Senglea & the Three Cities to Valletta: Ferry, Water Taxi & Walking

The lie of the land: Senglea and the Three Cities

Senglea — known to locals as Isla — is one of Malta's Three Cities, sitting on a narrow finger of land between Birgu (Vittoriosa) and Cospicua (Bormla) on the far side of the Grand Harbour from Valletta. The three towns share one continuous waterfront around the historic Cottonera, and they are all an easy stroll from one another.

Because the harbour is so narrow here, Valletta feels close at hand. The crossing by boat takes only a few minutes, and the view — the bastions of the capital rising straight out of the water, with Fort St Angelo on your other side — is one of the best you will get anywhere in Malta. Whether you take the ferry, the water taxi or the bus comes down to mood, timing and how much you fancy being out on the water.

The Valletta Ferry: fast, frequent and scenic

The harbour ferry is the workhorse of the crossing and, for most visitors, the easiest option. It is run by Valletta Ferry Services (operated by the Marsamxetto Steamferry Services company, with the concession overseen by Transport Malta), and it links the Cottonera waterfront with Valletta's Lascaris Wharf on the Grand Harbour side.

The boats dock on the Three Cities side at Inner Dockyard Creek in Cospicua, serving Senglea, Birgu and Cospicua together. The crossing itself takes only around ten minutes. Departures run roughly every half-hour through the day — some sources report more frequent sailings at peak times — so you rarely wait long.

For fares, the operator's current published table shows an adult day single at around €3.00 and a day return at around €5.00, with children paying about €1.00 single and €1.50 return. A night-service tariff applies for sailings from 19:30, at roughly €3.50 single and €5.20 return. A handy bonus: a valid return ticket also includes free same-day use of the Barrakka Lift, which whisks you up from the Valletta waterfront to the Upper Barrakka Gardens. We would note that several older travel guides still quote cheaper, out-of-date fares, so it is worth checking the live prices on the official site before you set off.

Operating hours shift with the season. In winter the service runs roughly from the morning until early evening, while in summer it extends well into the night. Exact times vary on Sundays and public holidays, so do glance at the timetable at vallettaferryservices.com on the day. If you hold a valid personalised Tallinja Card, the harbour ferry has been reported to be free since early 2024 — though Tallinja bus passes do not cover it, so confirm your eligibility before relying on this.

The traditional dghajsa water taxi

For something more romantic, look for the dghajsa (pronounced roughly "DY-sa"), the brightly painted traditional Maltese harbour boat. These have ferried people across the Grand Harbour for centuries, and a handful of boatmen still work the crossing today. Stepping into one feels like a small piece of living history.

The dghajsa runs on demand rather than to a timetable — the boatman sets off once a few passengers have boarded, and you pay him directly in cash. As a recent guide price, expect around €3 per person for a single crossing, though some sources still cite €2, so €2–€3 is the realistic range. Because fares are not officially regulated, it is always worth agreeing the price before you climb aboard. If you fancy a short harbour tour rather than a straight crossing, boatmen will often take you round the creeks for roughly €8 per person, arranged on the spot.

The dghajsa crosses the harbour in about five minutes and tends to drop you on the Birgu side, near Victory Gate and the Malta Maritime Museum — a touch closer to the water than the ferry's Cospicua terminus. On the Valletta side it uses the same waterfront landing as the ferry. The service runs roughly until midnight in summer; in winter and quieter spells the boatmen often finish before dark, so it is best treated as a fair-weather, daytime pleasure.

By bus or on foot

If you would rather stay on land, local buses connect the Three Cities to Valletta on routes 1, 2, 3 and 4. Senglea is served principally by route 1, while Birgu is reached mainly by route 2; all of them run via Marsa and Paola into the main Valletta terminus just outside the city gate. A single bus ticket costs €2.00 in winter and €2.50 in summer, and every ticket is valid for two hours with free transfers — useful if you plan to change buses. The bus is reliable, but it is the long way round the harbour, so it is usually slower and less scenic than the boat.

Walking is a delight in its own right, though it is a walk around the harbour rather than across it — there is no pedestrian crossing of the water. You can stroll the full length of the Cottonera waterfront, taking in the marina, the fortifications and the cafes, and the towns are close enough together that wandering between Senglea, Cospicua and Birgu on foot is part of the fun. To actually reach Valletta on foot you would loop inland through Paola, which is a fair trek; most people simply hop on the ferry or the dghajsa for the final crossing.

Making a day of it on the waterfront

However you cross, the Cottonera waterfront rewards lingering. On the Senglea marina you will find open-air spots such as Marina Restaurant and the seafood-focused Enchante, while the Birgu side has well-regarded names like Terrone and the casual Don Berto right on the water. They make an easy reward after a morning in Valletta or before the evening boat back.

Heritage lovers should know that the Inquisitor's Palace in Birgu — now the National Museum of Ethnography — is open daily, roughly 9:00 to 17:00 with last admission at 16:30, and adult tickets are around €6. The Malta Maritime Museum nearby has been under major restoration for several years and is not fully open; for now only its immersive exhibition, "An Island at the Crossroads", is accessible, so check Heritage Malta's site for the latest before you plan a visit. For more on what to see and do on this side of the harbour, our Senglea travel guide goes into much greater depth.

One last practical note: our townhouse sits about a 10–15 minute walk from the Valletta ferry landing and the dghajsa crossing, which makes nipping across to the capital genuinely effortless. If you would like to base yourself in the heart of Senglea, you can see the house here or send us an enquiry. Whichever way you choose to cross, do take the boat at least once — that ten-minute glide beneath Valletta's bastions is a memory in itself.