Valletta is a very small capital. It was planned after the Great Siege of 1565 on a rocky ridge between two harbours, and its straight streets, steep side lanes and bastions all follow that plan. Parking inside the walls is scarce, so the city is best taken slowly on foot.
The order below follows the main street from the gate down to the sea. Skip freely, but keep the order: it keeps the uphill and downhill stretches sensible. For the rest of the island see things to do in Malta, and for the capital’s own entry see Valletta.
Around the gate
1. Start at the Triton Fountain
Three bronze tritons hold up a huge basin outside City Gate, in place since 1959. Almost every bus route into the capital ends at the terminus a few steps away. The Triton Fountain is free at any hour and looks quite different after dark.
2. Walk through the new City Gate
The main entrance has been rebuilt five times since the 1560s. The current gate, by Renzo Piano, opened in 2014 and is still debated by locals. City Gate is crowded at midday, so early morning is calmer.
3. Look at the ruins of the Royal Opera House
A Victorian opera house, bombed in 1942, now an open-air stage just inside the gate. Events can close off the stage area. The Royal Opera House site takes five minutes and sets the tone for the war damage this city carries.
Along Republic Street
4. Spend real time in St John’s Co-Cathedral
Plain stone outside and gilded inside, with a floor of marble tomb slabs and two Caravaggio paintings in the oratory. Hours and tickets change by day, and last entry is earlier than closing. St John’s Co-Cathedral asks for covered shoulders and knees.
5. See the Grandmaster’s Palace
A sixteenth-century palace that was the Grand Masters’ residence, then the British governor’s, and now holds the President’s office and state rooms. Some rooms can close without notice. Tour the Grandmaster’s Palace and the Palace Armoury in the same visit; the armoury is one of the finest surviving collections of arms and armour.
6. Visit the Archaeology Museum before the temples
Malta’s main archaeology collection fills the sixteenth-century Auberge de Provence on Republic Street, with finds from the temples and the Sleeping Lady. The National Museum of Archaeology makes a visit to Ħaġar Qim or the Hypogeum far easier to read.
7. Take a guided tour of Casa Rocca Piccola
A sixteenth-century palace still lived in by the de Piro family, shown by guided tour with its rooms, collections, garden and wartime shelters. Casa Rocca Piccola works well on a hot afternoon, since the visit is indoors.
8. Duck into the Manoel Theatre
One of Europe’s oldest working theatres, opened in 1732, with a small oval Baroque auditorium. Tours run around the performance schedule, and Sundays are closed. See the Manoel Theatre programme for evenings.
Gardens and bastions
9. Sit in the Upper Barrakka Gardens
An arched terrace of 1661 above the Grand Harbour, with fountains and monuments and a view across to the Three Cities. Upper Barrakka Gardens are the capital’s best-known garden, and the noon and afternoon guns fire from the battery below. Arrive about fifteen minutes before the firing, and read the notes for the Saluting Battery first.
10. Ride the lift down
A glass-and-aluminium lift of almost 60 metres links the harbour with the gardens in under half a minute. The Upper Barrakka Lift opened in December 2012 and can be combined with a ferry crossing of the Grand Harbour. The stairs beside it are an alternative if the queue is long.
11. Go to the quieter Lower Barrakka Gardens
A calmer garden on the Bastion of St Christopher, with a classical monument to Sir Alexander Ball and views of Fort St Angelo, Fort Ricasoli and Vittoriosa. Opening hours change by season. Use Lower Barrakka Gardens for a short pause rather than a long stay.
Towards the sea
12. Stand quietly at the Siege Bell
A Second World War memorial with a rotunda and a bronze bell that rings daily at noon. Arrive a few minutes early, and keep quiet while it sounds. The Siege Bell Memorial faces the Grand Harbour.
13. Go underground at the Lascaris War Rooms
Tunnels beneath Lascaris Bastion that served as the Allied command centre in the Second World War. Passages are narrow, with steep stairs, so flat shoes are best. The Lascaris War Rooms entrance is close to the Upper Barrakka Gardens.
14. Finish at Fort St Elmo
The star fort at the seaward tip of the peninsula held out in the Great Siege of 1565, and it now houses the National War Museum. On Sundays the In Guardia parade can change opening times. Walk to Fort St Elmo along Merchants Street, a flat, easy route from the gate, and add the National War Museum if wartime history interests you.
15. Eat at the Waterfront
A restored row of eighteenth-century Baroque stores on the Grand Harbour, now a promenade with restaurants and shops. Cruise-ship days bring crowds and some noise, so evenings suit the Valletta Waterfront better. It lies below the bastions and can be reached by the lift and a short walk along the quay.
Hot, wet or windy days
Valletta handles bad weather better than most of Malta. When the sun is fierce, switch to the indoor stops: the archaeology museum, the Palace Armoury, Casa Rocca Piccola and the war rooms are all cool and covered. When rain comes through, the same list works, and the covered corners of the Waterfront give shelter between showers. A strong wind on the bastions is the one thing to plan around, since the gardens and Fort St Elmo sit fully exposed. More indoor ideas sit in the rainy day guide.
What to leave out
Nobody needs to do all fifteen in a day. If time is short, take the gate, the co-cathedral, the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the walk down to the fort, and let the museums wait for another visit. The Auberge de Castille at the highest point of the city is worth a look from the square, but it houses government offices and cannot be entered. Hastings Gardens on the western bastions offers a view over Marsamxett Harbour, though there is little shade, so treat it as a short stop. The same goes for the small harbour-side corners between the larger sights, which are best found by accident rather than by plan, so leave a little slack in the afternoon.
Planning the day
Begin before ten, when the gate area is calm. Spend the late morning in St John’s and the palace, break for lunch on a side street, and use the hottest hours for the war rooms or Casa Rocca Piccola. Late afternoon belongs to the gardens and the bastions, and the Waterfront finishes the day. Wear shoes with grip, because the stone is smooth and the streets run steeply to the harbours. Reach the city by bus or by the Sliema ferry, and park at Floriana if you drive.
