‘Neverending queues’ for Barrakka lift as two cruise liners docked in Valletta

Long queues of tourists and locals were left waiting for the Barrakka Lift in Valletta on Friday morning.

A video sent to Times of Malta shows a long queue stretching back to the pavement on Xatt Lascaris at ground level, leaving large numbers of tourists standing around waiting to head up to the capital.

One Maltese resident described the queue as “never-ending”, adding she ended up taking the stairs to the Upper Barrakka Gardens.

The situation at the top was not much better. When Times of Malta visited the area, there was a long queue for the lift running across the bridge and extending into the gardens.

On Friday, two cruise liners lay docked nearby on the side of the Grand Harbour closest to the lift.

The 3,800-passenger liner Costa Fascinosa arrived in Valletta at around 5.30am, while the 3,600-passenger P&O Britannia has been in dock since Wednesday, according to marine tracking website vesselfinder.com.

While inconvenient, the queues seen on Friday are not unusual for the area during the summer; one resident who frequently uses the lift in the morning said they were often forced to seek alternative routes when cruise ships were docked in the capital.

The situation was not much better at the top. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

Photo: Jonathan Borg.

Photo: Jonathan Borg.

“It’s not unusual to see long queues for the ferry during the tourist season,” the resident said.

“There are other ways for cruise ship passengers to get up to the main part of Valletta – coaches and karozzini – but many opt for the lift. Who can blame them? It has great views of the harbour, but can be frustrating for those of us going to work.”

The resident noted that without access to the lift, pedestrians were left to walk up the hill to Floriana or pass through the Victoria Gate, adding that queues were made worse when one of the lifts was out of order.

Two cruise vessels were docked in Valletta on Friday morning. The Costa Fascinosa, pictured here, arrived early on Friday morning. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

He noted that queues were more likely during mid-morning. His experience was mirrored by one Sliema resident who told Times of Malta that while travelling to Valletta for work was generally possible by ferry before 9am, securing a place on the ferry later in the morning became difficult owing to strong tourist demand.

The impact of cruise ships on the local community was recently featured on a new Instagram page tackling overtourism, which is putting a spotlight on similar frustrations. Tourism figures have continued to increase in recent years, with national data showing that inbound tourists in 2025 increased by 12.9 per cent over 2024. 

The issue is not a new one; this photo taken last year shows a long queue of cruise ship passengers during the morning commute.

The issue of long ferry queues is not limited to those crossing the Valletta harbour, with passengers travelling between Malta and Gozo often forced to endure long wait times during the tourist season.

In April, Gozitan resident Nathan Portelli was forced to abandon his attempt to take the fast ferry service from Valletta to Gozo and instead catch a bus up to Ċirkewwa after running into massive queues at the ferry terminal.

A 30-minute advance booking window was introduced around a week later, following a call for priority boarding for Gozitan commuters by a Gozitan student.