Malta Questions, Answered

The X4 route runs directly from Malta International Airport to Valletta and is the most straightforward option for arriving travellers. Buses depart from the terminal forecourt and the journey takes roughly 30-40 minutes depending on traffic, terminating at the Valletta bus terminus just outside the city gate. Airport X-series routes also connect to Sliema, St Julian's and other tourist areas if Valletta isn't your final stop.

Public transport in Malta is not free for tourists. Malta introduced free bus travel for residents holding a Tallinja card linked to an ID card, but visitors still need to buy tickets or a tourist-specific card. Check the Malta Public Transport website for the latest rules, since eligibility criteria have changed since the scheme launched.

The Tallinja card is the rechargeable smart card used across Malta's bus network, tapped on the validator when boarding to pay your fare or deduct a journey from a pre-loaded bundle. Tourists can buy a short-term version of the card, while residents use a personalised ID-linked version. Top-ups and balance checks can be done online or at Malta Public Transport service points and some retail outlets.

A single bus ticket bought with cash from the driver costs more than one bought in advance on a Tallinja card, and prices differ slightly between daytime and night routes (the N-series). As a general guide, fares tend to fall somewhere in the low single-digit euro range per journey, but you should confirm current pricing on the Malta Public Transport site before you travel, since fares are periodically revised.

The Explore Card suits tourists staying a few days who plan to ride buses frequently, since it offers unlimited travel for a set number of days and often includes extras like a discounted ferry crossing to Gozo. The 12-journey card works better for a longer stay or a family splitting rides across a couple of weeks, as it lowers the per-journey cost compared with paying cash. Single tickets only make sense if you're taking one or two rides in total, such as a single airport transfer.

Malta's buses run on published timetables but delays are common, particularly on routes through Valletta, Sliema and St Julian's where traffic congestion is heaviest during peak season and rush hour. Rural and Gozo routes tend to run closer to schedule since roads are quieter. Build in extra time if you have a flight or ferry to catch, and treat printed timetables as a guide rather than a guarantee.

Buses on Malta itself only go as far as the Cirkewwa ferry terminal in the north of the island, where you board the Gozo Channel ferry to cross to Mgarr harbour. Gozo has its own separate bus network, run under the same Tallinja/Malta Public Transport brand but with different route numbers, connecting Mgarr to Victoria (Rabat) and the other villages. So there's no single bus that takes you from, say, Valletta straight through to Gozo — you switch from a Malta bus to the ferry to a Gozo bus.

Regular routes are the standard numbered services that stop frequently through towns and villages, making them slower but cheaper and more frequent. Tallinja Direct routes (usually numbered with an X prefix) skip many intermediate stops to connect major destinations, such as Valletta, Sliema or Bugibba, more quickly, though they run less often and sometimes cost more than a standard fare. Airport Direct routes are a specific subset of these express services running straight between Malta International Airport and hubs like Valletta or Sliema, aimed at travellers with luggage who want to avoid transfers.

Fares and exact route numbers change from time to time, so check the current Tallinja/Malta Public Transport website or app before you travel.

Malta has stood in for ancient Rome, Troy and other historical settings in films including Gladiator, Gladiator II, Troy, Murder on the Orient Express, World War Z and Captain Phillips. The old Sweethaven village built for the 1980 film Popeye still stands at Anchor Bay near Mellieħa and is now a paid visitor attraction. Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara has been the most reused site, doubling as sets for several of these productions because of its size and sea-facing walls.

Only the first season of Game of Thrones was shot in Malta, in 2009, before production moved to Croatia and Northern Ireland. Key locations include Fort Manoel in Gżira (King's Landing exteriors), Mdina and its city gate (also King's Landing), San Anton Gardens in Attard, and the Azure Window and Dwejra area in Gozo, used for a wedding scene. Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara was also used for interior and courtyard scenes.

