2 days in Valletta

Day by day

1. Day 1: St John's Co-Cathedral and Upper Barrakka Gardens and Saluting Battery

   St John's Co-Cathedral, Upper Barrakka Gardens and Saluting Battery, Grandmaster's Palace and Lascaris War Rooms, then Manoel Theatre in the evening.

   1. Morning

      St John's Co-Cathedral

      The oratory holds Caravaggio's Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, his largest painting and the only one he signed, and his Saint Jerome Writing.

   2. Late morning

      Upper Barrakka Gardens and Saluting Battery

      Below it, the Saluting Battery's cannons are fired daily at noon, a tradition that once regulated time for ships in the harbour. The Barrakka Lift drops 58 metres from the gardens to the waterfront.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Pastizzi

      Pastizzerias across Valletta and every town; the best are straight from the oven and cost very little.

   4. Afternoon

      Grandmaster's Palace

      Its corridors are lined with painted friezes, armorial ceilings and suits of armour, and the Armoury is one of the largest collections of its kind still in its original building.

   5. Late afternoon

      Lascaris War Rooms

      The operations rooms are restored with plotting tables and maps, and guides explain how the air battle over Malta was run.

   6. Evening

      Manoel Theatre

      If you can, see a performance rather than a tour; the acoustics and the intimate boxes are the point.

2. Day 2: Fort St Elmo and National War Museum and Lower Barrakka Gardens and Siege Bell

   Fort St Elmo and National War Museum, Lower Barrakka Gardens and Siege Bell, Casa Rocca Piccola and Strait Street, then Strait Street in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Fort St Elmo and National War Museum

      Its National War Museum covers Malta's history from the Bronze Age to independence, and displays the George Cross awarded to the island in 1942.

   2. Late morning

      Lower Barrakka Gardens and Siege Bell

      Just below stands the Siege Bell War Memorial, commemorating the more than 7,000 people who died in the WWII siege of Malta.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Ħobż biż-żejt

      Snack bars and cafés across the island, especially near swimming spots.

   4. Afternoon

      Casa Rocca Piccola

      Below the house, rock-cut WWII air-raid shelters show how residents sheltered during the bombing.

   5. Late afternoon

      Strait Street

      Many old bar signs survive, and the street now holds wine bars, small restaurants and occasional live music.

   6. Evening

      Strait Street

      Wine bars and small music venues in the old sailors' district, with tables in the narrow street.

Before you go

• St John's Co-Cathedral: Queues build when cruise ships are in; arriving early or booking online saves time.

If it rains

• Swap in National Museum of Archaeology (Upper Valletta): Visit before your temple day trips; the figurines make far more sense once you have seen the sites.
• Swap in MUŻA – National Community Art Museum (Upper Valletta): Look for the Preti paintings first, then compare them with his ceiling in St John's nearby.
• Swap in Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum (Paola): Combine it with the Tarxien Temples, a 10-minute walk away.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 10–12 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. Everything in Valletta is within walking distance; Republic Street runs the length of the peninsula from City Gate to Fort St Elmo.

More or fewer days

• One day in Valletta
• 3 days in Valletta
• 5 days in Valletta

Questions travellers ask