The city of Sliema, originally a church and fishing village, has become one of the most sought after places in Malta. There is definitely an Italian vibe throughout the city, with shops and cafes attracting visitors and locals throughout the year.
One of the most popular areas is known as ‘The Ferries’ or ‘Sliema Strand’ – it is the busiest part of the city, as most of the shops are located here, with clothing stores taking the top spots. Several international brands have chosen to make Sliema their headquarters in Malta, and the crowds flock to see what’s new and indulge in a bit of retail therapy. For those not into shopping, there are plenty of cafes overlooking Marsamxett Harbour, with the capital, Valletta, just across the water.
The newly developed Tigne area of Sliema has taken the commercial character of the city one step further, with Malta’s largest shopping center at Tigne Point. Complete with luxury apartments and civic landscaping, Tigne is fast becoming an upscale area of the city as developers court wealthy European visitors eager for their own slice of the island. Tigne and neighboring Qui-Si-Sana are also home to some lidos and a dive center – diving in Malta is ranked among the best in the world. While it’s a busy city, it’s never too busy for a crowded coastline during the hot summer months, when visitors and locals cool off in the sea.
The area between Sliema Strand and the neighboring town of Ballutta, known as Sliema Front or Tower Road, is a long seafront promenade that stretches all the way to St Julians. The views over the sea are beautiful year-round, with benches along the walkway so you can take it all in. This entire stretch of coastline is a mix of limestone and soft sandstone and is used for swimming and sunbathing from May through the end of September (and often longer). Part of understanding the Maltese character is understanding the two ways of life that come with summer and winter. During the colder months, it’s an island of restaurants, car rides, and avoiding any trace of rain: it’s during the summer months that the entire island emerges as if in hibernation, and for six months of the year, people are rarely at home, with the beaches becoming a kind of communal living room. The divide between winter and summer obviously occurs everywhere, but it is very pronounced here, with an almost completely different lifestyle and character accompanying the seasons. It’s not like northern Europe where the summer sun is intermittent and cloudy, cooler days can appear. In Malta, the sun is hot in mid-April and it is quite sunny and hot every day until September. It’s consistency that allows for such a cultural shift each summer: you’ll never think to ‘bring a sweater in case it gets cold’.
There are plenty of self-catering apartments and hotels in Sliema, and the cafes and restaurants are well-prepared for the influx of visitors the city sees every year. Boat and ferry trips around the Grand Harbour, to the neighboring islands of Gozo and Comino, and to many other tourist destinations depart from Sliema Strand, hence its other name, ‘The Ferries’. There is also a small ferry that travels through Marsamxett Harbor directly to Valletta, Malta’s capital, and it’s a lovely cheap crossing, taking around seven minutes and well worth the cost at less than two euros per person.
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