Most of the Malta locations are open to the public. Mdina can be reached by bus from Valletta or Sliema (routes to Rabat/Mdina, roughly a 30-40 minute ride) and explored freely as it's a normal walkable town. San Anton Gardens in Attard is a free public park, and Dwejra in Gozo is an open coastal site, though the Azure Window arch itself collapsed in 2017. Fort Ricasoli and Fort Manoel are sometimes restricted or only accessible on organised tours since they're still working film sets, so check current access before planning a visit.

Gladiator (2000) used Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara, where a large Colosseum facade and Roman street set were built against the fort's stone walls. Some additional scenes were shot around Malta's coastline and countryside to double for North Africa and the Roman Empire more broadly. Fort Ricasoli is not generally open for casual walk-in visits, so check with tour operators if you want to see the site.

Gladiator II (2024) returned to Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara, again used for large-scale Colosseum and battle set pieces, continuing the site's long history as Malta's go-to Roman-era backdrop. Additional filming took place at Malta Film Studios in Kalkara and at coastal locations around the island for naval battle scenes. As with the original film, the working studio areas are not open to casual visitors.

The Azure Window, the natural limestone arch at Dwejra in Gozo used for a Game of Thrones wedding scene, collapsed into the sea during a storm in March 2017 and no longer exists. The Dwejra coastline itself is still there and worth visiting, including the Inland Sea and the boat trips through its tunnel to the open water where the arch used to stand. Other Malta filming locations from the show, like Mdina and San Anton Gardens, are unaffected and still look much as they did on screen.

Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara, across the Grand Harbour from Valletta, is one of Malta's most-used film sets because its massive stone walls and open bastions can be dressed as almost any historical setting. It has stood in for ancient Rome in both Gladiator and Gladiator II, for Troy in Troy, and for King's Landing in Game of Thrones. The fort is not generally open to casual walk-in visitors, so check with the Fortifications Interpretation Centre or a guided tour operator before planning a trip there.

Malta regularly attracts new productions because of the Malta Film Commission's rebate scheme and its ready-made historic backdrops, but which titles are actually shooting on the islands changes from month to month and isn't always made public until filming is underway or finished. For up-to-date information, check the Malta Film Commission's website or local news sites, which often report on street closures and set sightings in Valletta, Mdina or around the Three Cities when a production is active.

Malta has a long list of screen credits, including Gladiator and Gladiator II, Troy, Murder on the Orient Express (2017), World War Z, Captain Phillips, Assassin's Creed, and the original 1980 Popeye starring Robin Williams. On television, Malta and Gozo provided key locations for Game of Thrones season one, and the islands have also hosted Black Sails. Valletta, Mdina, the Three Cities and Fort Ricasoli are the recurring backdrops across most of these productions.

Popeye Village at Anchor Bay, near Mellieħa in the north of Malta, was built as a full working film set for the 1980 musical Popeye starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall. The wooden village was left standing after filming and has since been turned into a family attraction with a small museum, boat trips around the bay and activities for children. It's reachable by bus from Mellieħa or Bugibba, though it's worth checking current opening hours and admission prices with the attraction directly, as these are adjusted seasonally.

Several Game of Thrones locations in Malta can still be visited. Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara and Fort Manoel on Manoel Island, both used for King's Landing scenes, can be seen from outside even when not open for tours, and Mdina's streets and gates, which doubled for parts of the city, are freely walkable as they're a normal residential town. The famous Azure Window on Gozo, used for the Dothraki wedding scene, collapsed into the sea during a storm in 2017 and no longer exists, though the Dwejra area where it stood is still worth visiting.

Gladiator II used Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara as one of its main Malta locations, building on the fort's long history as a stand-in for ancient Rome that started with the original Gladiator film. Additional scenes were shot elsewhere in Malta and at studio locations outside the country, so the finished film blends Maltese exteriors with sets built specifically for the production. Fort Ricasoli itself is not routinely open to the public, so check with a local tour operator if you want to see the site.

Malta packs an unusual range of backdrops into a small area: 5,000 years of architecture from megalithic temples to Baroque Valletta, honey-coloured limestone that reads as ancient Rome, Jerusalem or a fictional fantasy kingdom, and the natural harbours of the Grand Harbour and Fort Ricasoli. The government also runs a film tax incentive scheme that rebates a share of local production spend, which has drawn major studios for decades. On top of that, the Mediterranean Film Studios in Kalkara has one of the largest water tanks in Europe, built for filming ship and sea battle scenes.

