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Travel guide
Valletta
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Valletta, in a few days
Built by the Knights of St John after the siege of 1565, Valletta fills a small peninsula above the Grand Harbour with a grid of streets. About five thousand people live among golden limestone bastions and stepped streets that drop to the water.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · St John's Co-Cathedral · about 1 hA plain, fortress-like front hides a nave covered in gold, marble and paintings, with a chapel for each langue of the Order vying for splendour.
- Afternoon · Grandmaster's Palace · about 1 h 30The seat of power since 1571, now the President's office, with painted friezes of the Great Siege and Gobelins tapestries given in 1710.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Osborne Hotel€100 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Casa Rocca Piccola · about 1 hA 1580 house built for an admiral of the Order, still lived in by a Maltese noble family, with guided tours of about fifty rooms.
- Afternoon · Fort St Elmo · about 2 hThe star-shaped fort at the tip of the peninsula held out for about a month against the Ottomans in 1565, buying the Order precious time.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Castille Hotel€115 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Upper Barrakka Gardens free · about 30 minAn arcaded terrace on a bastion above the Grand Harbour, laid out by the Italian knights in 1661 and open to the public since 1824.
- Afternoon · Saluting Battery · about 30 minA row of cannon below the Upper Barrakka, once used to salute warships and signal the time to the city and the harbour.
🛏️ Where to sleep · La Falconeria€190 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Crossing the Grand Harbour by dgħajsa · about 30 minThe traditional Maltese water taxi, brightly painted with a raised prow and protective eyes, crossing to the Three Cities as it did long before ferries.
- Afternoon · The Three Cities free · about 2 hBirgu, Senglea and Cospicua, the knights' towns before Valletta, facing it across the harbour with narrow lanes, painted wooden balconies and no souvenir shops.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Ursulino Valletta€160 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Pastizzi: flaky pastries filled with ricotta or mushy peas, sold for next to nothing and eaten hot.
- Stuffat tal-fenek: rabbit slow-cooked in wine and garlic, the national dish.
- Ftira: a ring of Maltese bread filled with tuna, tomato, capers and olives.
- Aljotta: a garlicky fish soup with rice and fresh herbs.
- Kinnie and local wine: Kinnie is a bittersweet orange soft drink made on the island since 1952.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Traffic drives on the left and parking is scarce: think twice before taking a car into Valletta.
- Buses can be full and slow in summer, so leave extra time.
- The sun is strong and shade is rare on the coast and at the temples: carry water and a hat.
- The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum admits only a few visitors a day: book weeks ahead.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Maltese
| English | Maltese |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonġu |
| Thank you | Grazzi |
| Please | Jekk jogħġbok |
| Yes | Iva |
| No | Le |
| Excuse me | Skużani |
| Goodbye | Saħħa |
| Do you speak English? | Titkellem bl-Ingliż? |
| I don't understand | Ma nifhimx |
| How much is it? | Kemm jiswa? |
| Where are the toilets? | Fejn hu t-tojlit? |
| The bill, please | Il-kont, jekk jogħġbok |
| Help! | Ajjut! |
| Cheers! | Saħħa! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €110 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, and September to October
PlugG (prise UK) · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink, but most people prefer bottled for the taste
TippingAppreciated, 5 to 10%
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccinations are needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/valletta
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.