The Best Things to Do in Valletta, Malta

1St. John’s Co-Cathedral & Its Caravaggio

Behind a famously plain stone façade hides one of Europe’s most overwhelming Baroque interiors—every surface gilded, the floor a carpet of inlaid-marble tombstones marking the graves of the Knights of St. John. The showpiece sits in the Oratory: Caravaggio’s The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608), the largest canvas he ever painted and the only work he ever signed—famously in the blood spilling from the saint’s throat. A second Caravaggio, Saint Jerome Writing, hangs nearby. A guided cathedral-and-city walking tour is the best way to understand what you’re looking at; go early to beat the cruise crowds.

Best for: The one unmissable sight in Valletta and a masterclass in Baroque art. Duration: 1–2 hours. Note: modest dress (shoulders and knees covered) required.

2Cruise the Grand Harbour from Sliema

Valletta’s story was written on the water, and the best way to feel its scale is from a boat. This roughly 90-minute scenic cruise sets off from nearby Sliema and glides through both of the city’s great harbours—Marsamxett and the vast Grand Harbour—past the imposing bastions, forts and creeks of Valletta and the Three Cities of Birgu (Vittoriosa), Senglea (Isla) and Cospicua (Bormla). Live commentary fills in the drama of the Great Sieges of 1565 and 1942, and there’s a bar onboard. It’s the single best way to understand why the Knights chose this spot.

Best for: The definitive harbour view and Valletta’s maritime history. Duration: ~1.5 hours.

3Eat Your Way Through a Maltese Street-Food Tour

Maltese food is its own reason to visit, and a guided street-food walk is the fastest way in. Over two to three hours you’ll wind through Valletta’s piazzas, Baroque avenues and hidden side streets sampling the classics: flaky pastizzi straight from a beloved local bakery, ftira (the fermented Maltese bread now recognised by UNESCO), rabbit—the national dish—plus sweet imqaret, the local soft drink Kinnie and an ice-cold Cisk lager. A local guide threads the tastings together with the stories behind each dish.

Best for: Foodies and first-timers who want to eat like a local. Duration: 2–3 hours.

4Step Inside the Monastery & Secret Garden

One of Valletta’s most extraordinary new openings: the Monastery of St. Catherine, founded in 1575 and home to Augustinian cloistered nuns, has opened doors that stayed shut to the public for more than 400 years. Through a small doorway you’ll find peaceful cloisters, a self-sustaining secret garden with wells and fruit trees, original kitchens and cells, and an underground complex—once the quarry that built the convent above—leading down to the crypt. It’s an intimate, atmospheric counterpoint to the city’s grander sights (and you may be greeted by Mimi, the resident cat).

Best for: A hidden, off-the-beaten-path experience most visitors miss. Duration: ~1 hour.

5Watch the Cannons Fire at Upper Barrakka Gardens

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are the city’s finest free viewpoint—a shaded arcade of arches looking straight down over the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities. Below the terrace sits the Saluting Battery, where historic cannons are fired daily at noon and 4pm (a tradition dating back centuries). Time your visit for one of the firings, then drop down to harbour level on the Barrakka Lift for just €1. It’s also the prettiest spot in Valletta at sunset.

Best for: Panoramic harbour views, the daily cannon salute, and free sightseeing. Duration: 30–60 minutes.

6Tour the Grandmaster’s Palace & Armoury

For over two centuries this was the seat of the Grand Masters of the Order of St. John, and today it’s one of Heritage Malta’s flagship sites on St. George’s Square. The combined ticket takes you through the ornate State Rooms—tapestried halls, painted friezes and the seat of Malta’s parliament for decades—and the Palace Armoury, one of the world’s great collections of knightly arms and armour. Note that the State Rooms occasionally close for official functions, so it’s worth checking access before you go.

Best for: History buffs and anyone drawn to the Knights of Malta. Duration: 1–2 hours. Combined State Rooms + Armoury ticket around €12.

7Explore Fort St. Elmo & the National War Museum

Guarding the tip of the peninsula, the star-shaped Fort St. Elmo held out heroically during the Great Siege of 1565 and again through the Second World War. Inside, the National War Museum traces Malta’s military history from the Bronze Age to the George Cross awarded to the entire island for its WWII bravery—including the battered “Faith,” one of the Gladiator biplanes that defended Malta. Give yourself time to walk the ramparts for more harbour views.

Best for: Military history and dramatic fortress architecture. Duration: 1.5–2.5 hours.

Casa Rocca Piccola — A lived-in 16th-century noble palace still owned by the same family, complete with private WWII bomb shelters in the cellars. A rare glimpse of aristocratic Maltese life.

Lascaris War Rooms — The secret underground command centre from which the defence of Malta and the 1943 invasion of Sicily were directed. Atmospheric and genuinely gripping.

Stroll Republic & Merchant Streets — Valletta’s main pedestrian arteries, lined with cafés, limestone façades and the city’s signature enclosed timber balconies. Free, and the best way to soak up the atmosphere.

Strait Street — Once the notorious haunt of sailors on shore leave, now a revived strip of wine bars, jazz and late-night buzz.

Casa Rocca and beyond by day trip — Valletta pairs easily with the silent walled city of Mdina, or a ferry across to Gozo and the Blue Lagoon, if you have a spare day.