Malta and Gozo on €24/Day: Sleeping in a Rental Car

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

Malta is the smallest EU member state. Five days, two islands:

ITEM	COST (2P)	NOTES
Car Rental	€59.47	€14.87/day via DiscoverCars, 4 days, €3/Day Rental Car Guide.
Fuel	€20.00	€5/day. Small islands. Fuel efficient Toyota Aygo X.
Rideshare	€12.00	2 x Bolt
Ferry	€22.45	Valletta – €2.80/person return Malta – Gozo (return): (off-season night fares) €12.80 – Car and Driver €4.05 – Second Passenger
Stay	€25.00	4 nights – Slept in the rental car €25 x 1 night – Airbnb in Senglea
Food	€70.00	€7/day per person Shopped at Lidl
Sights	€30.00	Per person: €10 – Ħaġar Qim €5 – Mosta Rotunda
TOTAL	€238.92	5 days at €23.89/day per person

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Getting There

We paid €16 for a Ryanair flight from Sicily (there’s also a ferry, but it’s more expensive at €70–€90) and €28 to fly onward to Porto with Ryanair – consistently the cheapest on the route. Small carry-on only.

Malta was the final stop on a 23-day trip – full overview: Southern Italy & Malta on €31/Day.

If you’re flexible with your dates and travel with a small bag, both Ryanair and Wizz Air compete aggressively and fly for under €20 from Malta to Italy (including Sicily), Greece, France, the UK, Spain, Poland and more. Use Skyscanner with the flexible dates option.

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Car Rental at Malta Luqa Airport

• Cost: We paid €59.47 for 4 days (€14.87/day) via DiscoverCars (my review).
• Current Prices: Small cars from €25/week (~€3.60/day) off-season at the time of writing. 8.0+ rated companies (my recommendation) start at €46/week. One of the cheaper airports in Europe – see: European Car Rental Price Comparison.
• Provider: SIXT. 5/5. Smooth throughout, very professional feeling. Minimal upselling at the counter. No issues at return – left the key in the drop-off box, got a report the next day.
• Vehicle: Toyota Aygo X. Booked: Economy (Toyota Aygo X or similar).
• Excess: €1,200. Deposit: €400. We were covered by Cover4Rentals and declined all desk upsells. Full process: €3/Day Rental Car Guide.

• Tolls: All public roads in Malta are free.
• Fuel: Government-capped and subsidized prices – effectively the same across all stations. Some of the lowest fuel prices in Europe.
• Parking: Lots of free on-street parking. Tourist areas often have informal attendants – tipping isn’t mandatory (signs say so), but expect some pressure.

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Sleeping in a Rental Car in Malta

Toyota Aygo X. 4/5. Small, fuel-efficient, and surprisingly comfortable for sleeping. At 190cm I slept on an inflated mat with my head in the trunk and feet between the front seats. Seats fold completely flat – big upside. It fit two people, though my partner being smaller definitely helped. Full sleeping audit: Best Rental Cars to Sleep In.

• Legality: No law against sleeping in cars in Malta. Quiet off-season – we didn’t see anyone else doing it. Full guide: Sleeping in Rental Cars.
• Facilities: Some public toilet coverage, but not reliable everywhere. Very clean.
• Overnight Spots: Park4night for marked spots. I’ve linked our actual sleeping spots in the Route section below.
• Backup Accommodation: Booking.com – sort by lowest price, filter to 7.0+. Cross check against Airbnb – that’s what we used for our first night in Malta – in Senglea, a short ferry ride from Valletta.

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Food

Once again Lidl proved to be the cheapest supermarket – as in most European countries. Prices were slightly higher than in Sicily, but still very affordable. We shopped there throughout.

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Route

Valletta and the Three Cities

We arrived at Malta Airport on a flight from Sicily. We decided to spend the first night in an Airbnb in Senglea to base ourselves for exploring Valletta. That evening we walked around the Three Cities: Birgu and Fort St Angelo. It didn’t feel touristy at all, yet it was so beautiful.

Next morning we checked out but left our bags at the Airbnb. We headed over to Valletta by ferry. The main landmarks: City Gate, Upper Barrakka, Lower Barrakka, and St John’s Co-Cathedral – we didn’t go in, they asked €15, too much to see another church. The capital didn’t feel overwhelming, it was quite small – there were some tourists in February, but it wasn’t packed. We found the place really pleasant and charming.

Afterwards we came back to the Airbnb, picked up the bags, and headed to the airport to collect the rental car. We used Bolt. A ride from the airport to Valletta takes 15–20 minutes and costs €12–€20. We had some promo codes that made it half price.

We started driving and slept by the sea next to St Peter’s Pool – usually a parking lot for tourists, at night completely empty.

