Malta - beware taxi tours!

We did taxi tours in several of the ports on our recent Adriatic cruise, and all of them were excellent, except for one. I thought I should share this info so that others are aware of what to expect in Malta.

I had read that a taxi tour is a good way to visit the sites on Malta...many posters had complained about the ho-ho bus not being very reliable. So, we decided to go the taxi route, and hire one as we disembarked. We were immediately approached at the port by a very friendly and seemingly helpful person that spoke perfect English. We explained we were looking for transportation to the sites I had clearly marked on a map, and wanted a driver that could speak good English, was friendly, and could clearly explain the sites we would visit. We were promised we would get exactly that. We were a little concerned when we were asked to pay upfront, but we were assured that was the only way possible. So we paid, and off we went.

We didn't get too far when it became quite apparent the driver could speak almost no English, and could not explain anything at all to us! He did take us to some of the places I had indicated on my map, but missed one of the key sites with no explanation. He basically dropped us off at the spots, and using fingers we agreed on what time we would leave. It was terrible! I actually contacted the taxi company when we returned with my complaints, and basically got nowhere with them. If we ever go back to Malta, we will avoid the taxi option.

Sam

I'm sorry - I have to comment on this one !!!!

Really ???? You hired a taxi - not a guide.

Try going to New York and hailing a taxi and see what you get …… I guarantee you won't get one that will even say Hello :D

I'm sorry - I have to comment on this one !!!!

 

 

 

Really ???? You hired a taxi - not a guide.

 

 

 

Try going to New York and hailing a taxi and see what you get …… I guarantee you won't get one that will even say Hello :D

Not exactly true. The NYC taxi driver will say hello, but it is likely to be in a language other then English.

Hank

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I'm sorry - I have to comment on this one !!!!

 

Really ???? You hired a taxi - not a guide.

 

Try going to New York and hailing a taxi and see what you get …… I guarantee you won't get one that will even say Hello :D

I fully understand we weren't getting a guide...we weren't looking for one. But, we did want a driver that could speak English, and take us to all the places we had clearly indicated on our map. We also wanted someone that was friendly and that we could converse with about his/her country. We made those requirements very clear at the outset, and were promised that is what we would get. We most certainly did not. Hailing a taxi in New York to simply get from point A to point B is a little different, Texan, the service offered at the Malta port was billed as a "taxi tour" and we didn't get what was promised. We booked taxi tours in four of our other ports and got exactly what we contracted for.

I've received lots of useful advice on these boards and simply wanted to share my experience, so that others are aware.

Sam

Never, never pay upfront. You've got absolutely no re-course.

Thanks for your post.

What you book is not a tour but a taxi for the time.m

We did the same in Valletta, Malta but had a great experience. We were going to get a taxi to take us to Mdina but they offered 3 hrs for €60 so we decided to do that.

The driver was wonderful and showed us things we didn't know about. There were 4 of us and we went overtime so we gave him a good tip. We were extremely pleased with the experience and the price.

When we got in he did state that it wasn't a tour but he would give us any information he knew.

At the end of the day you still did better than ship transfers, which on our ship were $60pp.

Sorry you weren't so lucky.

Thanks for your post.

What you book is not a tour but a taxi for the time.m

 

We did the same in Valletta, Malta but had a great experience. We were going to get a taxi to take us to Mdina but they offered 3 hrs for €60 so we decided to do that.

The driver was wonderful and showed us things we didn't know about. There were 4 of us and we went overtime so we gave him a good tip. We were extremely pleased with the experience and the price.

 

When we got in he did state that it wasn't a tour but he would give us any information he knew.

 

At the end of the day you still did better than ship transfers, which on our ship were $60pp.

 

Sorry you weren't so lucky.

It does sound like you got very lucky. Again, we were not looking for or expecting an actual tour. I had a map in hand with the places we wanted to be taken to. We requested of the taxi coordinator that assigns the cabs that we wanted a driver that could speak English, would take us to the places indicated on our map, and is friendly and would talk to us. We were promised that is what we would get...and we didn't. I wish we would have got your driver! Also, we were told that payment must be made in advance...that is the only way a taxi would be assigned to us. There didn't seem to be any way to find a taxi on our own...the only option as you get off the ship in Valletta seemed to be to deal with a coordinator. If we ever get back to Malta, we will first make our way to the Upper Barrakka Gardens and try to find our own taxi there.

It does sound like you got very lucky. Again, we were not looking for or expecting an actual tour. I had a map in hand with the places we wanted to be taken to. We requested of the taxi coordinator that assigns the cabs that we wanted a driver that could speak English, would take us to the places indicated on our map, and is friendly and would talk to us. We were promised that is what we would get...and we didn't. I wish we would have got your driver! Also, we were told that payment must be made in advance...that is the only way a taxi would be assigned to us. There didn't seem to be any way to find a taxi on our own...the only option as you get off the ship in Valletta seemed to be to deal with a coordinator. If we ever get back to Malta, we will first make our way to the Upper Barrakka Gardens and try to find our own taxi there.

I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. We did the same and were lucky enough to get a nice, talkative, English-speaking driver. He took us to all the places we asked and added the Presidential Gardens as well since it was on the way. We were very happy with our results. I will confirm that the approach they use to use a centralized paying process was the same as we faced, but I had already read about this and was prepared for it. Also, I was really only expecting transportation to the locations, so the fact that our driver wanted to talk about his homeland was an added bonus to us. As I recall, after we paid, we took your paperwork up to the first taxi in line and that was the one that we got. There wasn't really any coordination as to who got what taxi. So I'm not surprised you didn't get what you asked for. The agent who did the arrangement clearly "sold" you something that he wasn't really in control of.

As you mention, you could most definitely go up into town more and find a taxi on your own. There were quite a few of them in the bus stop area when we were there.