Visiting Malta was one of my greatest unexpected travel joys. I had no preconceived notions about it and knew pretty much nothing ahead of time. It left me a blank slate and I had an absolute blast.
Malta is now on the top of my list of places that I’d like to visit, for a much greater length of time, next time!
10 Things to Do in Valletta, Malta
1. See the Grand Harbour
Bonus points for riding the city lift from the Harbour to the Barrakka Gardens. It only costs a €1 and the views are worth it. Plus it saves you from what would be an incredibly steep walk.
2. Visit the Saluting Battery
It was constructed in the 16th century and provides some excellent views. Plus it’s vitally important to Malta’s military history. Make sure you stay to see the guns fired (at 12pm and 4pm)
3. Tour the Grandmaster’s Palace
Also just known as, The Palace, it was built between the 16th and 18th centuries to house the ruler of Malta, and is now home to the Office of the President of Malta. You can take tours run by Heritage Malta through parts of the building.
4. Visit the Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck
The church is absolutely gorgeous plus there’s a reliquary there. (Supposedly the bone from St Paul’s wrist.) I’ve visited a lot of churches and cathedrals throughout Europe and because of the atmosphere and art, this is definitely one of my favourites!
5. Sit in the Upper Barrakka Gardens
Upper Barrakka Gardens are a public garden in Valletta a stone’s throw from the Saluting Battery. (In fact, the Battery is in the lower tier of the Gardens). When I visited there was a gorgeous breeze, hot sun, and a delicate sweet floral smell. It would be a great place for a picnic.
6. Walk the Valetta Walls
Similar to York in the UK, you can follow Valletta’s ancient bastion walls around the city. Unlike York though, they are somewhat more grand and imposing.
7. Visit St John’s Co-Cathedral
Valletta is a small place so it’s fairly impressive that yet another place of worship makes it onto my ‘to visit’ list. But St John’s is supposedly one of the best examples of Baroque architecture in all of Europe. I can attest that it is pretty impressive.
8. Take in the incredible architecture of the Parliament House
The Parliament House is actually one of the newer sites in Valletta. It was built between 2011 and 2015 to designs by Renzo Piano (architect of the Shard in London) as part of the City Gate Project, which also included building a new City Gate and converting the ruins of the Royal Opera House into an open-air theatre. The design is highly modern and divisive, but I liked it.
9. Hop on a ferry to the Three Cities
Most people only visit Valletta when they are in Malta, but from the city, you can see the famous Three Cities of Malta, just across the harbour. (Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua.) Those are actually just names of neighbourhoods that surround the other parts of the Vittoriosa Marina but they are well worth an explore.
10. Take a boat to the Blue Grotto
The Blue Grotto is a collection of sea caves just a short boat ride away. The caves nearly glow blue and they echo the phosphorescent colours of the underwater flora and fauna. As long as the weather is permitting, tourists boat rides visit just about every hour.
Have you ever visited Valletta or Malta?
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