Car hire for the Three Cities

Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua: the harbour cities

The Three Cities are the historic fortified towns on the far side of the Grand Harbour from Valletta: Birgu (Vittoriosa), Senglea (Isla) and Cospicua (Bormla). This is where the Knights of St John first settled when they came to Malta, before Valletta was built, so the area is dense with history: Fort St Angelo at the tip of Birgu, the narrow back lanes, and the Birgu waterfront and marina, where superyachts now moor below the bastions. It has a quieter, more lived-in feel than the capital across the water, which is a large part of the appeal, and it makes a genuinely different day out from Valletta or the resort towns.

Getting there and the Valletta harbour ferry

From the airport the Three Cities are roughly a 15 to 20 minute drive, and you keep left as everywhere in Malta. Once you are based this side of the harbour, one of the nicest ways to reach the capital is to leave the car and take the harbour ferry across the Grand Harbour to Valletta, which turns the trip into a short scenic crossing and avoids driving and parking in the capital altogether. Our guide to parking in Valletta covers this ferry and the park-outside-and-walk-in approach in detail. For the capital itself, our Valletta car hire page explains where to leave the car.

Parking and using a car here

The Three Cities have the same tight, historic street pattern as much of old Malta, so the streets down by the waterfront and inside the old cores are narrow and parking can be limited, especially in the evenings and when there is an event on. A smaller car is easier to thread through and park, so a compact automatic is a sensible choice if you are new to driving on the left. Where a car really earns its keep is linking the Three Cities to the rest of the island, since the harbour towns and the sights further out are slow to connect by bus. From here you can reach:

• Valletta: a few minutes by the harbour ferry, or a short drive round; see Valletta car hire.
• Mdina and Rabat: the old inland capital and the Silent City are an easy half-day; see Mdina & Rabat car hire.
• The wider island: the beaches in the north and a day trip to Gozo are all within reach with your own car.

Compare cars for your trip on our fleet page, or read the practical basics on our Malta car hire guide.

Car hire prices in Malta by class

Wherever you stay, the price is the same all-in figure: VAT, the airport fee, collision damage waiver, third-party cover and unlimited mileage are included, and the car is collected at Malta International Airport, Park East, 08:00 to 02:00 every day.