Visit Malta: The Best Places to Visit and Must-See Attractions
Valletta
Let’s start this list of the best things to do in Malta with Valletta, the capital. Walk around this lovely city and look at the beautiful architecture, historical museums and amazing views over the sea and neighbor cities.
Here are the best places to visit in Valletta:
The Saint John’s Co-Cathedral might not look very interesting from the outside, but wait until you see what’s inside! It’s full of gold and magnificent paintings from Caravaggio.
Below the marbled floor lay the tombs of the Grand Masters of the Order of Malta and other nobles. Close to 400 of them are buried there, it’s a must see for history lovers in Malta!
Grandmaster’s Palace was once their home. While the Supreme Council Hall and the Ambassador’s Room are worth the visit, the most impressive room is for sure the armory.
It houses a collection of more than 5,000 armors and weapons, once belonging to the knights and grand masters.
Republic Street and Merchant Street are the main commercial streets in Valletta, with numerous stores and restaurants.
The Manoel Theatre, one of the oldest in Europe.
The Fort Saint Elmo, also housing the National War Museum.
At the National Museum of Fine Arts, you will find a collection of objects, sculptures and paintings which belonged to the Order of Malta.
The Barraka Gardens, also called Upper Barraka Garden and Lower Barraka Garden. The lower garden is quite small but has a very photogenic temple.
The upper one is bigger, with nice colonnades and a wonderful view over the 3 cities. Below you can see the Saluting Battery: an artillery battery used in the past to salute foreign vessels. It’s still functioning nowadays and fires everyday at noon.
The Three Cities
From Valletta, you can easily reach the Three Cities. Go to Upper Barrakka Garden and take the panoramic elevator (Barrakka Lift) to go downstairs. Then, cross the street and continue to the left to reach the boat departure point.
Mdina
Mdina is the former capital of Malta. During the Middle-Ages (before the Order of Malta), the government and other administrations were located there.
It was called “Citta Notabile”, the noble city. When the Order arrived, knights decided that they needed to be close to their ships and Valletta became the new capital.
Rabat
Rabat is another place to visit during your holidays in Malta. It’s located right next to Mdina: once you exit the fortified city you are already in Rabat!
Sliema and St Julian’s
Sliema and St Julian’s are the main touristic cities in Malta.
You’ll find there plenty of hotels, restaurants, clubs, casinos and shopping malls. They are perfect destinations if you like busy cities and to party. If you enjoy quiet places however, that might not be the best places for you to go.
In Sliema, you can enjoy a good meal in the numerous seafront restaurants offering unique views over Valletta.
Mosta
Mosta is famous for its monumental church, whose design was inspired by the Pantheon of Rome.
It was built in 1833 thanks to funds raised by the residents, and is one of the most beautiful church in Malta.
It’s said that the dome is one of the biggest in Europe, whether it’s the 3rd or the 4th biggest dome is still a matter of debate. It’s so big that you can see it from many places on the island.
Blue Grotto
Blue Grotto is located 2 km away from Zurrieq town.
It got its name and reputation from the intense blue color of the water in the cave.
You can see it from above at a sightseeing location just outside the city. You can also go to the small Wied Iz Zurrieq port, 2min further away by car, and take a 30 min boat tour.
The Megalithic Temples of Malta
Several megalithic temples can be found in Malta and Gozo, some of them even being UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They were all built between the 4th and 3th century BCE.
Popeye village
Popeye Village is located in the North-Western part of Malta, close to Mellieha.
This village was entirely built to serve as a set for the movie “Popeye”, shot in 1980 with Robin Williams as the lead actor.
To built this gigantic set, trees were imported from Canada to build the houses, a road to the bay was created, along with a breakwater to protect the set. Once the shooting was over, they decided to keep everything intact.
A film by Damir Međurečan
https://www.facebook.com/damir.medjurecan
Malta; From 08.03. to 15.03.2022.