explore it yourself:
The journey:
We arrived by plane from Milos on the night of July 9th and stayed until the early afternoon of July 12th. We arrived in and departed from Malta International Airport. Upon landing, we made our way to the central bus terminal which was just outside of the baggage claim area. The Airport Direct 4 bus (or TD4) travels directly from the airport to the main bus station in Valletta with no stops in-between so it was really efficient getting to the main city center and only costed 3 EUR per person (you can tap your credit card when boarding the bus).
The accommodations:
Below is what AI recommended for accommodations:
1. Valletta Kampnar City Living
2. Palazzo Sant Ursula
3. VBL Hostel
4. Paulos Valletta
5. Airbnb Studios or Private Rooms
We ended up selecting an Airbnb because of the location on Old Mint Street, just two blocks off of Republic Street, the heart and soul of Valletta. In our opinion, it is certainly worth paying a premium for staying within close proximity of this area. There are endless restaurants and narrow alleys filled with shops. With its location on a peninsula, it is only a short walk to the water in either direction where you are delighted with stunning views of the many fortresses on the island. It is worth noting that Valletta is very hilly so you will experience plenty of up and downhill walking while exploring the city!
Note: * our additions to ai itinerary and exclusions are crossed out, also see our summary at the bottom.
Day 1: Valletta's Historic Core
Barrakka Gardens
- Snug Cafe* – Cozy coffee shop offering quiet, intimate escape from the bustling city.
- We both enjoyed a flavored iced latte here before beginning our exploration of the city. The lower-level seating offers a cool spot to relax on a warm day!
- Upper Barrakka Gardens – enjoy panoramic views of the Grand Harbour.
- The panoramic views here really are amazing. You are able to clearly see for miles and observe many of the fortresses situated on the Grand Harbour.
- Lower Barrakka Gardens & Siege Bell War Memorial – Relax in the peaceful gardens overlooking the harbour. Then stroll the waterfront and see the moving war memorial nearby.
- After walking a loop along the waterfront, we arrived at the Lower Barrakka Gardens to find that they are closed for renovations (which were scheduled to be completed in 2024 according to the signage). Nevertheless, there are plenty of great viewing areas along the waterfront stroll that led us here.
- Lunch at
Nenu The Artisan Baker– Traditional Maltese dishes and fresh bread.
City Center & Merchant Street
- St. John’s Co-Cathedral – 15 EUR per person to go inside so we just viewed from the outside.
- After seeing the images of what the interior of the Cathedral looks like, we decided we’ll need to make another trip back to visit, it looks incredible!
- Wander the less touristy Merchant Street for local shops and cafés.
- Much like Republic Street, there are endless shops and cafés here, but as AI noted, it is much quieter on this street.
- Visit the Church of Our Lady of Victories, Malta’s oldest church. Marvel at the ornate Baroque interior and Caravaggio’s famous paintings. Free!
- This was one of our favorite stops in Valletta. The interior of the church is so beautiful and the restoration work completed in the early 2000’s is exquisite!
Grand Harbour Ferry & Fort St. Angelo
Note: This section was suggested by AI to be completed on day 2. We finished all of our first day plan’s earlier than originally anticipated so we added the below itinerary to the first day.
- Take the ferry to Birgu (Vittoriosa). – The public ferry is located next to the Lascaris Wharf Terminal and the water taxi station.
- Ferries from Valletta to The Three Cities (Birgu) arrives every ~15 – 20 minutes and costs 3 EUR per person for a one-way trip or 5 EUR for a round-trip ticket.
- The ferry ride itself lasts only a few minutes and sitting on the open-air top deck is a great way to see the fortresses from the water.
- Another option is to ride one of the many water taxis that board next to the public ferry, these rides are also 3 EUR per person aboard the traditional Maltese boats.
- Ferries from Valletta to The Three Cities (Birgu) arrives every ~15 – 20 minutes and costs 3 EUR per person for a one-way trip or 5 EUR for a round-trip ticket.
- Explore Fort St. Angelo with its military history and views back to Valletta.
- We walked along the outskirts of the Fort’s property rather than paying the 10 EUR per person to enter. The history of these fort’s really is incredible, with some structures being built as early as the 13th century!
- Birgu Waterfront &
Inquisitor’s Palace– walk the charming waterfront.- We walked a mix of waterfront and winding narrow alleyways in Birgu. This is certainly an area worth checking out when in Malta! The architecture is amazing.
- Dinner at
- San Paolo Naufrago* – Located on St. Paul’s Street, serving delicious cocktails and pizza.
- Definitely worth visiting! Be sure to book a reservation in advance if possible. We were lucky enough to get a table by walking in but a large line formed behind us right at dinner time. The kitchen opens at 5:30PM and the pizzas are absolutely fantastic.
- The seating is located on a descending staircase and with several other restaurants sharing space in the alley, the energy was great and the food was even better!
- OR
Don Bertoin Birgu – Cozy spot with fresh Mediterranean flavors.
- San Paolo Naufrago* – Located on St. Paul’s Street, serving delicious cocktails and pizza.
