Bus - Valetta to Mdina

Do you need to buy a bus ticket beforehand? Where? or do you pay the driver?

From the port you have to get up the hill (there are a couple of ways to walk and also a convenient elevator) and then walk over the bus station. This is actually a large outdoor (with some cover) parking area that can handle more than a dozen buses at a time. I think there actually was a ticket office but you can also buy a ticket from the driver (you need exact change). It used to make sense to buy a day pass (unlimited bus use for the day) which cost about 1.5€ but we are not sure of the current fares. Keep in mind that just about everyone on Malta speaks English so feel free to ask anyone for help.

Hank

OK Thanks.

It's still €1.50 for all day but going up in July. Use the elevator up to upperBarakka Gardens and exit garden towards your left. Walk straight up street, cross street keeping to the left then out old city gate. Loads of busses lined up there. Journey planner here http://www.publictransport.com.mt/searchresults

http://www.maltabybus.com/

Some pdf maps showing bus routes and numbers down the page a little.

Keith (Southend)

Buses 51, 52, and 53 at the Valletta bus station go to Rabat, which is just outside Madna's gate.

We were on the Emerald Princess docking at Valleta Aug 13. There were 2 HOHO bus company reps at the port. It was only 10 euros a person and my 14 yr old was free. One bus was leaving soon for the Mdna route, at 8:15 am, so for convenience we went on that one.

After seeing Mdina (enjoyed it very much), we saw there were a lot of people waiting for the HOHO.

I looked at the schedule for public bus 201 to the Blue Grotto, but saw that there was only 1 bus an hour. We decided to go back to Valletta and went to the bus stop for 51, 52, 53. Each line had 2 buses per hour, so there were 6 buses per hour total. We didn't wait long and paid the driver. It was more comfortable than the HOHO, spacious with air conditioning.

One should be careful before committing to a day on the Malta HoHos. The frequency of the buses leaves a lot to be desired for those wanting to hop off at multiple places. But they are a great way to drive around much of the island at a reasonable cost if you just want a tour through a bus window.

Hank