Southern and Central Malta

First stop: Marsaxlokk, a fishing village on the east coast with its lively open air market. We followed the coast westward – started on small roads, some of them dirt, before switching to the main roads when it was taking too long. Hiked a bit around the coast near Blue Grotto.

Next stop was one of the highlights of the trip – Ħaġar Qim Temple. A megalithic temple complex dating back 5,000–6,000 years, very well preserved. Audio guide included with admission and really good. We spent a couple of hours there.

Ta’ Dmejrek is the highest point in Malta – essentially a small hill right next to the road. We did the 2-minute climb for the experience, it felt quite funny. Dingli Cliffs is right next to it and worth a look.

Then Mdina, a fortified former capital next to Rabat – car-free, with prominent appearances in Game of Thrones. We also walked around nearby Rabat, which felt more lived-in.

Gozo

In the evening we took the ferry to Gozo – under an hour. Right after arriving we drove to a scenic spot by the sea and slept there. Toilets on site.

We spent the next day on Gozo – the other Maltese island, only 15 km wide. We woke up early and started following the coast southwest. Hiked a bit around Sannat Cliffs, then followed the coast to the Blue Hole. Next stop was the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu – one of the country’s most important religious sites, a towering church in the plains. Beautiful mosaics, you can see it for free.

Not far off we stopped at traditional salt pans – everything on Gozo is pretty close. We also pulled over at Calypso’s Cave – permanently closed for safety reasons, but worth knowing: this is the cave Homer allegedly refers to in the Odyssey.

Next was Ġgantija Archaeological Park – two megalithic temples over 5,000 years old and a museum. We found Ħaġar Qim slightly more impressive, but Ġgantija is still worth it. Our last stop before the ferry back was Citadella de Victoria – another fortified city – Malta’s special.

North Malta and Departure

Back in Malta we found a large secluded parking lot next to the sea and spent the night. We woke up early and had a swim nearby – chilly, but refreshing.

We took it easy that day – hiked around north Malta’s coast, checked out the Red Tower. We also gave a ride to an older English hitchhiker, before spending the evening in St Paul’s Bay – a pretty forgettable place, mostly a resort holiday destination. We slept not far off.

The next day was another slow one. In general we found ourselves with a lot of time in Malta – the place is surprisingly small and we’d covered a lot of ground in the first two days.

We did some more hiking in the central part, checked out St Julian’s and Mosta with its super interesting Rotunda – use the audio guide included in the ticket, again great quality.

Had supper at Il-Ġnien ta’ Sant’Anton before heading to the airport to return the car. Our flight was early next morning, so we had to try and sleep a bit at the airport. It wasn’t very comfortable, but we managed to find armchairs in one of the cafes that had closed for the night – you could still access it, and plenty of other people did.

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Season

Late February, deep in the off-season was perfect for us. Not packed with tourists, sure there were quite a few at the most popular spots, still some tour buses, but at the same time we found many places where we were completely alone.

The weather was sunny, we found it warm enough for a swim (although the sea was chilly). It never got colder than 10°C at night, which was perfect for car sleeping.

I’d avoid high season – June–August – crowded and too hot.

November–March is my recommendation.

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Practical

Currency

Euro (€). Cards are accepted almost everywhere. Revolut works well – note the 1% weekend markup on currency exchange.

SIM

Malta is covered by EU Roam Like at Home rules. If you have an EU-based SIM, no extra roaming charges.

If you don’t have one, check eSIMDB, filter by data needed, trip length, and sort by price.

Language

English is an official language in Malta alongside Maltese. No language barrier.

A few useful phrases in Maltese for cultural immersion: bonġu – good morning/good day, grazzi – thank you.

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Tips Summary

• Car Rental: Book via DiscoverCars. Off-season small cars from €25/week (~€3.60/day) at the time of writing. Stick to 8.0+ rated companies – starts at €46/week.
• Tolls: None. All public roads in Malta are free.
• Fuel: Government-capped prices – effectively the same at every station. Some of the lowest in Europe.
• Parking: Mostly free on-street. Tourist areas have informal attendants – tipping isn’t mandatory, but expect some pressure.
• Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum: Book well ahead – we didn’t manage to get a ticket. High season: 3–4 months out. Low season: 1–2 months. Ticket at €35. Last-minute in-person tickets available the day before at €50, but no guaranteed availability. Arrive early to queue.
• Audio Guides: Included with admission at Ħaġar Qim, Ġgantija, and Mosta Rotunda. All very good – use them.
• Rideshare: Bolt is generally slightly cheaper than Uber. Airport to Valletta: 15–20 minutes, €12–€20.
• Season: Late February is ideal. Few crowds, sunny, nights around 10°C – perfect for car sleeping. Avoid June–August – packed and too hot. November–March recommended.
• Food: Lidl is the cheapest supermarket on the island.

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