Taking in Spinola Bay, Paceville and St George's Bay, the district of St Julian's is Malta's playground. This entire 3km stretch is Malta's pulsing heart and contains the highest concentration of bars, clubs and pubs to be found anywhere on the island. Step out of your hotel on a summers evening and you might be forgiven for thinking someone forgot to tell you about the street party, but you'd be wrong. St Julian's promenade is the ritualistic meeting place for the locals to get together and parade up and down, catching up on news and gossip, seeing and being seen.
If it weren't for the recently erected ugly high-rise apartment blocks, Spinola Bay would be the picture of a Mediterranean fishing village. Many wooden 'luzzuz', the brightly painted traditional fishing boats, complete with the Eyes of Osiris to ward off evil whilst the men are at sea, clutter the bay and lend a distinctly local flavour to an increasingly tourist-orientated spot. However, although much fishing does still go on, many of the boathouses have been turned into restaurants to accommodate the ever-increasing tourist numbers.
Paceville is Malta's nightlife capital and the buzzing centre of St Julian's. During the day, Paceville looks shabby and run down, only to come alive after dark, when the streets pack with cars and throngs of young people hit the bars and clubs. High-rise apartment blocks rise out of what becomes a mass of alcohol and testosterone; great to roll home to at the end of a late night but not so great if you want to hit the sack at a decent hour.
If you want to be close to the action without partying every night away, you might want to choose accommodation in the quieter part of town. St George's Bay is just a stroll away from the main drag, but the scene is far more bowling and cinema than DJs and heavy drinking.
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