BlaakLane.com provides chauffeur service in Valletta and across Malta: transfers from Malta International Airport (MLA), pickups at Valletta Cruise Port in the Grand Harbour, runs to St Julian's, Sliema and Mdina, and cars to the Gozo ferry. The booking engine shows a fixed fare before you confirm. Trips are driven by a vetted local affiliate; your confirmation names the operator and chauffeur.
Booking a chauffeur in Valletta: the short version
Enter your pickup in the reservation engine on this page or at /book/: an MLA flight number, a ship name and arrival date for the cruise port, or a hotel in Valletta, Floriana or St Julian's. Add the destination, time and vehicle class. The price that appears is fixed, with no meter and no surge during festa season. Our dispatch desk in Toronto, open 24/7, passes the job to a vetted Maltese affiliate contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard.
Malta is small, so most bookings are short point-to-point transfers or half-day and full-day hourly chauffeur service. Conference groups, yacht crews and wedding parties needing several vehicles are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Malta International Airport: how pickup works
MLA at Luqa has a single passenger terminal handling all flights. Standard pickup is at the designated pre-arranged pickup area outside the arrivals hall; the chauffeur messages you with the vehicle and exact spot once you have collected your bags. A name-board meet and greet inside arrivals is an add-on, and add-ons are only available in selected locations.
Flights are tracked, so the chauffeur is timed to the actual landing. Included waiting is 60 minutes from landing on international arrivals, 30 minutes on domestic flights and 15 minutes on other pickups, then 15-minute blocks. The airport sits about 8 km from Valletta; the drive to City Gate usually takes 15 to 25 minutes, and 20 to 35 minutes to St Julian's. Details of terminal facilities are on the Malta International Airport site, and our airport transfers page explains the service in general.
Valletta Cruise Port and the Grand Harbour
Cruise ships berth along the Valletta Waterfront at Pinto Wharf in Floriana, below the bastions, with larger ships sometimes tendered or moored across the harbour. Your chauffeur waits at the cruise port's pickup area once you clear the terminal. Turnaround passengers typically go straight to MLA (about 15 to 25 minutes) or to a hotel for a pre-cruise night. Port-day passengers often book a four-hour car to see Mdina, the Blue Grotto and the Three Cities, returning well before all-aboard.
The Grand Harbour also sees superyachts at the Grand Harbour Marina in Birgu and at Manoel Island in Marsamxett. See cruise lines and ports for how we handle embarkation-day timing.
Drive times across Malta
| Route | Distance | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| MLA to Valletta City Gate | 8 km | 15-25 min |
| MLA to St Julian's or Sliema | 12 km | 20-35 min |
| Valletta to Mdina and Rabat | 13 km | 20-30 min |
| Valletta to the Cirkewwa ferry (for Gozo) | 30 km | 40-60 min |
| MLA to Cirkewwa | 32 km | 40-60 min |
| Valletta to Marsaxlokk | 10 km | 20-30 min |
Malta's roads are congested for their size. The coast road through Msida and the arterial routes around Marsa slow sharply at the morning and evening peaks, so we plan conservatively for flights and sailings.
Driving in Malta: left-hand traffic and Valletta access
Malta drives on the left, a legacy of British rule, and most vehicles are right-hand drive. Roundabouts are frequent, lanes are narrow in old towns and parking is scarce. Within Valletta itself much of the grid is pedestrianised or restricted, and a Controlled Vehicular Access scheme charges Maltese-registered vehicles for time spent inside the city on weekday daytime hours. In practice your chauffeur drops at City Gate, at the Upper Barrakka area, at your hotel entrance where access permits, or at the Valletta Waterfront, and will say in advance if a short walk is needed. Transport Malta publishes road and access rules.
Getting to Gozo
The Gozo Channel ferry runs from Cirkewwa on Malta's north tip to Mgarr on Gozo, a crossing of roughly 25 minutes. Vehicles can travel on it. A fast passenger ferry also links Valletta with Mgarr in about 45 minutes. A common plan is a car from your hotel to Cirkewwa or to the Valletta ferry terminal, then a second car booked on Gozo for the villas and farmhouses around Xaghra and Gharb. Book both legs together and the desk aligns the timings. In summer the Cirkewwa queue for vehicles can be long on Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings, so foot passengers with a car waiting on each side often move faster than those taking the vehicle across.
Private flyers land at MLA's business aviation apron on the Luqa side of the airfield; tell us the handling agent and tail number and the car is arranged to the FBO exit. See private aviation.
Where visitors stay and meet
Inside the walls, The Phoenicia Malta faces City Gate and boutique palazzo hotels line Republic and Merchants Streets. The Mediterranean Conference Centre, in the former Sacra Infermeria of the Knights, hosts summits and gala dinners. Most larger hotels sit in St Julian's and St George's Bay: the Hilton Malta at Portomaso, the InterContinental Malta and the Corinthia St George's Bay. Inland, the Corinthia Palace in Attard is close to the presidential gardens at San Anton. Gaming, fintech and financial services firms cluster in St Julian's, Ta' Xbiex, Gzira and the SmartCity at Kalkara, so corporate car service often links these districts in one day.
Malta's events calendar
- February: Carnival, with floats and parades in Valletta and Floriana in the days before Lent.
- Late April: the Malta International Fireworks Festival over the Grand Harbour.
- June to September: village festas nearly every weekend, bringing street closures and fireworks.
- July: the Malta Jazz Festival on the Valletta waterfront.
- Early October: Notte Bianca in Valletta, and later in the month the Rolex Middle Sea Race from the Grand Harbour.
Festa closures shift routes at short notice. Chauffeurs know the local diversions. Check dates on Visit Malta.
Entry rules for arrivals in Malta
Malta is in the EU and the Schengen area. Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System is fully operational, so non-EU visitors on short stays register fingerprints and a facial image at their first Schengen border crossing, which can lengthen passport control at peak times. ETIAS travel authorisation is not yet in operation. Flights from other Schengen countries arrive without passport control. We build this into timing: the 60-minute international allowance starts at landing.
Choosing a vehicle in Malta
A Standard Sedan suits one or two travellers. An executive SUV or Standard Black SUV is better for families with luggage and golf bags, and a Sprinter Van moves a wedding party or an incentive group between Valletta and a venue in Mdina. Minicoaches suit conference transfers. Stretch limousines and Rolls-Royce or Bentley wedding cars come from partners. See the fleet and what each fare includes on rates. Child seats are free on request.
Changes and cancellation
Cancel more than 72 hours ahead at no charge. Within 72 hours the fee is 10%, within 48 hours 50%, and within 24 hours or for a no-show 100%. Flight delays are absorbed by tracking.
Nearby cities
Travellers combining Malta with Sicily often book a car in Palermo. For other Mediterranean islands, see Rhodes and Heraklion, or the Malta country page.
