Valletta Malta

Whether you’re wanting a city break alone, with friends, family or a romantic trip with your partner, Valletta Malta, the island’s capital has something to offer. Due to its Mediterranean location, whatever time of the year you visit, the sun is likely to be beating down on you as you enjoy some sightseeing.

Valletta Malta, enclosed by towering bastion walls and surrounded by the clear blue Mediterranean ocean, is packed with historic sights and offers a wide variety of events and fine bars and restaurants – it’s a true cultural capital.

A strategically important seaport, this fortified city is the elegant capital of the Republic of Malta. The entire city of Valletta is testimony to the grandeur of the Knights of Malta, the European noblemen who were granted the Maltese Islands by the King of Spain in 1530. The knights created a capital worthy of their aristocratic stature, on par with other great European capitals. Valletta’s regular grid plan and orderly public squares reveal the knights’ logical 16th-century urban planning. Tourists can easily navigate this small city that is bounded by two harbours, the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour.

Get walking around Valletta, a city of tiny streets, shuttered buildings in gorgeous honey-coloured stone, saint statues at every corner, and mighty promenade-topped bastions from which to gaze across the historic harbour. Late afternoon in Upper Barrakka Gardens, listen out for the firing of the 4pm cannon.

Walking around the city, you’d be forgiven for thinking you are in one huge, open-air museum. Inside imposing 16th century walls, many of the most impressive buildings date back to the Baroque period, most notably the wonderfully elaborate Cathedral of St. John. Inside, you’ll find priceless paintings by some of the great masters, including Caravaggio’s largest and most renowned work, The beheading of St John the Baptist.

A short walk away, the tranquil Upper Barrakka Gardens overlook Malta’s Grand Harbour, often called the most beautiful in the Mediterranean.

At the end of the day, the friendly bars and excellent restaurants lining the narrow mediaeval streets welcome tourists with some of the best food you’ll find on the island.

Valletta Malta hosts many cultural events throughout the year, from jazz, opera and baroque festivals to contemporary art and theatre productions. With its year-round beautiful climate, Malta’s capital makes the perfect getaway at any time.