Hi
My husband and I are considering moving to Malta. We visited last week to see some of the island and meet some work contacts, and had our first experience of the roads, traffic and driving which was interesting!
We hate our commute at home in the UK and really want to get away from sitting in traffic, stopping and starting etc. Therefore, we think that if we move we would rather stay as close to work as possible and potentially walk, or only have a few bus stops, to get to work.
We understand that this probably means we would be limited to renting an apartment, which will be a change from the detached house at home! However if we had a penthouse or maisonette we hope that the noise won't be too bad and a large roof terrace instead of a garden will be nice (less maintenance anyway!). We like the spacious, modern apartments we've seen online.
So, my question is, if we base ourselves in Msida or Pieta to be close to work, do you think we could largely live life without a car? Or at least only need it on occasion? Are there supermarkets, shops, facilities in the area? Also, is online grocery shopping possible in Malta?
If anyone can share their experience of living in this area it would be great- is it really busy? We went through B'kara and Mosta on the bus one day and it was so so busy there - with all the buildings close to each other it did feel very built up. Do Msida and Pieta have a more spacious feel to them? Is there a sense of community or do these areas feel more like busy suburbs?
Any advice would be very gratefully received.
Thanks
Could we live a car free life?!
Yes as long as your not in a rush to get anywhere - are happy to commute by bus and dont leave to far away from a shop etc.
We dont have a car and i travel from marsascala to mellieha every day and my husband to sliema its quite pleaseant but can get very busy and very hot
I agree with Rob, my wife and I have survived without a car. I used to work within a half hour walk from work, but now journey from Attard to St Julians c.1 hour.
As above, as long as you can get into the mindset 'I get there, when I get there' all is good.
You can always hire a car.
And most of the larger supermarket do online shops
Absolutely. In any town, really. Grab a book, pop a motion sickness pill and ride the bus. I have lived here over a year and mostly walk and bus (will work up to cycling as I did at home but infrastructure is sketchy). You can always hire a car and there are plenty of cab companies. GreenRcab is great- my friends own it 
. Car-free, stress-free, yay!
Hello
You certainly could live without a car here.
Living in Gzira, I walk to work and then use the car at the weekend e.g. to access beaches where there's no bus-stop nearby. I get the ferry to Valletta which is the main reason I like living here.
So, if you'd like to contact me for more info, do, I've learned a lot in 3 months.
e.g. registering the car I shipped from the UK here was a nightmare (wouldn't do it again) and I find the parking a hassle and hate driving in the traffic with the famous 'what's an indicator?' and over-taking buses on the inside style.
Without a car I've found buses are full or late, late night and even daytime taxis are expensive and especially if your work is irregular hours, you might need to consider how you'd manage - esp in the very hot weather.
all the best
Jeannie
Thanks so much! Jeannie, you may regret that offer! I have so many questions so will probably drop you a message to get some more info. Really appreciate it. Fiona
I could, but I do not want 
Especially with the classic registration, the 2250cc diesel car costs me 68 Euros per year and the 1000cc motorcycle only 56 Euros - insurance AND road tax ... for this you can rent even a small a car only a few days per year 
Agreed. I always have reading or other work to do on the bus, so I don't want to do the driving. Lots of car hire companies and cabs.
And I'm also working up to cycling. :-) There is a bike lane almost the whole distance from home to work, so I'm just working up the nerve...
You're brave kateblank! I think I'm comfortable that between walking and a short bus ride I can get to work and hopefully between online shopping and local grocers we really won't have to drive much. Our life will be much better for it, we spend far too much time in the car in the UK! Thanks everyone
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