Practical Issues

Arriving in Malta: Air Malta and various other international airlines link Malta International Airport with the major European and North African cities. There are daily connections to London (Heathrow and Gatwick Airports) and Rome as well as frequent direct flights from and to Milan, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich, Athens, Tunis, Cairo, Tel Aviv and Dubai. There is also a regular ferry connecting Malta to Sicily (leaving from Catania and Pozzallo) operated by Virtu Ferries.

Malta is part of the Schengen agreement. At the time of writing, US citizens do not require a visa. Other nationals are urged to seek further information regarding visa requirements by consulting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs site.

Travelling around Malta: Malta's public transport system offers a cheap and efficient way of touring the Island. The main bus terminus is at Valletta from where buses operate to all parts of Malta, although there are also direct, point to point, services. The longest bus journey takes about fifty minutes; the average ride is between 20 and 30 minutes. Updated bus time tables can be found at the Public Transport Authority website. The website tal-linja.com will also help you figure out the necessary bus connections when you need to take more than one bus.

A more scenic, if less practical, way to reach Valletta is through a ferry between Sliema and Valletta. More information can be found at this site.

Driving in Malta is on the left with speed limits of 50km/h in urban areas, and 80km/h elsewhere. If you would like to hire a car, you will find various car hire booths at the airport upon your arrival. Road directions are sparse (especially in Gozo), so investing in a good map is recommended.

Shopping

Shops are usually open from 09:00 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 19:00. However, many are closed on Saturday afternoon. Malta is renowned for its Lace, Mdina Glass and reasonably priced gold and silver items. Local honey and wine have been famous since antiquity. The currency in use in Malta is the Euro. Sliema, where the conference will be located, is one of the main shopping centres of the island.

Markets one can visit are:

Useful Telephone Numbers

Photos reproduced from Viewing Malta