Gzira

Discover Gzira

Gzira. Sliema's Best Kept Secret.

Why Book Your Gzira Holiday with GotoBeach?

Gżira is Malta's quiet-value secret — a small, unshowy seafront town tucked between smart Sliema and the university district of Msida, looking straight across its harbour to the island of Manoel and the walls of Valletta beyond. It doesn't have Sliema's boutiques or St Julian's nightlife, and it makes no pretence of a beach; what it offers instead is a friendly, walkable, well-connected base at genuinely gentle prices, with one of the loveliest harbour views in Malta thrown in. For independent travellers, couples and anyone who wants to spend their money on the holiday rather than the address, Gżira is a shrewd, under-the-radar choice — close to everything, quieter than its neighbours, and a short stroll from Sliema's promenade and swimming.

Every Gżira package we sell carries full ATOL financial protection under licence #11211, and your ATOL Certificate arrives the moment you book — you can read exactly how your ATOL financial protection works before you commit a penny. Every hotel on this page has been hand-picked and inspected in person against our 22-point criteria, which is especially worth doing in a value town: a harbour-view room here can rival a five-star's outlook for a fraction of the price, but only if you know which rooms have it.

"Gżira is the base I quietly recommend to savvy travellers who've done Malta before and want value without giving up the location," says Thomas Kaplan, our Product Manager and Mediterranean specialist, whose twenty-eight years across TUI, Thomas Cook, Neckermann and Vrijuit have taught him to spot an underrated address. "On my audit visits here I do the same thing I do everywhere — I ask for a standard room, not the best in the house, and I check the honest things: which floors get the harbour and Manoel Island view, how the street sounds at night, whether the value is real or just cheap. Gżira rewards that scrutiny, because the good rooms are a genuine bargain and the walk to Sliema is nothing." You can read more about Thomas and how he inspects every property we sell.

 

Photos of Gzira

Hand Picked Deals

Top Hotels in Gzira

Hotel Kennedy Nova
Hotel Kennedy Nova

Gzira / Malta

Bed&Breakfast

£ 715.07

Discover Gzira

Top hotels in Gżira

Inspected in person · 22-point criteria

Gżira is a compact town with a small, well-chosen line-up rather than a strip of resorts — here are the two harbourfront hotels we rate, both offering that Manoel Island view at value prices.

Gżira seafront · Harbourfront position

Gżira seafront

Hotel Kennedy Nova

Harbourfront Value Four-Star
★★★★

Gżira's long-standing seafront four-star, sitting right on the harbour promenade with a rooftop pool and sun terrace that make the most of the view across to Manoel Island and Valletta. Comfortable, well-run and keenly priced, it's an ideal base for couples and independent travellers who want a harbour-view room, an easy walk into Sliema and the whole island a bus ride away — solid value in a prime spot.

🏖 Harbour promenade; Sliema lidos a walk away

Gżira promenade · Modern seafront

Gżira promenade

Verdi Gżira Promenade

Modern Seafront Aparthotel
★★★★

A fresh, contemporary aparthotel right on the Gżira promenade, with smart, well-equipped rooms and apartments — some with kitchenettes — and a modern, self-sufficient feel that suits longer stays and independent travellers. The harbour and its view are on the doorstep, Sliema's shopping and dining are a short stroll, and the flexibility of an apartment base makes it a great-value home for exploring Malta.

🏖 On the promenade; walk to Sliema swimming

Those two are our Gżira picks, both trading resort facilities for an unbeatable-value harbourfront position. Because Gżira flows straight into its neighbours on foot, it pairs naturally with them: browse the smarter seafront of Sliema a few minutes north for more hotels and the Valletta ferry, the nightlife and dining of St Julian's a little further on, or see how the whole base fits together on our Malta Island page. For the best-value board across the island, filter our pick of all-inclusive hotels in Malta or browse our cheaper Malta holidays .

When to go to Gżira

Gżira works as a town base almost year-round, so it's flexible — here's how the months feel, and when our specialist would book for value.

When Air Sea Our take
April–May 19–24°C 17–19°C Warm, bright and quiet, with the harbour promenade and Valletta at their loveliest and the best value of the year; the sea is still fresh but the town and sightseeing shine. A smart pick for a low-cost city-and-sea break.
June 27–29°C 22–23°C Hot, dry and sunny, with the nearby Sliema lidos warming up and the front lively in the evenings. A lovely, good-value window before the peak.
July–August 31–33°C 25–27°C Peak heat and buzz along the coast — the Sliema lidos are full and the promenades alive late. Gżira stays a touch calmer and cheaper than its smarter neighbours.
September 28–30°C 26°C Our pick: the warmest sea of the year, easing heat and softening prices — the sweet spot for value and comfort on this coast.
October 24°C 24°C A gentle, good-value wind-down with swimmable seas and mild evenings — ideal for couples and budget-minded off-peak breaks.

If you can pick your week, June and September give the best mix of warm water, comfortable heat and value — September especially, when the sea is at its warmest and prices ease. Because Gżira makes such a good town base, the quieter shoulder months of spring and autumn are genuinely rewarding here, with the harbour, the ferry and the promenade at their best and the lowest prices of all.

The practical parts

Getting there

You fly into Malta International Airport (MLA) near Luqa, and the transfer to Gżira is a short one — around 20 to 25 minutes by road. Plenty of UK airports run direct services year-round, not just in summer, and every GoToBeach package includes your flights and your airport-to-hotel transfer at both ends.

Passports & entry

Malta is in the EU and the Schengen area, so British passport holders can visit for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you enter and be valid for at least three months after you plan to leave. The EU's new EES entry-check system is now live at the border and ETIAS is due to follow, so rules can change at short notice — always recheck the official guidance before you travel.

Money

The currency is the euro. Cards are accepted in the hotels and most restaurants, but Gżira is a good place to carry a little cash for the local cafés, kiosks, buses and small shops that give the town its everyday value. Tipping isn't obligatory — rounding up or leaving a euro or two for good service is the usual courtesy.

Health & insurance

A free UK GHIC covers state healthcare in Malta on the same terms as locals, but it is not a substitute for travel insurance — comprehensive cover for repatriation, private treatment and cancellations is essential. We can point you towards arranging suitable travel insurance when you book. English is an official language and widely spoken, which makes pharmacies and clinics easy to deal with.

Getting around

Gżira is one of Malta's easiest bases to enjoy without a car. It's a short walk to Sliema and its Valletta ferry, next to the Msida bus interchange, and the whole island is reachable by cheap, frequent buses. If you'd rather drive to the northern beaches or the countryside, a hire car for a day or two is simple — just remember Malta drives on the left, and parking in the town is tight.

Food & drink

Gżira is a genuinely good place to eat like a local, with honest Maltese restaurants and everyday cafés along the front at friendly prices, and the far bigger choice of Sliema and St Julian's a short walk away. Most hotels here run on a bed-and-breakfast basis, which suits a town where eating out is easy and affordable. Our specialist's guide to Malta's nightlife and gastronomy points you to the best tables nearby.

Map of Gzira

Frequently Asked Questions About Gzira

Common questions and answers for planning your Gzira holiday.

Handpicked packages featuring the best destinations across the Gzira

Official guidance & sources

Entry and health rules for Malta can change at short notice, especially as the EU rolls out its new EES and ETIAS systems, so always check the official advice when you book and again shortly before you fly. These are the sources we trust.