Malta Travel Guide - Essentials

Safety: with tourism providing such a major source of income for so many, a friendly and non-intimidating environment is essential to good business and hence Malta is considered an exceptionally safe place for tourists with little in the way of serious crime or threat of violence.

Some degree of petty crime is inevitable however but can largely be avoided with some diligence and common sense. Thwart the efforts of opportunists by not leaving items of value on display in parked vehicles, keep cash in hard to reach places about your person and wear bags over the head and shoulder.

Temperatures can get a little on the steamy side at this time however, so if you aren’t well adjusted to the heat then you might prefer to come a little earlier, say May or June, or a little later perhaps in September.

Money: Malta has yet to adopt the Euro and hence retains its own currency which is the Maltese Lira (MTL), a volume comprised of 100 cents or 1,000 mils. Notes are issued in denominations of 20, 10, 5 and 2; while coins come in 50, 25, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents. ATMs are readily available on the island, as are currency exchange centres.

Emergency: 112; a solid emergency service infrastructure is in operation ensuring speedy responses to urgent calls.

Ambulance: 112

Police: 112

Tourist police emergency hotline: non available

Recommended hospitals:
St Phillips Hospital. Tel: +356 21442211
St Luke's, Malta. Tel: +356 241 251

Internet is widely available and can be found in hotels, internet cafes and airports. Malta welcomes business visitors from most countries provided they operate within the constraints of local law.

Typical business hours:

• Government departments: 08:30 to 16:30, Monday to Friday.
• Retail: 09:00 to 19:00, Monday to Saturday.
• Banking: 08:30 to 12:30, Monday to Friday; 08:30 - 11:30, Saturday.