Valletta travel guide: what to see, how long to stay
A walled city on a rock peninsula, small enough to cross on foot in a quarter of an hour. The streets are stairs, so a full day goes by faster than you plan.
Valletta in short
Valletta sits on a narrow peninsula with the Grand Harbour on one side and Marsamxett on the other. The streets run in a straight grid, so the cross streets drop to the water in long flights of steps. Expect to climb on the way back.
Most of what visitors come for lies within a few hundred metres: a baroque co-cathedral, a palace, forts, a few museums and two garden terraces that look over the harbour. That makes Valletta easy to see on foot and a good base for the rest of the island.
Sundays are the catch. St John's Co-Cathedral shuts on Sundays and public holidays, so build your days around that.
How long to stay
- One day: the gardens, the cathedral and the palace, a coffee, back to the ferry
- Two days: add the museums, Fort St Elmo and the evening light on the bastions
- Three days: include a ferry across to the Three Cities or a bus to Mdina
Three days on foot
Day 1: harbour views and baroque
Start at Upper Barrakka Gardens, which are free, and time it so that you are on the terrace before the noon gun. The firing is at 12 pm and 4 pm; the battery below the gardens, Saluting Battery, costs €3 and is open 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. Then walk to St John's Co-Cathedral (€15, audio guide included, closed Sundays). The venue suggests about 1 h 45 min, so go in the morning, because the last entry is 4 pm. Finish with the Grand Master's Palace, €12.
Day 2: museums and the fort
The National Museum of Archaeology in Auberge de Provence costs only €5 and holds the Sleeping Lady and the Venus of Malta, which makes it the best value of the day. MUŻA is the art museum in Auberge d'Italie, a short walk along Merchants Street. Spend the afternoon at Fort St Elmo at the tip of the city, with the National War Museum inside, and pass the Siege Bell Memorial on the way back.
Day 3: leave the walls
Take the ferry from Valletta to the Three Cities and eat lunch in Birgu, or go by bus to Mdina and Rabat and arrive late in the day when the day-trippers leave. Do not squeeze both into one day; locals on travel forums say the same, and it is also easier on your feet.
When it rains
Rain falls mostly from October to March, on 9 to 13 days a month, and the stone steps turn slippery. Proper soles matter more than an umbrella. Most of the sights are indoors anyway.
- Morning: St John's Co-Cathedral, then the Grand Master's Palace next door
- Afternoon: the Archaeology Museum and MUŻA, within five minutes of each other
- Evening: a long dinner, since the museums close early
- Any time: check Heritage Malta notices first, because some State Rooms close for works
Where to stay
- Valletta itself
- Best for early mornings and for quiet evenings after the day-trippers have gone. Rooms are mostly in old townhouses.
- Floriana, by the gate
- A short walk from City Gate and next to the bus terminal, so you reach the airport and the island without a transfer.
- Sliema, across Marsamxett
- The promenade, shops and a direct ferry to Valletta, which is much nicer than the bus.
- Three Cities
- Quieter than the capital, with a view back at Valletta. The ferry crosses the harbour in minutes.