Żejtun is a city of 11,000 people (2016) in Malta Island, Malta. It is the largest city in the south of the island and one of the oldest cities in Malta.

Understand

City centre

Żejtun is considered to be the hub of Maltese folk singing, l-għana, and the city has given Malta many of its most respected folk singers.

Get in

By car

Route 1 is the main route coming into Malta and is the highway that serves most of Malta Island. No part of the route is motorway standard, but is a dual carriageway.

By train

There is no train station in Żejtun.

See

Villa Cagliares

Żejtun has a number of important religious heritage sites, such as St Catherine's Parish Church, St Catherine's Old Church – known as St Gregory's, and numerous votive chapels. The parish of Żejtun is one of the oldest on the islands and already existed in 1436. The original parish church was built in the 12th century, and rebuilt in 1492.

• 1 Villa Cagliares, Dun M.Cassar. A baroque country villa that was built in the 17th century as a country villa and hunting lodge by Bishop Baldassare Cagliares. The current owners sometimes grant access to the villa for cultural and historical tours by local cultural organisations. (updated Jul 2021)

Żejtun Roman villa

• 2 Żejtun Roman villa (in the grounds of the St Thomas More Secondary School). The open-air remains contain areas of original Roman tiling and coloured stucco. Active settlement began in the Bronze Age, although the visible remains can be mainly dated from the Punic period up to Late Antiquity. (updated Jul 2021)

Do

• Each September, Żejtun hosts an annual festival celebrating the olive picking season and olive pressing for oil. The aim of the festival is to highlight the intimate link between the city and olive trees, and the promotion of local olive cultivation. The activity starts with a defilé delivering the olive harvest, including the reading of a proclamation, and the blessing of the olives prior to pressing.
• The Feast of Saint Gregory is held on Easter Wednesday. The procession begins at the Chapel of Saint Clement, which is just over a kilometre away from the church of Saint Gregory. On the way, it enters the current parish-church of Żejtun, then continuing to Saint Gregory's. On arrival, a mass is celebrated by the Cathedral Chapter's dean, with the archbishop presiding the ceremony. Traditionally, after the ceremony those in attendance go to the nearby harbour of Marsaxlokk for their first swim of the year. Traditional food stands and fairs are held throughout the day.
• The feast of St Catherine of Alexandria is celebrated in summer. On this day Żejtun's two rival musical bands, the Banda Beland and the Żejtun Band, perform in Gregorio Bonnici Square.

Eat

• 1 Ta' Barbetta, 101 Triq San Girgor, Iż-Żejtun, ☏ +356 2167 3774. (updated Oct 2021)

Drink

The city is also known for its wine production, with the Marnisi wine producing estate.

Sleep

• 1 Dun Gorg Guest House, Triq Tas-Silg Marsaxlokk, ☏ +356 9907 6004. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. (updated Dec 2021)

Go next

• Cottonera
• Marsaxlokk
• Żabbar