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City of Valletta

Valletta · Malta

Background

World Heritage since
1980
Type of site
Cultural
City founded by the Knights
1566

The capital of Malta is inextricably linked to the history of the military and charitable Order of St John of Jerusalem. UNESCO notes it was ruled successively by Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Knights, and that its 320 monuments within 55 hectares make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.

The city was built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 16th century and named after Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette, who held off the Ottoman siege. Baroque in character, it lost its Royal Opera House in the Second World War, and was European Capital of Culture in 2018.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. 1565The Great Siege of Malta
  2. 1566Grand Master de Valette founds the city
  3. 16th–17th c.The Baroque city of palaces and churches is built
  4. 1940sBombing destroys the Royal Opera House
  5. 1980Inscribed as World Heritage

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    St John's Co-Cathedral
    A plain facade over a gilded interior, the knights' marble tombs and two Caravaggios.
  2. 2
    Grandmaster's Palace
    The seat of the Order and later the governors.
  3. 3
    Upper Barrakka Gardens
    The view over the Grand Harbour and the noon gun.
  4. 4
    Fort St Elmo
    The star fort at the tip of the peninsula, with the war museum.
  5. 5
    The Harbour Walls
    A 30-minute coastal walk around the outside of the fortifications.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Book St John's Online
Wikivoyage: buy co-cathedral tickets online to skip the queue; the audio guide is included.
Noon Gun
The cannon fires at 12:00 and 16:00 from the Saluting Battery.
Steep and Stepped
The peninsula is only a couple of kilometres long but built on a ridge, with stairs in places.
Buses from the Gate
The island's main bus station is just outside the City Gate; ferries cross to Sliema and the Three Cities.

The Knights' City

From the GoGo Valletta guide · Open the Valletta Guide ›

  1. 09:30
    St John's Co-Cathedral and Its Caravaggios75 min
    The gilded interior.
  2. 11:00
    Grandmaster's Palace45 min
    The seat of the Order.
  3. 11:45
    Saluting Battery at Noon45 min
    The gun over the Grand Harbour.
  4. 14:00
    Fort St Elmo90 min
    The star fort and war museum.
  5. 19:30
    Rabbit Stew Dinner90 min
    Maltese food on the stepped streets.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: May–Nov.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Nov (95 mm), driest Jul (4 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is 4 km away and the Megalithic Temples 11 km; both are World Heritage sites, and the Hypogeum needs booking weeks ahead.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 131 · Wikipedia: Valletta · Wikivoyage: Valletta (CC BY-SA 4.0) · GoGo Valletta guide · UNESCO listing