Travel Eye on Valletta (Malta)

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Overview:

Valletta is a rough rectangle at the tip of a peninsula on Malta's northeast coast, just a few hundred metres across in either direction and surrounded by water on its northern, eastern and southern sides. From the City Gate at the southwest edge of Valletta, you can walk to the centre of town through a series of squares surrounded by palaces and cathedrals.

While travelling through the Mediterranean, Sir Walter Scott described Valletta as 'the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen'. Today it's a beautifully preserved 16th-century walled city, small enough to cover in a few hours without sweating too much in the Mediterranean sun.

One of the grandest is the Auberge de Castille, once the palace of the Spanish and Portuguese langue (a division of the Order of St John). It's now the office of the prime minister and not open to the public.

This area is suitable for upmarket and middlemarket adults, especially those interested in history and culture..

The accommodation consists of mainly small character hotels in converted town houses and palazzos, some larger, more modern hotels outside the city.

Locality:

On the NE coast, 6 mls from the airport Valetta is a high, thin peninsula dominating and dividing the twin natural harbours. Steeper on the E side.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

There is no beach. Swimming from flat rocks in Sliema, 5 mls away.

There is a wide choice, from small boutiques to department stores. Fine-quality gold and silver jewellery are good buys. There is a daily covered food market and open-air street market.

The daytime brings a mixture of historic and cultural sites, including the Grand Master's palace, St John's co-cathedral and museum, outstanding views of the Grand Harbour from Upper and Lower Barracca Gardens, a great many churches, and 16th-century Fort St Elmo.

A more sophisticated evening with a theatre and cinemas. A great choice of eateries, from cafes to burger bars and a few good restaurants.

Among Valletta's many fine gardens are the Upper Barrakka Gardens, originally the private gardens of the Italian Knights of St John, where you can get a magnificent view of Grand Harbour and the Cottonera. St John's Co-Cathedral and Museum presents an austere facade, but the interior is a baroque masterpiece, with a patchwork of marble tombstones set in the floor commemorating the knights of old. The museum houses a collection of outstanding Flemish tapestries and two paintings by the Italian master Caravaggio.

The city's other major museum, the Palace of the Grand Masters, is also the seat of the president and parliament. It's loaded with tapestries, frescoes and friezes commemorating the Great Siege. Fort St Elmo, at the northeast tip of the city, features guides dressed as knights and re-stagings of historic battles.

With 30m (98ft) of visibility, warm water and dramatic undersea vistas, Malta has great diving. Gozo has the best spots, including the waters off the northeast coast near Marsalforn. St George's Bay, on the southeast coast, is another good place for a plunge. Comino also has good dive spots, including a 40m (120ft) drop-off at Ras I-Irieqa on the southwest tip of the island.

Despite its rocky coastline, Malta has some good beaches. Gnejna and Golden Bays, on the northwest coast, and St George's Bay have warm, calm waters and good sandy strands. Ramla Bay has Gozo's best beach.

All the islands in the archipelago are excellent for walking. Gozo and Comino are small enough to be covered by foot in a day or less, and nothing is really very far from anything else on Malta.