Malta Family Holiday to Sliema

We stayed at the AX The Victoria Hotel, a welcoming 4 star hotel set a short walk up from the Sliema seafront. It has the feel of a well‑kept city hotel, with comfortable rooms, in‑room safes and a relaxed buffet breakfast that made mornings really easy. On the ground floor the Penny Black Bar serves drinks and evening meals, and it quickly became our go‑to spot for a casual drink at the end of the day. The hotel has a surprising amount of space dedicated to pools and terraces: an indoor pool on the 7th floor, then right at the top a rooftop infinity pool on the 9th floor with loungers, a bar and bistro area, and a separate adults‑only terrace with a small, quiet pool just down a few steps. The sister hotel next door, AX The Palace (4 star plus), links through on the first floor, and the two properties share restaurants and the rooftop areas, so you can enjoy a wider choice of bars and dining venues. There are handy touches for travellers too, like luggage storage and the use of showers and lockers by the indoor pool on departure day. Just around the corner from the hotel there is a British‑style pub and a Lidl supermarket, which is perfect for picking up snacks and drinks.

Sliema itself spreads along the coast, so from the hotel you simply walk downhill and choose which direction you fancy. One route takes you down to the Sliema ferries area, where you can hop on the water taxi or ferry over to Valletta for around 2.50 euros one way. It is a short journey but a lovely one, giving you postcard views of Valletta’s golden stone skyline rising above the harbour. Alternatively, an Uber from Sliema to Valletta costs in the region of 11 euros, and there are regular local buses running along the promenade to Valletta, St Julian’s and Bugibba. Another route down the hill leads to the seafront near Fortizza restaurant and Kebab Ji; from there you can turn left towards rocky beach areas or right past several beach clubs that line the water’s edge.

Malta’s beaches in this area are mostly rocky platforms rather than long sandy stretches, but they have their own charm. In Sliema and nearby St Julian’s, the rocks are cut with flat ledges, ladders and even man‑made “baths” carved into the stone where you can sit and let the water lap around you. The sea is beautifully clear and a brilliant blue, ideal for snorkelling and watching shoals of fish. There are lidos and beach clubs with sunbeds, umbrellas, music and food service if you prefer a more organised set‑up, or you can simply join the locals and spread a towel on the rocks.

We made good use of Malta’s public transport while we were there. One day we took the Hop‑On Hop‑Off bus, which stops along the front in Sliema and offers red and blue routes around the island. It is a simple way to get your bearings and see a lot in one day, especially if you are travelling with children or older relatives who might not fancy lots of changes. On other days we relied on the regular local buses from Sliema ferries, boats and ferries from the harbour, and the occasional Uber. It is very easy to mix and match, and you never feel stuck in one resort.

Boat trips are a big part of the Malta experience, and Sliema is one of the main departure points. From the waterfront you can join harbour cruises that take you around the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour, giving you a different angle on Valletta’s bastions and the Three Cities. Longer excursions head out to the Blue Grotto, the island of Gozo and tiny Comino with its famous Blue Lagoon. We took a Gozo boat trip during our stay, enjoying the views of sea cliffs and coves, then time to explore a very different, more rural side of Malta.

One of the absolute highlights of our holiday was visiting Mdina. Nicknamed “The Silent City”, Mdina is an inland fortified town that feels a world away from modern resorts. We took an Uber from the hotel, which cost about 13 euros, and stepped through the city gate into a maze of narrow streets, warm yellow stone and beautiful buildings. Within the walls you find elegant palaces, a cathedral, convents, small museums and artisan shops selling glass, jewellery and local crafts. There are little cafés and restaurants tucked into courtyards and side streets, but overall the feeling is calm and peaceful. It is a place to wander slowly, take photographs, look up at balconies and lanterns, and imagine the stories the city has seen over the centuries. Outside the walls there are plenty of taxis, buses and even horse‑drawn carriages waiting to take visitors on.

From Mdina we took a vintage bus tour back towards Valletta and then on to Sliema. The old bus, all charm and rattling nostalgia, was a fun contrast to modern air‑conditioned coaches, and the tickets were very reasonable, around 5 euros one way or 9 euros for a day pass. It added an extra bit of theatre to a simple journey and gave us yet another way to see the Maltese countryside.

Valletta itself deserves at least a full day, and we were glad we gave it the time. As a UNESCO World Heritage city built by the Knights of St John in the 16th century, it is packed with history, from grand auberges and imposing bastions to ornate churches and museums. We crossed over from Sliema by ferry and spent our time wandering up and down the grid of streets, dipping into cafés, admiring the traditional wooden balconies and stopping at viewpoints that open out over the harbours. We visited the Saluting Battery, where the historic cannons are fired, which is a great way to connect with Malta’s military and maritime past.

In the evening we headed over to Floriana, just outside Valletta’s walls, for a BBC Orchestra “Sounds of the 80s” concert in The Granaries. Listening to live music in such a dramatic open‑air square, surrounded by stone buildings and summer warmth, was a special moment.

Modern Malta featured in our trip too. We spent time at Mercury Towers, home to the Odyssey immersive history of Malta experience, plus food, entertainment and shopping. It is an interesting blend of past and present: you learn about Malta’s long history, from prehistoric temples and Roman times through the era of the Knights and the Second World War, all within a striking contemporary development. We also visited The Point shopping mall in Sliema, an indoor centre on the water’s edge with a good selection of international brands and a handy food court, ideal for a cool break from the sun.

Closer to “home”, Sliema itself has a main shopping street that climbs up from the seafront, lined with familiar names like Next, Clarks and Marks & Spencer, along with local boutiques and cafés. It feels lively but not overwhelming, and you can easily combine a bit of shopping with a walk along the promenade. From Sliema, it is also an easy stroll along the coast to St Julian’s, taking around 30 minutes and passing through Balluta Bay and Spinola Bay. St Julian’s has a younger, more energetic feel, especially around Paceville, which is packed with bars and clubs. It is fun for a daytime wander to see a different side of Malta’s nightlife and dining scene.

Looking back, our Malta family holiday blended so many different experiences: days by the rocky beaches at Fond Ghadir, watching the fish in the clear water; exploring historic Valletta and peaceful Mdina; boat trips to Gozo; browsing shops at The Point; learning about the island’s history at Odyssey; and even dancing along to 80s hits at an open‑air concert.

Malta is ideal for families who want sunshine and swimming, but also love a sense of history and culture. In one small island nation you get fortified cities, golden stone skylines, churches and cathedrals, modern malls, rocky coves and blue water, all tied together by friendly local hospitality and an easy pace of life. For us, Sliema was the perfect base to experience it all.

If you would like to plan your own Malta adventure, I can help you shape an itinerary that balances pool time, culture, boat trips and relaxed evenings by the sea, tailored exactly to your family.