With its reputation for excellent hotels, a beautiful marina and high-end services, St Julians in Malta has carved out a niche for travelers from all over the world looking for entertainment and a bit of luxury. Located on the east coast of Malta, St Julians is right next to neighboring Sliema, and makes an ideal base from which to explore the island.

Originally an agricultural area, trendy St Julians has only really become Malta’s entertainment capital in recent decades, as new developments and new developers seem to have chosen the area for international luxury hotels such as the Hilton and the Intercontinental, among others. It’s a relatively small area, but nowhere is that far away on an island that measures just 27km by 14km. You can divide St. Julians into several smaller areas, namely Spinola Bay with its pretty promenade, Portomaso, the location of the Portomaso tower and marina, Paceville, the center of Malta’s clubbing nightlife, and St George’s Bay, which has a sandy beach, as well as shops and cinemas on Bay Street. The residential part of St Julians covers a much larger area, but is largely bypassed by the many visitors to the town, as the shops, cafes, restaurants and bars are located away from the older residential areas.

The Portomaso area of ​​St Julians is actually a more down-to-earth center of town as far as visitors are concerned, the Portomaso tower is the tallest structure on the island and an easy landmark for navigating the rest of the area . Spinola Bay, one of the oldest parts of the city, is right next door, and Spinola Palace still overlooks the hill that runs down to the bay leading to Sliema via a long promenade that is popular with tourists. and locals throughout the year. On the other side of Portomaso, the area known as Paceville really comes alive after dark, when clubs and bars spill onto the streets and music and lights jostle for your attention as you walk. The bars and clubs stay open until around 4 or 5 on the weekends, and during the summer months, it’s an all night venue every day. Bay Street, which is next to Paceville, is home to the Bay Street shopping center with its trendy shops, restaurants and cafes, and this area is also home to Malta’s largest cinemas.

There are two beaches in St Julian’s, although people swim from each part of the coast during the summer. One of the beaches, located directly at the end of Paceville’s main thoroughfare, Wilga Street, is rocky and very popular during the summer, when it is bustling with people both day and night. The other beach is along the coast at St George’s Bay, near Bay Street, and is a small man-made sandy beach that is packed with locals and foreign students for five months of the year. If it’s space and seclusion you’re looking for, it’s the wrong place, but if you’re looking for people-watching and a quick swim, it’s ideal.

St Julians has more five star hotels than anywhere else in Malta, with the Corinthia, The Hilton, The Intercontinental and The Westin Dragonara all attracting luxury travelers, but there are plenty of 2, 3 and 4 star hotels if that is what you are looking for. looking for, as well as some self-catering properties and even hostels. Getting to St Julians is not really a problem as there are plenty of buses running through the town all the time. Taxis are plentiful, but perhaps check a couple of different prices before deciding, as not all taxis use a meter to calculate the cost of the trip.

There are plenty of restaurants around, as well as cafes and fatty food places, so it’s not too hard to find something to eat, whatever your tastes, and the prices are quite reasonable, except in some of the more upscale restaurants where prices reflect their condition and quality. The Paceville area is mostly fast food, Bay Street has a couple of fine dining restaurants and a tapas restaurant, Portomaso has quite a few restaurants on either side of the stairs leading to the marina, and from Portomaso to Spinola Bay, there are some great spots just off the main road, and all the way downhill.