Useful Stuff You Can Still Get For Free In Malta
As prices for pretty much everything across the island begin to climb, it’s nice to know that some things in Malta are still completely free of charge. And no, we don’t mean free of charge with strings attached – actually free.
1. Free food!
Kappar from Kappara, and figs from… pretty much everywhere – there’s plenty of free fruit to go around (maybe just make sure they’re not in a private field).
We’ve somehow also ended up with the weird norm of getting free parsley from our grocers, just ask them for “naqa tursin”. This probably explains Malta’s obsession with having it on every dish.
2. Free bulky-waste collection!
While most outer countries charge ridiculous sums to collect your old sofas and fridges, Malta’s bulky refuse collection service does it absolutely free of charge! You’d think we’d see a lot less furniture in the countryside.
3. Free advice!
You guys, forget limestone and fish – nanniet are Malta’s best natural resource. Every country will tell you to trust in the wisdom of the elders, but there’s just something about the (sometimes too-nosey) advice given by Maltese grandparents that is unlike any other.
And if you don’t have any nanniet to turn to, find any group chilling on their ghatba and strike up a conversation about literally anything (or anything except politics).
4. Free tyre inflation!
Disclaimer: not every gas station does it for free, although most have a machine that’ll do it for 20c. But if you’re filling up your car’s tank and the attendant notices (on his own, or cause you’ve loudly complained-to-yourself about it) a tyre that’s particularly low, they’ll top it up at no extra charge.
5. Enough free bread to feed 5,000!
We all know Maltese bread is the best there is (this is not a conversation, this is a statement). Local restaurants have obviously caught on to this, and realised that the easiest way to make patrons happy is to give them as much of the stuff as they possibly can – absolutely free.
Pre-meal, post-meal and of course mid-meal, everyone knows the bread is where it’s at.
6. Free walk-through museums
With Valletta pushing 450 years old, and Mdina as we (sort of) know it approaching 1500, there’s endless places in Malta for you to go around, explore, and grab a few quick snaps of a living, breathing museum.
7. Contact info for literally everything in one place
Surveys show that 60% of the Maltese population prefer the old-school method of leafing through a printed book to find the services they need. So it’s pretty awesome that the Yellow edition is still handed out free to anyone who wants it.
It’s even delivered straight to people’s doors. Also for free.