Moving to Malta and work premises in Pieta.

Hi Gerd,

I think the best advice is to plan a short trip to Malta to see for yourself - you could well be able to walk to work, but it would really depend exactly where the office is, and where you end up living - it might vary your walking time from 20 mins to 40 mins. But yes, Sliema is close to Pieta so it is doable.

Not sure what the buses are like along that specific route - traffic is bad in the rush hour, and the buses tend to get overloaded with people on many routes - so a car or bus may not get you there all that much quicker than by foot .... a dry run would be needed to evaluate.

Sliema is a good and obvious choice, it has plenty of cafe's etc. and the most cosmopolitan feel (I guess along with Valletta). I think a budget of 1000 euro will more or less get you a 2 bed flat - but it's tricky to sort this out without actually being here - the rental market moves very fast ...

We moved over last year with our 2 young kids, enjoying it all so far :-) Best of luck.

As someone that does the Sliema to Pieta walk a few times a week as a form of excercise, you are looking at approximately, 4ish KMs walk each way, so about 45 mins at a reasonable pace. In the summer, it can be quite brutal to do the walk, especially if you are in work clothes.

A car would help with travel times obviously, but if you plan on living in Sliema, it is probably going to be 100 euro a month on top of rent if a spot is available with the apartment. Street parking in Sliema on any kind of regular basis is very difficult, and not something I would plan on doing.

I believe there as Buses are available for Sliema-Pieta, but can't vouch for how busy they are especially in summer months. If they are full, they would zoom straight past you which puts you in a tough spot. Perhaps someone else can weigh in on the route.

I just left a 2 bedroom apartment in Sliema in December for 1000 euros. I think it's still possible to get something under that, but those properties are getting quite rare, and it becomes harder each passing day as the Malta rental market continues to explode.

My strong recommendation is research Gzira/Msida and the property market around there as I believe it would be a better fit for your budget. A walking commute to work would be more pallatable and you would still have relatively easy access to Sliema and the lifestyle benefits it offers.

Thanks guys for the advices! Somewhere I read that Gzira is kind of a ghetto and Msida full of students that makes it a little bit noisy. Although as I mentioned before I have never been to Malta and I do not know if it is really like that. However we like walking, have a coffee by the sea or have dinner out. Far from the nightlife mood although. So far my humble opinion is that Sliema can fit to our needs although being pricey.
In your opinion is it feasible to enroll my son to a childcare in Pieta and go by bus from Sliema to Pieta, stroll included? It will save us some time I think especially in the mornings( do not need first to bring my son to the nursery and catch a bus afterwards)?
Is there any area in Sliema you would not recommend?
Thanks in avance!
Gerd

You really should visit Malta before deciding to move there as expectations and reality can be quite different.

Many expats saying that.... it does not look very positive.... but I have already taken that decision as I have been offered a job that is very promising for my career.

Gerdhado wrote:

Many expats saying that.... it does not look very positive.... but I have already taken that decision as I have been offered a job that is very promising for my career.

Hopefully you will like living here like most people do, it's just a big step to take moving to a new country you have never visited, do you have anywhere lined up to live?

From what is on the web, I would prefer living in Sliema as we like walks afterwork, cafes and dinner out. I would also consider maybe Gzira, Ta Xbiex and Msida but there is not so much info them on the web. We definitely are not the kind of people who like very quiet areas like it seems Pieta where we will have our working premises. On the other hand we would like to avoid party zone like St. Julians.
My big question mark is whether we can rely on public transportation to go in Pieta every morning at 7 or 7:30. We plan to buy a car if necessary but not the first months. Also traffic reviews over Malta are not so good.

Strongly suggest you rent a airbnb for a few weeks and just figure it out, Pieta isnt the dead hamlet you might imagine, lots going on there.

Also nowhere here would be classified as "very quiet areas" its more like your choices are complete constant war zone between you and the builders, a war zone between you and the fireworks enthusiasts or a war zone between you and the generally loud local culture.

You might well find the buzz of Sliema is in fact a deafening roar that goes on for 18 hours a day.