Day 2: Maritime MALTa & Hidden Corners
St. Peters Pool & Marsaxlokk
- St. Peters Pool – Natural swimming spot on the Delimara peninsula.
- This iss an absolute hike (literally and figuratively) from Valletta if you are using public transit like we were. We boarded the 81 bus from the central Valletta bus station and rode it for 38 stops (~45 minutes) to the Abdosir stop, just outside of Marsaxlokk. After arriving here, it is then a ~35 minute walk to the pool area along some narrow streets with relatively heavy traffic.
- Knowing the difficulty in getting to this location, we really wouldn’t recommend making the trip if you don’t have your own vehicle (ride-sharing apps were also expensive to get over here). With that being said, it was still a fun place to visit with tall rock formations to jump off of and plenty of space to lay out and enjoy the sun with the large crowds that gather there. The water was somewhat dirty with small pieces of garbage floating in a few areas so keep that in mind as well.
- This iss an absolute hike (literally and figuratively) from Valletta if you are using public transit like we were. We boarded the 81 bus from the central Valletta bus station and rode it for 38 stops (~45 minutes) to the Abdosir stop, just outside of Marsaxlokk. After arriving here, it is then a ~35 minute walk to the pool area along some narrow streets with relatively heavy traffic.
- Marsaxlokk – A small fishing village in the Southern Region of Malta.
- It was nice to walk along the waterfront and see all of the colorful fishing boats docked in the harbor amongst the many seafood restaurants.
- Lunch at one of the below:
- La Nostra Pardona – Situated along the waterfront, serving fresh seafood.
- We shared the Seafood Risotto here for 22 EUR which came loaded with octopus and calamari pieces. It was so delicious and we would highly recommend this spot!
De Mondion– Fine dining with stunning views from Mdina (short taxi ride)Rampila– Set within historic bastions, Mediterranean cuisine with a view.Trabuxu Bistro– Small, local bistro with creative dishes.Guzé Bistro– Traditional Maltese with a cozy atmosphere in old town Valletta.
- La Nostra Pardona – Situated along the waterfront, serving fresh seafood.
Dinner & Valletta Night Life
- Dinner at Zero Sei Trattoria Romana* – We were recommended this spot by a Maltese friend of ours
- The Italian food and ambiance were unbelievable. It also happened to be on the same block as our Airbnb!
- Walk around the city center – Republic Street* is very vibrant and has a plethora of gelato/icecream spots.
- Pretty specific to this time period, but we went to watch a world cup game at a World Cup Fan Zone* near the fountain in the city center. It was one of the coolest sport viewing parties we have ever been to.
- Whether or not the World Cup is ongoing, there is a very lively night life in Valletta so you’re bound to have a good time.
- Pretty specific to this time period, but we went to watch a world cup game at a World Cup Fan Zone* near the fountain in the city center. It was one of the coolest sport viewing parties we have ever been to.
final thoughts:
Overall Rating: 100/10
Would I go again? We would love to go again. Such a lovely island.
Favorite moment:
Bailey’s favorite: Eating dinner on St. Paul’s Street. It has been on my bucket list to eat there and it was just as great as I imagined. Such a unique spot with great energy.
Parker’s favorite: My favorite location so far! Arriving at night in Valletta and walking down Republic Street while seeing the massive crowds of people making their way into the many restaurants was great to see. Valletta encompasses many of my favorite things about Paris and New York City, combined into a beautiful island!
Favorite meal:
Bailey’s favorite: Although the experience of eating on St. Paul’s Street was my favorite moment, my favorite meal was actually from Zero Sei Trattoria Romana. Parker and I agreed that this was easily some of the best pasta dishes we have had.
Parker’s favorite: The Seafood Risotto at La Nostra Pardona was perfect! It was my first time having octopus and we couldn’t have chose a better place to have it. I would definitely come back here again in the future!
Any surprises? The landscape of Valletta was one of the most unique we have been. The entire city of Valletta is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a result of its masterful urban planning and concentrated historical significance. We noticed some similarities to England and soon realized that they gained their independence from Great Britain in the 1964, hence some of the noticable similarities such as the direction of traffic and the red telephone booths.
Anything we missed? Mdina, Malta’s Silent City, seemed like it would have been fun to explore.
Food spots AI recommended, but we didn’t have a chance to go: Nenu The Artisan Baker, Don Berto, De Mondion, Rampila, Trabuxu Bistro, and Guzé Bistro
Average step count per day: 17,320 steps
How did ai do?
Nailed it: We appreciated that AI recommended exploring Marsaxlokk as we likely wouldn’t have ended up in this area without this suggestion. Similarly, having us take the ferry to Birgu was a nice touch to see the city from the water.
Needs work: Suggesting we swim at St. Peter’s pool was unnecessary in our opinion. Although the area was cool and it was nice to jump in the water, it was such a hike from Marsaxlokk and took up a good portion of the day that we would have rather explored elsewhere.
As noted above, we were able to complete all of the original Day 1 plans before noon so we adjusted the itinerary to add extra stops on the first day. Ultimately, it feels that AI overestimated how much time it would take to complete our first day plans, while underestimating how much time it would take to visit St. Peter’s pool.