The Place to be!

The town of Zejtun or Citta Beland is one of the largest towns found in the southern part of the Island of Malta.

Unfortunately this old town is not found in the organised tourist itineraries or tours, however the town is frequented by a number of tourists in search for something different from the popular tourist areas on the island. Indeed if you are one of such tourists and you would like to see how the locals live; if you want to walk through narrow and serpentine streets and get a smell of what they are cooking in their houses; then this is the place to be!

Coming by bus?

If you choose to come by bus to Zejtun, the bus numbers which leave from Valletta and takes you directly to the town centre are No. 81 and No. 82. You can choose to visit the locality after or before visiting the neighbouring fishing village of Marsaxlokk, which up to the 19th Century used to form part of Zejtun.

The open top double-decker buses offer a Hop On and Hop Off option. Both service providers pass through the centre of Zejtun and also have a scheduled short briefing on the stops within the town.

What to see and look for

If you would like to organise this yourself, then you can spend a whole day in our town. The Zejtun Local Council can provide you with a map outlining a planned heritage trail within the central part of the village. You can pick up this map from the Local Council’s Office which is located a few metres away from the bus terminus.

You can visit the richly decorated baroque church dedicated to St Catherine and the old medieval and unique old parish church on the fringes of the town.

The town is rich in architecture of various styles and periods, you can know more about this by viewing the Architecture page on this website.

A walk in the narrow and serpentine medieval streets of the old hamlets of Bisqallin and Hal-Bisbut cannot be missed, where the cheerful locals welcome you in their unique way. You can take a rest in San Girgor Garden and enjoy the marvelous views of the surrounding agricultural landscape.

If you enjoy walking in the countryside, you can take a walk from Zejtun to Delimara and then to Marsaxlokk where in your way besides enjoying the pleasant country views you can pass by a number of archaeological sites and a series of fortifications.

Where to eat

There are no restaurants in town, however there are cafe’s and snack bars from where you can take a coffee or a light snack. You can also buy half a dozen of pastizzi (cheescakes) from a pastizzeria in the main town square. Alternatively you can go to one of the snack bars around the piazza and ask for a ftira or a ħobża biż-żejt and a glass of local wine.

Best time of the year

Anytime is a good time to visit Zejtun because there is always something to see and enjoy, however there is a calendar of traditional festivities and events that you could join in if you want to add the value to your visit.

The Good Friday procession and Easter Sunday celebrations are a speciality at Zejtun as is the village Festa of St. Catherine celebrated on the third weekend of June. In the last weekend of September the Local Council celebrates the harvesting of olives in a folkloristic activity known as Żejt iż-Żejtun.