How to spend a day in Valletta

Valetta is a great spot to go because in Malta it seems as if the weather was always good. Also, Valetta was built after the victory in the great siege of 1565 against the Turks and therefore carries a great cultural heritage. It is a peninsula with harbours on both sides that was planned to be unconquerable so there are big walls around the city on the seasides as well as on the land. And when you are planning to discover Malta, you can reach almost every spot of the island from Valetta by bus and St. Julians is not far from here for partying!

In Valetta, everything you need to see can be reached by foot. The best place to enter the city is the huge main gate at the parliament building. Here you can just go with the flow along the Republic Street in the pedestrian area in the heart of Valetta.

Also, you can do a side trip to the viewpoint at Hastings Garden on the left and then return to Republic Street afterwards. Special about this viewpoint is that it gives you a view over the other harbour and the Manoe Island inside the harbour that used to be an isolation island and still has some beautiful ruins to offer. Here you can catch a glimpse of Valetta from another point of view.

Back on Republic Street, there is a lot to see. First, there is the open air theatre in the ruins of the old opera house which guarantees a special atmosphere. Further on, everywhere around you find these small shops that are typical for Malta and only very view international brands. On the right side, you will approach the St. John’s Co-Cathedral that is quite stunning because it is so full of ornaments there is actually no undecorated place left, not even on the ground. It is quite overwhelming at first because of all the gold and the amount of paintings everywhere. And of course, there is also the palace with a museum in it to visit.

Parallel to the palace in the Merchant’s Street, you can also visit a market every weekday until 14h. Afterwards, just follow the road until it ends. You are now standing in front of Fort St. Elmo and the museum of war which is said to be pretty great. Here you can just follow the promenade and enjoy the seaview until you reach the waterfront. At the waterfront there are the piers for the cruise ships, therefore there are lots of restaurants, bars and shops in a quite lively street.

The best place to end your journey through Valetta is also my most favourite place: the Upper Barrakka Garden. From here you have a stunning view over the harbour and the Three Cities, you can watch ships enter and leave the city for hours and it is also a perfect place to watch the sunrise if you manage to get up early enough. Here you can relax a little, enjoy the view and just feel the spirit of Malta.

Note: I was invited to explore and enjoy Malta by the Maltese Tourism Office. All views and opinions however, are mine alone.