Every Dutch person who moves to Malta remembers that moment.
You rent a car. You feel confident. You turn the key. You drive off.
And after three minutes you think:
"Wait… is this still a road, or am I already off-road?"
Welcome to Malta — where every drive feels like a mix of Formula 1, Mario Kart, and an obstacle course.
According to the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024, Malta ranks 89th out of 119 countries when it comes to road quality.
Score: 3.57 out of 7.
Let that sink in.
For comparison:
Netherlands: #2 😎
Belgium: #61
Malta: #89 🕳️
Yes, that means Malta scores lower than countries where you'd expect dirt roads and safari jeeps.
Driving here is not transportation. It's character development.
After a few months, you automatically know:
✅ Which potholes to avoid
✅ Which roads change every week
✅ Where cones suddenly appear without explanation
✅ Which "temporary repairs" are permanent
On Malta, you learn the art of micro-steering.
After living here for a while, you start to understand.
Apartments. Hotels. More apartments. Even more apartments.
Every construction site means heavy trucks and broken asphalt.
When it rains on Malta, roads immediately give up.
Small cracks become craters. Puddles become swimming pools.
Small island. Huge number of cars.
That combination kills roads fast.
Hole in the road?
➡️ Throw some asphalt on it.
➡️ Done.
➡️ See you next month.
Living and driving in Malta gives you superpowers:
🦸 Reflex braking for shadows (might be a hole)
🦸 Parking where no parking spot exists
🦸 Driving with one eye on the road and one on survival
After a year, Dutch "bad roads" feel like luxury highways.
Despite everything, we stay.
We complain. We laugh. We fix our suspension.
But we stay.
Why?
🌞 Sun almost every day
🌊 Sea nearby
🍝 Amazing food
🍷 Long summer nights
🏝️ Island vibes
And yes… sometimes a flat tire.
Worth it.
If you want to keep your sanity, follow these rules:
✔️ Don't rent a brand-new car
✔️ Get full insurance
✔️ Drive defensively
✔️ Expect chaos
✔️ Laugh about it
Pro tip: Swear in Dutch. Nobody understands you anyway. 😉
Yes, Malta ranks 89. Yes, the roads are bad. Yes, your car will suffer.
But life here is still amazing.
Living on Malta means:
➡️ Sunshine every day
➡️ Adventure every drive
➡️ A new pothole every week
And honestly?
That's part of the charm.
📢 Do you have a "favorite" bad road in Malta? Share it with us and tag NedMalta!
Together, we survive the potholes. 😄🚗
Halloween wordt ieder jaar uitgebreid gevierd op Malta! Eind oktober verschijnen overal pompoenen, skeletten, spinnenwebben en andere griezelige versieringen. Ook aan Halloweenfeesten is er geen gebrek, vooral in Paceville.
Op zaterdag 21 november 2026 keert het Malta Whisky Festival terug voor alweer de elfde editie. Bij Giardini Lambrosa in Rabat staat vanaf 19:00 uur een avond in het teken van whisky, verschillende smaken en gezellig samenzijn.
Zin om eens iets heel anders te doen in Malta? De komende weken organiseren we samen met onze nieuwe partner CY Beauty & Wellness in Ħamrun vijf leuke, creatieve workshops waarbij je zelf aan de slag gaat én met je eigen creatie naar huis gaat!
Altijd al willen weten hoe je een écht goede cocktail maakt? Of ben je vooral heel goed in het opdrinken ervan? 😉 Dan hebben we de perfecte zaterdagmiddag voor je!
