Place to consider

I would avoid St. Paul's bay if you intend to commute to St Julian's as the coastal road is currently being built so traffic in that area is a night mare
Attard will be suitable if you want a quieter place to live and you can bus to St Julian's - other places to consider might be naxxar San gwann way both within easy commute but both much better areas (imo)

Getting a car might make things easier but there is no guarantee because parking is  rarer than a hens tooth especially in the middle of St Julian's

Many thanks for the tips Rob.

I am not sure that the office is St Julians - I think it is in Mriehel BKR 3000 (which I thought was in the centre thats why I was considering St Pauls).

Will have a look at naxxar and San Gwann as places to consider. My wife liked Attard so if these two are like it then she should like it!

Ah sorry miss  read - in that case yeah think of places like Birkikara too - that close by to mrihel - bit livelier even has a McDonald's but is also a great place for bus travel

There are some lovely places in the middle of the island
If you wanted to live near the sea - you might consider places like Birzebuggia and marsascala - both south of the island beautiful places to live - you also get a lot more for your money and your looking about hour half bus ride

Attard to Mriehel is easy, depending where you chose could even be walk able. Pembroke may not look far but the road is packed in rush hour so will take a long time

In all honesty in Malta, nowhere is "too far" it just depends how long you are prepared to spend traveling ;-) At the wrong time of  day a 15 min drive can be 1.5 hours. Its not so much how close as how bad the roads get.

Also there will be places to go in all areas, there are nice cafes. bars & restaurants in Attard/Balzan. There are expats too, just not as many as places like St Julians!

St Pauls Bay is nice, personally I'd stay at the St Pauls Bay end, and its would be commutable though better with a car, there is no need to go on the coast road, though the works are having a knock on effect at the moment, this changes every few weeks.

You could always rent short term and try somewhere before committing.

I always say where you live is a personal thing so really only you  guys can decide. Wherever you look, check out the bus routes, and interchanges to see how easy it is to get to other areas.

Hi Lundene

My wife and I moved over here earlier this year. I too work in that area and after a lot of searching, plumped for Attard initially for it's closeness to work. I walk most days (20-30 minute stroll) or bus (5-10 minutes and very regular). I have the advantage of a shower at work for the hot days.

We took on advice that it is highly possible you will move a few times before settling down somewhere, but I think we will stick to where we are. The wife goes off and does her thing whilst I'm at work and we spend weekends at the coast.

I too was concerned for the wife as she did not want to drive and being quite far (in maltese terms) from the busier areas but she just jumped on the bus and started exploring.

We have direct routes to Sliema, St Julians, Bugibba, Valetta, Marsa, Luqa etc and connections could be made from there. The buses do take there time getting to places, but if you accept that and are not in a rush, everything is good

The three villages Attard/Balzan/Lija are all very nice with a cafe culture, not lively like some of the east coast areas. Birkirkara is heavily populated. Naxxar, Iklin and San Gwann are also nice and a bit livelier (possibly a happy medium between the three villages and the coast), but further to commute.

If you need any specific advice, feel free to PM me.

Many thanks for the replies and the information. Gave me a few things to think about! See you soon in Malta!

I would say Attard/Lija/Balzan is definitely one of the best places if not the best place to live on the island, beautiful villages, quite posh/clean/quiet, San Anton Gardens are beautiful, good transport links, close to Mriehel.

Not by the sea though, and perhaps not lively enough for some (but some nice places to eat/go for a coffee), but between B'Kara/Iklin/San Gwann or Lija/Attard/Balzan, duh, no-brainer!