The Azure Window, the natural limestone arch at Dwejra on Gozo used as the location for Daenerys and Khal Drogo's wedding in Season 1 of Game of Thrones, collapsed into the sea during a storm in March 2017. The arch itself is gone, but the site is still visited, and the submerged rock formations have become a known dive and snorkel spot for experienced divers. The Dwejra coastline around the former arch, including the Inland Sea, remains open and free to visit.

Jurassic World Dominion used Fort Ricasoli, on the Kalkara side of the Grand Harbour, as the setting for the Malta black-market dinosaur sequences, one of the film's larger action set pieces. Fort Ricasoli is a working film site rather than a general tourist attraction, so it's not normally open for casual visits, but you can view its walls from across the harbour in Valletta or on a harbour boat tour. Check with harbour cruise operators in Valletta or Sliema for boat trips that pass close to the fort.

Malta has stood in for ancient Rome, Troy, revolutionary France and more. Notable titles include Gladiator and Gladiator II, Troy, Napoleon, Captain Phillips, World War Z, Assassin's Creed, Munich, Midnight Express, The Count of Monte Cristo, and the 1980 musical Popeye. On television, Game of Thrones filmed its first season largely in Malta before production moved elsewhere for later seasons.

Both Gladiator (2000) and its 2024 sequel Gladiator II built their arena and Rome sets at Fort Ricasoli, the large 17th-century fort on the Kalkara side of the Grand Harbour, opposite Valletta. The fort's scale and blank limestone walls have made it Malta's go-to stand-in for ancient Rome for over two decades. It's an active film set and military-heritage site, so access is restricted outside of organised tours; the best public view is from Valletta's bastions or a Grand Harbour boat trip.

Popeye Village at Anchor Bay, near Mellieħa, was built as a genuine, fully functional film set for the 1980 Popeye movie starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall. After filming wrapped, the wooden village was left standing and gradually turned into a paid visitor attraction, now with a small museum, café and activities alongside the original film buildings. It's reachable by bus from Mellieħa or as part of an organised tour; check the attraction's own website for current opening hours and admission prices before visiting.

The Azure Window itself collapsed into the sea during a storm in March 2017, so that iconic arch is gone for good. You can still visit Dwejra Bay in Gozo where it stood, including the Inland Sea and the surrounding cliffs that appeared in Game of Thrones as the Dothraki wedding scene location. Other Gozo and Malta filming spots from the series, such as the Azure Window's neighbouring Fungus Rock and San Anton Palace exteriors used for Illyrio Mopatis's mansion, remain accessible.

Malta offers a compact mix of landscapes — sandstone cliffs, medieval walled cities, sandy beaches and open sea — all within a short drive of each other, which lets productions shoot multiple looks without moving countries. The government also runs a cash rebate scheme for film productions, and the Malta Film Studios in Kalkara has large water tanks built for staging sea battles, first constructed for films like Raise the Titanic. English is an official language, which simplifies working with local crews and authorities.

Fort Ricasoli is a large 17th-century fort at the tip of the Kalkara peninsula, across the Grand Harbour from Valletta. Its scale, thick limestone walls and empty parade grounds make it easy to dress as anything from a Roman arena to a fictional city, and it has stood in for King's Landing in Game of Thrones and appeared in Gladiator, World War Z and Assassin's Creed. Being right next to the Malta Film Studios' water tanks also makes it convenient for productions already filming harbour or sea scenes nearby.

Several local operators run Game of Thrones and film-location tours by minibus or boat, typically covering sites in Mdina, Fort Ricasoli, Dingli Cliffs and Gozo's Dwejra area in a half-day or full-day trip. Prices and exact itineraries vary between operators and change from season to season, so check current listings on sites like Viator or with Malta-based tour companies directly before booking. You can also visit most of these locations independently by car or public bus — Mdina and Dingli are reachable on Malta Public Transport routes from Valletta — without joining an organised tour.