Valletta
Valletta, also known as Città Umilissima, is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 council areas.
Valletta, also known as Città Umilissima, is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta's capital city, it is a commercial centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the southernmost capital of Europe, and, at just 0.61 square kilometres (0.24 sq mi), it is the European Union's smallest capital city.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Valletta
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01University of Malta
The University of Malta is a public research university in the towns of Msida and Valletta, Malta. It serves as Malta's flagship and national university.
2.7 km · university in Malta · Wikipedia - 02St. John's Co-Cathedral
St John's Co-Cathedral is a Catholic co-cathedral in Valletta, Malta, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was built by the Order of St.
100 m · cathedral in Valletta, Malta · Wikipedia - 03National Library of Malta
The National Library of Malta, often known as the Bibliotheca, is a reference library in Republic Square, Valletta, Malta. It was founded by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc in 1776 out of the collections of the knight Louis Guérin de Tencin.
100 m · national library · Wikipedia - 04Grandmaster's Palace
The Grandmaster's Palace, officially known as The Palace, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was built between the 16th and 18th centuries as the palace of the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798, and was also known as the Magisterial Palace.
200 m · palace · Wikipedia - 05Our Lady of Victory Church
The Our Lady of Victory Church, formerly known as the Saint Anthony the Abbot Church, was the first church and building completed in Valletta, Malta. In 1566, following the Great Siege of Malta, Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette and his Order showed interest to build a church in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin as a form of thanksgiving; the construction was funded by de Valette.
300 m · church in Valletta, Malta · Wikipedia - 06Fort Ricasoli
Fort Ricasoli is a bastioned fort in Kalkara, Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John between 1670 and 1698. The fort occupies a promontory known as Gallows' Point and the north shore of Rinella Bay, commanding the entrance to the Grand Harbour along with Fort Saint Elmo.
1.2 km · fort in Malta · Wikipedia - 07Church of St Catherine of Italy, Valletta
The Church of St Catherine of Alexandria, commonly known as the Church of St Catherine of Italy is a Roman Catholic church in Valletta, Malta. It was built by the Hospitaller Langue of Italy and it serves as the parish church of the Italian community of Malta.
300 m · church building in Valletta, Malta · Wikipedia - 08St Paul's Pro-Cathedral
St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, officially The Pro-Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Paul, is an Anglican pro-cathedral of the Diocese in Europe situated in Independence Square, Valletta, Malta. A "pro-cathedral" is a church with cathedral status though not being the main cathedral.
200 m · cathedral · Wikipedia - 09Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Carmelite Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, located in Valletta, Malta. It is one of the major churches of Valletta, and forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes the entire city.
200 m · church in Valletta, Malta · Wikipedia - 10National Museum of Archaeology
The National Museum of Archaeology is a Maltese archaeological museum located in Valletta, with artefacts from Maltese prehistory, Phoenician times and a notable numismatic collection. It is managed by Heritage Malta.
100 m · archaeology museum in Valletta, Malta · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01St. John's Co Cathedral. Mon-Sat
Unremarkable from the outside, but incredibly ornate on the inside.
- 02Palace of the Grand Masters
Now it is the President's office and the Maltese parliament.
- 03The Malta Experience
St Elmo Bastions, Mediterranean St, +356 251284.
- 04The Upper Barrakka Gardens
- 05The National Museum of Archaeology
Even though Malta has an impressive and unique ancient history, this museum, housed in the former Auberge de Provence in Republic Street can be rather a disappointment.
- 06Fort St
Built at the tip of the peninsula by the knights after the Dragut Raid of 1551.
From Wikivoyage: Valletta, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
- 01Coastal Walk
You can take a spectacular walk along the sea around the outside of the city walls.
- 02Saluting Battery
Battery Street.
- 03Manoel Theatre
- 04Pjazza Teatru Rjal
- 05Hibernians F.C.
Tony Bezzina Stadium, Paola.
From Wikivoyage: Valletta, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Valletta has a good selection of decent restaurants, especially along the waterfront. Since most tourists stay in Sliema or on the north coast of the island there are fewer of the trashy variety, although it does have the usual fast-food chains. Look out for traditional bakeries, with steaming fresh bread for mere cents.
- 01No.43
Café with fresh sandwiches, soups, salads and home made cakes.
- 02The Submarine
Most humble ftira and salads in the city.
- 03Croce Bonaci Caterers
Secluded site with wery good breakfast and tremendous sandwiches.
- 04Museum Cafe
Cosy little café with very impressive interior and amazing food.
- 05Old Bakery's Pizza e Pasta
Fresh ingredients for a good pizza cooked in a wood oven.
From Wikivoyage: Valletta, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Valletta
- Airports
- Malta (MLA), 6 km · Catania-Fontanarossa (CTA), 181 km · Falcone–Borsellino (PMO), 283 km
- Stations
- Ħamrun, 2.5 km · Grand Harbour, 700 m · Marsamxett Harbour, 500 m
- Catania → Valletta184 km · quickest by road, 4h 32m · €22–31
- Palermo → Valletta267 km · quickest by road, 7h 2m · €34–48
- Tripoli → Valletta356 km · quickest by air, 5h · $190–290
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Valletta
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Valletta. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inFor those opting not to fly to Malta, Virtu Ferries runs ferries from Pozzallo on the island of Sicily, Italy.
- Get inA much shorter journey can be done by Valletta Ferry Services across beautiful Marsamxett harbour from Sliema and past Manoel Island, for just €1.50.
- Get inWater taxis leave whenever they have six people during daylight hours, €3 per person (Feb 2025).
- Get inAnother little-known way is to visit Vittoriosa by bus and then have the Maltese version of the gondola, the so called Dghajsa, bring you back in style across the spectacular Grand Harbour to Valletta, and drop you off just by Victoria gate for €3.50.
- Get aroundAnother possibility is to rent one of the horsecarts (Karozzin), but be sure to haggle over the price.
From Wikivoyage: Valletta, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in Valletta – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.