Hop on Hop off Bus Tours in Valletta

While Valletta is the smallest capital city in the European Union, the fortified city still offers plenty of things to see and do. With its grand churches, Baroque architecture, buzzing culinary scene and beautiful beaches, you certainly won’t be bored while staying in Valletta!

If you’re interested in doing a bit of sightseeing during your time in Malta, you should definitely look into a hop-on hop-off bus tour in Valletta. These tours provide an easy and convenient way to see Malta’s top-rated attractions as you explore the island at your own pace.

Here's all you need to know about hop-on hop-off bus tours, one of the best sightseeing tours in Valletta.

What are the best hop-on hop-off Valletta bus tours? What are their prices?

City Sightseeing Tours

The City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off buses are easy to identify as they are large, red, open-air buses that you simply can’t miss. City Sightseeing is a tour bus operator that provides bus tours in over 130 countries and has become a tried, tested and trusted brand all around the world.

City Sightseeing offers classic daytime excursions around Valletta and its surrounding areas, providing the perfect way to explore the island. With over 30 different stops along two different routes, you can use the hop-on hop-off bus to get to wherever you need to go.

Route

There are two different routes offered by City Sightseeing in Valletta, namely the North Route and the South Route. Between these two routes, the hop-on hop-off bus covers most of the island, and you’re able to visit most of the major attractions and landmarks on offer.

The South Route explores the southern half of Malta and some of the route’s most popular stops include St George’s Bay, Spinola Bay, Sliema Seafront, Valletta City Center, Valletta Waterfront and Ghar Dalem Cave.

The North Route takes you to various locations in the northern part of Malta from Valletta, with popular stops including Bugibba Jetty, Malta National Aquarium, Mdina Main Gate and many others.

When looking at the two routes you’ll notice that they share a few of the same stops in Valletta’s city center, making both routes easily accessible from Malta’s capital city.

Timetable

City Sightseeing’s hop-on hop-off bus tours in Valletta operate throughout the year and run every single day, except for Dec. 25. However, the South Route and North Route do not run on the same days of the week.

The South Route is available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays between 9 AM and 2 PM, while the North is available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 8 AM and 2:30 PM.

This is why it is very important to look at both routes and decide which day best suits your schedule and which route allows you to see the destinations that you are most interested in.

Tickets

The North Route and South Route both fall under the ‘Iconic' package, which costs €28 per adult and €20 per child between 5 and 12 years old. Tickets can be bought online ahead of time and are valid for 12 months from their date of purchase.

Paper vouchers are accepted at all stops, while mobile vouchers need to be redeemed either at the Sliema Ferry Terminal or the Valletta Waterfront Terminus.

These tickets will allow you to use the hop-on hop-off bus system for up to 24 hours after activation.

Malta Sightseeing Tours

The Malta Sightseeing hop-on hop-off buses are red and white or blue and white and can be seen driving all over the island. These hop-on hop-off buses are operated by Malta Sightseeing, which is one of the island’s most established tour operators, offering a diverse array of tours.

Malta Sightseeing provides daytime hop-on hop-off bus tours around Valletta and the rest of the island, and has become very popular with both new and returning visitors.

Route

Malta Sightseeing hop-on hop-off buses offers two different routes: the North Route and the South Route. Together, these routes cover over 30 different stops and allow you to visit the island’s many landmarks and attractions with ease.

The South (Red) Route stops at places like the War Museum & Fort St. Elmo, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Malta Experience Show, Valletta Waterfront, Tarxien Temples, Hypogeum, Vittoriosa Waterfront and many others.

The North (Blue) Route stops all over Valletta and northern Malta, including places like San Anton Gardens, Ta’Qali Crafts Village, Aviation Museum, Mosta Church, Mdina Gate, Roman Villa, Mgarr Church and Golden Bay among others.

Timetable

Malta Sightseeing’s hop-on hop-off bus tours operate all year round except for certain public holidays. The buses run every 30 minutes in the summertime and every 60 minutes in the wintertime.

The buses start running at 9 AM daily, with the last leaving Silema at 3 PM between Monday and Saturday and at 2 PM on Sundays.

Tickets

The cost of Malta Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus tour tickets is €22 per adult and €14 per child under 16. Children under 5 are allowed on the bus for free so long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Tickets can be bought online, where you can choose the day that best suits you.

How do hop-on hop-off bus tours in Valletta work? What is included?

The main advantage of City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus tours in Valletta is that you can get on at any stop along the North Route or South Route, so long as you present your ticket and your ticket is still valid for that day. All you need to do is head to your nearest bus stop and show your ticket.

Just make sure that you are aware of the timetable, which is easily accessible online, as buses leave every hour and you wouldn’t want to miss the bus. Try to arrive around 10 minutes before the designated departure time so that you can get good seats.

Malta Sightseeing works a little differently in that you book your tour online ahead of time for the exact day that you wish to take the tour. You’ll also need to embark the bus on its first stop at Silema.

Malta Sightseeing also provides you with complimentary transport to Silema from your hotel, so be sure to indicate which area you are staying in when you book the tour.

Once on board, you can enjoy the panoramic views of the island and get off to explore different stops along the way. Do some research into the various stops on the route ahead of time to see which places most appeal to you and where you most want to explore.

Some of the most popular stops to disembark include the Malta National Aquarium, the Qawra Seafront, the Mediterraneo Marine Park, San Anton Gardens, the War Museum at Valletta and the Marsaxlokk Fishing Village.

Both City Sightseeing and Malta Sightseeing provide you with an audio guide that is available in over 13 different languages, including English. This guide will provide you with information about the various landmarks and attractions that you’ll see around the island.

Are there any combined tickets including hop-on hop-off bus tours?

The 'Essential' package offered by City Sightseeing in Malta includes a hop-on hop-off bus tour as well as a boat tour by the same company. This is a great package if you are looking to make the most of your time in Valletta and see the island from a different perspective.

This combined tour costs €35 per adult and €22 per child for 24-hour tickets, and €50 per adult and €35 per child for 48-hour tickets. The boat tour begins at the Sliema Ferry Terminal, which is a stop on both the North and South Bus Routes, making it easy to get to.

The boat cruise is operational every day of the year, except for 25 December, and runs between 10:30 AM and 4 PM. The route goes from Sliema Ferry Terminal toward Manoel Island and Esplora, where you can hop off and explore if you wish.

Malta Sightseeing does not offer any combined tours with their hop-on hop-off tours, but there is a wide variety of different types of tours offered by the operator, including night tours, boat tours and guided tours.

What other sightseeing tours can you do in Valletta?

• Walking tours in Valletta
• Free walking tours in Valletta
• Segway tours in Valletta
• City tours in Valletta

Travel tips

• Choose a seat on the top deck to experience incredible, unobstructed panoramic views of Malta.
• Book your hop-on hop-off bus tour in advance as a part of planning your trip to Valletta.
• Bring your camera along with you to capture incredible views of the island.
• Although you can get on and off the bus whenever you like, it is a good idea to plan your route ahead of time and research some of the possible destinations.