St Julian’s is the centre of Malta’s nightlife, and its Paceville district is where most clubs sit, as our guide to clubs and discos in Malta describes. Thousands of language students go out there every summer. Most nights end well. The ones that go wrong usually follow the same pattern: no plan to get home, a lost phone, a drink left unattended. Here is how to plan a night out, the rules the police apply, and what to do if something happens.
Before you go out
- Charge your phone and save three numbers: 112, your school’s emergency contact, and your accommodation.
- Carry your student card, not your passport. The ELT Council’s guidebook for students asks you to carry the student card your school gives you as identification. Leave the passport at home, as our guide on losing a passport or phone in Malta recommends.
- Take one card and some cash, and leave a second card at home.
- Agree on the plan with your group: where you meet, when you leave, and who goes home with whom.
- Plan the way back now, not at 3 a.m.
Getting home
The way home is the part to settle before the first drink.
- Bus: Malta Public Transport runs the island’s buses. It runs night services as well as day routes: check the official timetable or journey planner for your route and your day before you go out. Our page on public transport in Malta gives the background.
- Taxi: use a licensed taxi or a ride-hailing app. Our page on taxis and cabs in Malta lists the options. Check that the car and the driver match what the app shows before you get in.
- Walking: walk in a group. The student guidebook asks students to avoid walking alone at night in areas they do not know, and to avoid being alone on beaches after dark.
- Never hitch-hike. The guidebook says so plainly.
Drinks
- The legal age for alcohol in Malta is 17, according to the ELT Council guidebook.
- Watch your drink being poured and keep it in your hand.
- Do not accept a drink from someone you do not know, unless you see the bar staff serve it.
- If a friend suddenly seems far more drunk than what they drank, stay with them, tell the bar staff, and call 112 if they are unwell.
- Alternate with water. Malta’s summer nights stay hot.
- Do not swim at night after drinking.
What the police expect
The ELT Council guidebook sets out the rules that matter most on a night out. Our guide to local rules for language students covers them in full. In short:
- Do not drink in the street. Some local councils have banned drinking in public places.
- No smoking in public places, bars included.
- Keep the noise down after 23:00 in residential streets, including on your way home.
- Carrying any weapon is illegal, knives included.
- Malta’s cannabis reform of 2021 applies to adults only, and using cannabis in a public place remains an offence. Every other illegal drug stays illegal.
If something goes wrong
- Danger, violence or a medical emergency: call 112, the number for police, ambulance and fire.
- Theft or loss: block your cards and SIM first, then file a police report. Our guide on what to do after a loss gives the steps in order.
- A friend missing: call them, check the meeting point, then tell the club staff. If you still cannot reach them, call the police.
- The next day: tell your school. It knows the procedures and the local services, and junior programmes must be told.
The short version
Go out in a group, carry your student card and a charged phone, plan the way home before you leave, watch your drink, and keep 112 in mind. The rest of the night is yours.
