The capital of Malta, Valletta is a beautiful harbour city, popularly known as one of the best preserved fortified cities in the world. “A city built by gentlemen for gentlemen”, Valletta is named after its founder Jean Parisot de la Valette.
The magnificent fortress city grew on the arid rock of Mount Sceberras peninsula, which rises steeply from two deep harbours, Marsamxett and Grand Harbour. Started in 1566, Valletta was completed, with its impressive bastions, forts and cathedral, in the astonishingly short time of 15 years – given that mechanical tools did not exist at the time and the whole city was built entirely by hand.
The city is busy by day, yet retains a timeless atmosphere by night, giving the feeling that you are walking back in time. The grid of narrow streets boasts some of Europe’s finest art works, churches and palaces.
Here’s a list of things to do if you find yourself in Valletta some time soon.
1) Take a ‘karozzin’
A ‘korazzin’ is a traditional Maltese mode of transportation consisting of a horse-drawn carriage that takes you around the beautiful city of Valletta. Although it is no longer strictly used as a means of transport, the korazzin is still popularly used in ceremonies to date, such as funerals. These rides are great for tourists as the driver takes you around all the famous spots, and lets you stop for photos during the tour.
You can find these carriages at popular tourist spots.
2) Visit St. John’s Co-Cathedral
Out of all churches in Malta, St John’s Co-Cathedral is the most impressive. Described as the first complete example of the high Baroque anywhere, the cathedral is testimony to the talent of Maltese military architect Gerolamo Cassar. With Mattia Preti’s intricately carved stone wall designs, as well as the painted vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of St John, this place is not one to miss. The cathedral also houses one of Europe’s most impressive and famous art works – Caravaggio’s Beheading of St. John the Baptist. The cathedral also has a museum with artifacts worth checking out, and tombs of famous knights.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:30am-4:30pm, Sat 9:30am-12:30pm. Last admission 30 min before closing. Closed on Sundays, public holidays & during services
Entrance fee: Seniors €4.60, adults €6.00, students €3.50, children under 12 enter free (when accompanied by an adult)
3) Grab a ‘ftira’ at Ta’ Nenu
Whether one is a tourist or a local, the most popular reason for a visit to Ta’ Nenu is the tasting of typical Maltese authentic food, especially the Maltese traditional ftira. This traditional Valletta bakery turn family pizzeria is the place Malta’s traditional pizza, particularly if you are travelling with kids. Ftira tend to have thick crusts with toppings including local specialities like capers, Gozitan cheese and olives, and sometimes fish, meat and/or potato (ask for the no-meat option as this spot isn’t halal). Italian pizza is also available, as are a few non-pizza traditional Maltese dishes.
This is not a halal restaurant, and it does serve alcohol, therefore be sure to ask if the food contains alcohol and to request it to be removed if it does.
Ftira from €6.50
143 St Dominic’s Street, Valletta
4) Stroll through the Upper Barrakka Gardens
Malta has a couple of really great gardens, but if you’ve only got time for one, you should check out the Upper Barrakka.
The beautiful Upper Barrakka Gardens is situated next to Castille Palace, offering fantastic views of the Grand Harbour, the cities of Senglea, Vittoriosa and Kalkara as well as the Breakwater. Visitors can spend hours here simply admiring the stunning view. The Upper Barrakka Gardens are built on top of a bastion, on the highest point of Valletta and date back to 1661 when it used to be a private garden of the Knights.
Every day at noon, members of the Malta Heritage Society (dressed in British Artillery uniforms) fire a salute.
5) Sip coffee at Cordina Caffe
Having been founded in 1837, the cafe was developed over the years to become what can be considered a minor landmark within the bustling streets of Malta’s stunning capital, Valletta.
Caffe Cordina’s location in the heart of Valletta, facing Piazza Regina and the impressive Biblioteca, puts it within reach of many places of interest including the Grand Masters Palace, St. John’s Cathedral, The Manoel Theatre, The Museums of Fine Arts and Archeology and Castille, the Prime Minister’s office.
6) Take a ride in a ‘dghajsa’
Take a ride on Malta’s traditional boat, the ‘dghajsa’ (pronounced as daisa), to the old fortified city on the sou town of Birgu and visit Ford St. Angelo, the scene of heroic fighting during the great siege of 1565. The ‘dghajsa’ is similar to Venice’s gondola.
7) Visit the only mosque in Malta
There is only one masjid in Malta in the town of Paola on Triq Kordin. The location of the masjid, known as Mariam Al-Batool, is about 6-7Km from Valletta. Visitors can take a bus from Valletta and reach the masjid in about 10 minutes. You can also find a halal meat shop and a halal shop close to the masjid.
8) Walk along Republic Street
Republic Street is one of the most popular pedestrianized shopping streets of Valletta. This long street is full of clothing shops, bookshops, souvenir vendors, cafes aplenty and everything in between, it is a must for all tourists and locals alike. Be sure to check out the traditional Maltese balconies – just look up!
9) Manoel Theatre
If theatre is at all your thing, try to catch an event at this jewel-box of an 18th century theatre, which is Europe’s third-oldest and is still very much in working order. The theatre is Malta’s National Theatre and home to nearly all performances held by the National Orchestra. There are a good many plays in English. Or, take a back stage tour. They are run most mornings except Sundays.
10) Il-Monti, Merchant Street
The Merchant Street Market, open every day from 8:00 am until noon, is a popular open-air market in Valletta. This colorful street market resembles a European flea market, offering everyday and brand name clothing, antiques, old books and many other items at bargain prices. Visit this place for a true Maltese native feel.
