Luxury hotels, entertainment and high-end services are the niche of St Julians, Malta’s hub of hospitality. With the Hilton, Corinthia, Intercontinental and Westin Dragonara hotels all located within walking distance of each other, St Julians caters to the wealthier business traveler and those seeking a bit of luxury.

The oldest part of the city is the Spinola Bay area, home to the original city church and Spinola Palace. It’s a charming little area, filled with waterfront cafes and some beautifully renovated former fisherman’s cottages, now restaurants and cafes serving many visitors to this popular spot. The refurbished pierside walkway is a great place to sit, relax and soak up the atmosphere overlooking the small fishing bay of Spinola with its traditional Maltese boats. There are restaurants lining the spinola hill which leads into the center of St Julians and the Portomasso area. During the day, they serve food and drinks, and at night, they also act as bars and popular areas for the more relaxed end of the St Julians nightlife character.

Central St Julians is home to the Spinola Palace Gardens, a small well-kept garden that acts as a good landmark for the city centre. Nearby, Portomasso Marina is a beautifully man-made yacht marina, complete with cafes and restaurants. A walk around the marina leads to the small rocky beach of St Julians on the left and turns onto the Spinola Quayside walkway if you head to the right. The Hilton hotel is in the heart of the Portomasso area, next to the Portomasso Tower (hard to miss) and the cafe just below. There are a few shops in this area, but it’s mostly reserved for high-end apartments, as well as the cafes and restaurants of the marina.

Perhaps the best known and most visited area of ​​St Julians is known as Paceville. It is the nightlife capital of Malta with bars and clubs open all night throughout the year, although it is during the summer months that it is most hectic. It is a mass of lights, music and people pouring out of the clubs and bars into the streets as the locals and the summer rush of visitors flock here to dance and party the night away. It’s very crowded and designed for young adults rather than families, with an often noisy atmosphere as parties go on into the wee hours of the morning.

Adjacent to Paceville, the area known as Bay Street is home to Malta’s largest cinema complex, a bowling alley, the Bay Street shopping center and a small man-made sandy beach known as St George’s Bay. There are also a couple of restaurants here, as well as cafes in the Bay Street shopping center along with various fashion stores.

In general, St Julians is definitely designed for visitors, hospitality and entertainment and is one of the most visited cities in Malta. It is connected to Sliema via a promenade that starts at ‘The Love Sign’, a sculpture in Spinola Bay, and leads to Sliema and beyond. The promenade is popular with both locals and visitors who jog and walk regularly, enjoying the cafes, restaurants and views along the way.