades de Sliema y Cospicua, puedes utilizar los ferries Sliema Ferry y ferry Cospicua – Valletta que salen de los lados opuestos de Valletta. El Valletta Ferry Service funciona tanto durante el día como por la noche. Durante el día un billete sencillo cuesta €1,50 y un billete de ida y vuelta €2,80. Por la noche un billete sencillo cuesta €1,75 y un billete de ida y vuelta €3,30.

Para más información puedes consultar la web deMalta Public Transport

Vivienda

Si buscas alquilar un espacio para vivir en Valletta, hay varios sitios web que te ayudarán a encontrar apartamentos y habitaciones disponibles en la zona. Además de estos sitios web, también hay grupos de Facebook donde puedes buscar habitaciones y apartamentos. Los precios para alquilar apartamentos y habitaciones son razonables en Valletta. Para apartamentos, los precios oscilan entre €600 y €800 al mes, dependiendo del estado de la habitación. Alquilar una habitación en Valletta es un poco más barato, con un promedio de €450 al mes, variando entre €250 y €550 al mes.

A continuación te mostramos algunos sitios web útiles para alquilar apartamentos y habitaciones en la zona de Valletta:

• https://www.indomio.com.mt/
• https://lets.flatmate.com.mt/
• https://www.quicklets.com.mt/
• https://remax-malta.com/

Como Valletta no es una ciudad muy grande y es fácil moverse por ella, también podrías considerar buscar un espacio para vivir justo fuera de la ciudad. Por ejemplo, en Sliema, Cospicua o Floriana.

Sanidad

En primer lugar, la Organización Mundial de la Salud clasificó a Malta en 5º lugar por ofrecer la mejor asistencia sanitaria del mundo. Así que, en caso de emergencia, estás en buenas manos en Valletta. Valletta cuenta con un sistema de salud tanto público como privado.

El sistema de salud pública está financiado por los ciudadanos trabajadores de Malta y, por lo tanto, es gratuito en el punto de atención. Esta asistencia sanitaria pública gratuita también está disponible para los expatriados con un permiso de trabajo para Malta. Los expatriados que se mudan al país deben pagar contribuciones al seguro nacional al fondo de seguridad social como hacen los malteses. Esto es aproximadamente el 10% del salario bruto del empleado. Además, las grandes empresas suelen contratar médicos privados para atender las necesidades médicas de su personal cuando es necesario.

Hay dos hospitales en Valletta: Sir Paul Boffa Hospital y St. Luke's Hospital. Puedes acudir a ambos cuando necesites asistencia médica. Malta ofrece acceso gratuito a instalaciones médicas a todos los ciudadanos de la UE con presentación de una Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea válida. Una Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea es una tarjeta de seguro médico europea gratuita.

El número que necesitas llamar en caso de emergencia es 112, como en la mayoría de países europeos. Los trabajadores de asistencia en la línea pueden ayudarte en inglés o maltés.

Aquí puedes encontrar más información sobre el sistema sanitario maltés (Cómo obtener una Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea, cómo pedir cita y conseguir recetas)

Algunas palabras para empezar

El inglés y el maltés son los dos idiomas oficiales de Malta. El maltés es la lengua nacional de Malta. Hasta 1943, el italiano también era un idioma oficial, por lo que muchos malteses también hablan italiano. A continuación te mostramos algunas palabras en maltés para empezar en Valletta.

Inglés

Maltés

Transporte público

Transporte público

Restaurante

Restaurante

Supermarket

Supermarket

Shop

Tienda

Hospital

Hospital

Bar

Bar

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