Malé Travel Guide

Malé (މާލެ), pronounced Maa-leh, is the capital of Maldives. The city occupies the entire islet of Malé at the southern rim of North Malé Atoll. Malé is occasionally dismissed by travellers as a mere transit point with "nothing to do", and it is indeed not a party place. However, it does have a distinctive character of its own, with narrow streets, colourful houses and a strong communal feel, and it may be interesting to stop a little longer and soak in the atmosphere if you've got time on your hands.

Most visitors to the Maldives are met by travel agent representatives right outside customs, who then whisk them away to their resorts by speedboat or seaplane. If your destination is the city itself, turn left and head for the public ferry dock. Ferries (MVR10, 10min) leave the airport every 15min from 06:00 to 20:30, and every 30min until 00:00; in the opposite direction they run from 05:30 to 23:00. Another option is to take a taxi or bus. There are fixed rates for taxis ranging from MVR70-90

Malé is small enough to walk around in an hour, and almost all sights are concentrated on the north shore, within a 15-min walk from the airport ferry.

Anti-government protestsoften turn into riots that are sometimes brutally suppressed by the government. Avoid participating in protests or political activism.

Many visitors to the Maldives end up spending a night on Malé City out of necessity, as transfers to more far-flung resorts are generally only available during daylight hours. Malé's guesthouses are targeted primarily at travelling locals and may not provide air-conditioning. The price starts at US$20. Guesthouses can be rented through Airbnb.