Historic places in Valletta

Historic places in Valletta

1. Eat

   Café Deux Baronnes

   Expensive even by local standards, but the cafe has a relaxed atmosphere and a good view of Grand Harbour and Fort Sant'Angelo.

2. See

   Fort St. Elmo

   National War Museum

   Built at the tip of the peninsula by the knights after the Dragut Raid of 1551. During the Great Siege of 1565 the Turks made the mistake of choosing to first take this fort, for which they had planned a week. Instead, the knights and soldiers present fought desperately for a month, buying essential time. The knights in the fort knew they were fighting to the death, and so rather than being taken off the ramparts when wounded, knights would fight on seated in chairs until they couldn't even lift their arms anymore. Today, the fort houses the National War Museum and the Police Academy. The National War Museum is mainly focussed on World Wars 1 and 2, but covers the period from the Bronze Age onwards.

   Apr-Sep: daily 09:00-18:00; Oct-Mar: daily 09:00-17:00·€10

3. Eat

   Luciano Restaurant

   Good food for reasonable prices in a charming location near cathedral - big portions. On 3rd floor of Luciano Hotel.

4. Eat

   Malata Restaurant

   If you are looking for a place in Valletta to have dinner on a terrace, then this is a nice place to go slightly later in the evening when the square in front of the Grand Master's palace is almost emptied of parked cars.

5. See

   Palace of the Grand Masters

   Now it is the President's office and the Maltese parliament. The staterooms, when accessible, are quite impressive. It also houses the Knights' armoury, which is open to visitors daily from 09:00-17:00. (However, all other parts of the palace are closed to visitors, so what you can see is limited.) At the entrance, you can receive an audio guide, which is included in the entrance fee. It provides you with further historical information about the various armoury of different eras, beginning from the medieval chain mail up to the 17th-century armour.

   Jan Feb: daily 09:00-17:00; Mar-Dec: daily 10:00-18:00; (armoury sometimes closed for functions)·Adults €12, senior (60+) or youth (12-17) €10, child (6-11) €8

6. See

   St Paul's Pro-Cathedral

   Anglican cathedral built in 1844, with memorials to the World War 2 defence of Malta.

   Daily 10:00 - 15:00

7. See

   St. John's Co Cathedral

   Unremarkable from the outside, but incredibly ornate on the inside. Each of the different 'langues' (knights of a particular nationality had their own langue) has its own chapel lined along the side of the nave in which they tried to outdo each other in splendour. The barrel-shaped ceiling is a single, huge fresco, the lifework of famed artist Mattia Preti. The floor is entirely taken by the knight's graves intricately inlaid in marble in different colours. One book on the subject describes it as the 'most beautiful floor in the world.' This lesser-known cathedral is one of the most impressive in Europe. Entrance is through the Carappechia Annex on Republic Street, between St. John's Street and St. Lucy Street, directly opposite the Law Courts. An audioguide is included in the entrance fee, which provides detailed historical information.

   Mon-Sat 09:00-16:45, last entry 16:15; closed Sun and holidays·€15 for adults (includes an audio guide) — buy online to skip the queue for tickets

8. See

   The Casa Rocca Piccola

   A Maltese noble family house on Triq ir-Republika, a few hundred metres past the Grand Master's Palace on the right-hand side. Very enjoyable.

9. See

   The Malta Experience

   Despite not being cheap, visitors who have any interest in culture or history and who haven't exhaustively read up on the country before coming here would do well by starting their visit to Malta by going here, as it is an excellent introduction to the country. It gives an impression of major events that shaped the country, but as it's only 45 min long and meant for first-time visitors, don't expect a dry scholarly treatment of the subject.

   Shows hourly; Mon-Fri 11:00-16:00, Sat Sun 11:00-14:00·Adult €20, student with ID €15.50, child 5 - 11 years old €9

10. See

    The National Library

    Bibliotheca

    An evocative old library on Republic Square, next to the Grandmaster's Palace. Only part of it is open to the public: you will need to take a passport or other photo ID to get in. The entire archives of the Knights of St. John from the Crusades in the 11th century until 1798, when Napoleon took Malta, are kept here, in true Maltese style in rickety wooden filing cabinets.

11. See

    The National Museum of Archaeology

    Even though Malta has an impressive and unique ancient history, this museum, housed in the former Auberge de Provence in Republic Street can be rather a disappointment. The museum is partially being renovated, hopefully bringing something more worthy of its name.

    Daily 09:00-18:00 (17:00 in Jan, Feb)·€5.00

12. Drink

    Trabuxu Wine Bar

    A charming wine bar in an ancient cellar serving light meals. It's at the beginning of a small alley parallel to Republic street, look for the wooden sign with the corkscrew. The bistro is opposite, on South Street.

    Tue-Sat 19:00-23:00

13. Do Not mapped

    Audio Guide

    To get further historical information about the numerous places of interest in Valletta it can be useful to get an audio guide. It is available in different languages from the Archeology Museum on Republic Street. You can choose independently from the 24 stops and it is not necessary to follow the given order. Stops can easily be skipped or visited in another sequence when tired or full of the new information.

14. See Not mapped

    Belfrey Tour

    takes you to a spectacular view of the cathedral from the gallery, and then up to the roof for okay views of the city. Timed tickets are available only at the cathedral; enquire when you go in.

    €5 extra

15. See Not mapped

    Works by Caravaggio

    Holds two works by Caravaggio, who was briefly himself a knight: the first one is the huge "Beheading of St. John the Baptist" (do not miss the explanatory light show up the staircase on your right), and the more modest Saint Jerome Writing, a more sophisticated version of an earlier work found at Rome's villa Borghese.

    included in cathedral admission

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Valletta (CC BY-SA 4.0).