Malta Transport

In Malta, rather muddled public transport, virtually all bus routes start from City Gate near the port of Valletta (Gozo - at the terminal in Victoria), which greatly complicates the transfer, even between nearby cities. In addition, phlegm, and sometimes encountered rudeness local drivers cause many tourists puzzled.

The main form of public transport - buses, running from 6.00 to 23.00. Cars are yellow in Malta and gray-red - Gozo, and therefore easily distinguished from the general traffic flow. The fare takes the driver (at the end stops it makes the conductor), and to exit, it is necessary to pull the special cord connected to the call, or click in the window. Routes rather tortuous and confusing, so throughout the visit should closely follow the route of the bus. There are only a few "direct" route, but they rarely go, and the ticket costs 3 times more expensive. All stops - on demand, to stop going on the route the bus is also easy to simply "vote" on the sidelines, but it's better just to stand at the bus stop - the bus must stop. All bus routes are divided into 3 zones, each with its tariff. On average, one trip is from 8 to 20 Maltese cents, "direct" express - 30-40 cents.

Movement of the left hand side, so you must slowly adapt to this and be especially careful. Status of major roads in Malta is good, secondary roads are often not in the best condition, besides barely lit at night, tortuous and have a rather significant elevation changes. Speed limits - 60 km / h on the highway and 40 km / h in town. Most of the local fleet is a diverse mix of cars, virtually all manufacturers of the late twentieth century. Many of them were issued in 50-70's, and therefore should be particularly careful in assessing the capabilities of its "neighbors on the road."

Pedestrian crossings are designated not only the stripes on the asphalt, but the two orange lights (one on each side of the street), and night illumination. Parking in the wrong place shall be punished by a fine of 10 pounds or evacuation vehicles. In large cities have formal pay-tiered parking, and free parking allocated to the special markings. Do not get up along the yellow line, close to bus stops, on the ground "for people with disabilities" (labeled "DISABLED"), etc. Moving the car around the historical center of Valletta is prohibited. On the Maltese roads extremely difficult to navigate without a map - pointers are placed randomly and often contradict themselves.

Important for this island nation are ferries between Malta, Gozo and Comino. Ferries go from 6.00-6.45 to 23.00 every 20 min., Fare - 1,5-1,75 lira per adult and 50 Maltese cents for a child (the passage of the car round trip costs about 3,5-5,75 lire) for a line of Malta-Gozo. Tickets are sold only in Gozo. Also, all the coastal cities are connected boats, both regular and excursion.

Taxis are very common, but very expensive. There are two types of machines - black (only work on order, the tariff is less than the standard times in 2) and white (the cost of travel shall designate a driver). It is recommended to choose the car only with a counter, otherwise the cost of travel would have to negotiate with the driver.