Practical Information for visiting Malta

Money & Payments

Malta has used the euro since 2008, when it joined the eurozone four years after joining the European Union, so there is no currency to change for visitors from the euro area. Bus tickets are bought on board with cash or a contactless bank card, and the Gozo ferry sells online and at its booths. Card habits, tipping and cash machines are not summarised here until they have been read on an authority's page.

Stay Safe (2026 security update)

Crime against tourists in Malta is rare. What does occur is opportunistic: robbery, handbag snatching, pickpocketing and theft from parked cars.

The precautions are ordinary ones and they are the whole list. Be cautious when exchanging money and using ATMs. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash where you can. Do not keep all your valuables in one place. Keep a copy of your passport somewhere safe.

That is a genuinely short safety section, and the shortness is the information. Malta's real hazards are the ones this site covers elsewhere — the summer heat, the traffic on narrow roads, and the sea — rather than crime.

Verified against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad), September 2026.

Local Laws & Etiquette

At the Hypogeum, the rules are absolute. Heritage Malta admits 80 people a day, infants aged one to five are not admitted, and a last-minute ticket, when one exists, costs €50 against €35 booked ahead. Book before you travel.

On the Gozo ferry, the ticket is bought and validated on the Gozo side before the return or start journey; boarding at Ċirkewwa without a ticket is how it works, not an oversight, and child tickets are sold only at the Gozo booths.

On the buses, pay the driver in cash or by contactless card; the single fare is valid for two hours of travel.

Filfla is a natural reserve with access restricted by law since 1988.

Laws on driving, alcohol, drones, dress in churches and the like are not summarised here until they have been read on the authorities' own pages.

Verified against Heritage Malta, September 2026.

Emergency Information

Emergency number: 112, the single European emergency number, reaches police, ambulance and fire from any phone in Malta as in every EU country, free of charge.

Gozo Channel head office: +356 2210 9000.

Verified against European Union (Your Europe), September 2026.

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against Heritage Malta — Hypogeum admission: adults €35, youths 12–17 and seniors €20, children 6–11 €15, infants 1–5 not admitted, last-minute tickets €50 (September 2026).
Checked against Gozo Channel — Tickets are validated only on the Gozo side before the return or start journey; drivers board at Ċirkewwa without validating; child tickets are sold only at the Gozo booths, Gozo Channel head office +356 2210 9000 (September 2026).
Checked against Malta Public Transport — Bus tickets are bought on board with cash or a contactless card; the winter single of €2.00, valid for two hours on day services, applied from 19 October 2025 to 13 June 2026, Bus tickets are bought on board with cash or a contactless card; the winter single of €2.00, valid for two hours on day services, applied from 19 October 2025 to 13 June 2026 (September 2026).
Checked against European Union (Your Europe) — 112 is the single European emergency number and reaches the emergency services from any phone in Malta, as in every EU country (September 2026).
Checked against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad) — Crime against tourists in Malta is rare, but there have been incidents of robbery, handbag snatching, pickpocketing and theft from parked cars; to reduce the risk travellers should be cautious when exchanging money and using ATMs, avoid carrying large amounts of cash if possible, not keep all their valuables in one place, and keep a copy of their passport somewhere safe (September 2026).