Valletta Audio Guided Walking Tour 1h45 and 19 reviews

As a good tourist capital that respects itself, Valletta also ticks the box of a main artery where life and local animation prevail. And that’s good, this street is the one you’re on right now.

Surrounded by fortifications since the 16th century, and characterized by a lot of steep perpendicular streets, Valletta spares no effort to discover it.

Go up, down and up again... All this sweats the effort hard! Therefore, a break from this place will be welcome. Originally founded in the 19th century, by the Knights of the Order of St. John, the Covered Point of Sale has not enjoyed an exemplary prosperity path.

Although it resembles the dozens of houses that preceded or followed it, Casa Rocca Piccola is irreplaceable. When the Knights of the Order of St. John successfully fought their Turkish invaders in 1565, Valletta developed on a prestigious city model to compete with other European capitals.

It is at the very northern tip of Valletta that we take you to get to know Fort Saint-Elme, without which the history of the city would not have been the same.

Apart from its magnificent landscapes, Valletta is also the story of a Mediterranean capital written over its peoples, conquests and dominations. If antiquity brings back the Greek and Roman empires, and the Middle Ages give it an Arab occupation, Valletta takes its very first marks from the Renaissance.

Promising a moment suspended in the middle of nature, the Lower Barrakka Gardens are like a small oasis overlooking the Grand Port. In the middle of the vegetation, and dozens of hibiscus trees that color the alleys in summer, there are some monuments that deserve to be admired.

It is with a certain sobriety, even modesty, that the Bell War Memorial headquarters, positioned just across the street, reminds us how the island has not always known the tranquility in which it flourishes today.

Turning our backs on Valletta, as we approach this vast panorama, is really not a tragedy in itself. More than contemplating the waters of the Mediterranean and the fervor of the Grand Port, you can also enjoy the view of the Three Cities, which stand individually on the tongues of land facing you.

In the three sets of gardens in the Maltese capital, it is obviously our favourite. Located at the highest point of Valletta’s strongholds, the Upper Barrakka Gardens were first established in 1661.

The Hostel de la Castilla - León et Portugal, opened on the harbour in 1574, is a monument that serves both Maltese history and architecture. Originally, the building was one of the 7 inns of Valletta, where the Knights of the Order of St. John resided and met.

In Valletta’s generous family of churches, you are right next to the oldest of all. And here, beware, we are talking about the monument to your right with a double-flying staircase.

Although it did not make a cross on the ochre color, present floor to ceiling in Valletta, the new Parliament nevertheless took the gamble of assuming its young age, through very contemporary architectural lines.

Rarely do you hear the words Knights of the Order of Saint John ring in your ears when you discover Valletta. And if it hasn’t happened yet, then it’s only a matter of a second, with the masterful building facing you.

Coming to Valletta and not approaching the co-cathedral of St. John, is undoubtedly to miss one of the most beautiful centerpieces of the city. Okay, at first glance it’s not quite obvious...

More than presenting you the must-sees in a city visit, we also like to share a content of unpublished information about them, which for the moment will not be given to you on a street corner.

In the centre of Valletta, it is good to be an observer so as not to miss the little pieces of history hidden there, such as the Manoel theatre appearing on your left.

Here is the sublime national library, with its distinguished columns and this golden inscription, which tells all passers-by what Maltese treasure they are dealing with. From its foundation in 1796 to the present day, this building has gained enormous value, thanks to the various literary gifts it has received.

In front of you rises Pjazza Teatru Rjal, a place where memory and modernity mix. Here once stood one of the most beautiful opera houses in Europe: the Royal Opera House. Built in 1866 by the English architect Edward Middleton Barry, this neoclassical theatre opened with Bellini’s opera I Puritani.