History · Valletta · Malta
8 historic sites to see in Valletta
The places that tell the story of how the city came to be.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0
_01_ies.jpg){kind=link}
Quick answer
Start with St John's Co-Cathedral, Grandmaster's Palace and Fort St Elmo and National War Museum. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 9–10 hours across 2 areas; 1 is free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 1
- Time to see them all
- 9–10 hours
- Areas
- Upper Valletta and Lower Valletta
Historic sites in Valletta
Religious site · Upper Valletta
1.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.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Palace · Upper Valletta
2.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.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
.jpg){kind=link}
Castle · Lower Valletta
3.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.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Views
- Rainy day
Garden · Lower Valletta
4.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.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- History
Historic site · Upper Valletta
5.Lascaris War Rooms
The operations rooms are restored with plotting tables and maps, and guides explain how the air battle over Malta was run.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · Upper Valletta
6.National Museum of Archaeology
It is the best introduction before visiting Ħaġar Qim, Tarxien or the Hypogeum.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Palace · Lower Valletta
7.Casa Rocca Piccola
Below the house, rock-cut WWII air-raid shelters show how residents sheltered during the bombing.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Architecture · Lower Valletta
8.Manoel Theatre
It still stages opera, concerts and plays, and short guided tours run during the day.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- After dark
- Couples
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Valletta | St John's Co-Cathedral, Grandmaster's Palace, Lascaris War Rooms and National Museum of Archaeology | 1.5 hours + 1–1.5 hours + 1–1.5 hours + 1 hour |
| Lower Valletta | Fort St Elmo and National War Museum, Lower Barrakka Gardens and Siege Bell, Casa Rocca Piccola and Manoel Theatre | 2 hours + 30 minutes + 1 hour + 45 minutes |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 1 free, 2 low cost, 5 mid-priced. Book ahead for St John's Co-Cathedral. The longest visit is Fort St Elmo and National War Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- St John's Co-Cathedral: Queues build when cruise ships are in; arriving early or booking online saves time.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Upper Valletta): St John's Co-Cathedral → Grandmaster's Palace → Lascaris War Rooms, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Upper Valletta and Lower Valletta): National Museum of Archaeology → Fort St Elmo and National War Museum → Lower Barrakka Gardens and Siege Bell → Casa Rocca Piccola, at least 5 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Lower Valletta): Manoel Theatre, at least 1 hour.
The quietest months for queues
- January: highs of 16°C (61°F), about 10 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Mild, often sunny days between showers, with low prices and quiet museums; strong winds can cancel some boat trips.
- March: highs of 18°C (64°F), about 6 rainy days, quiet crowds. Spring flowers on the countryside walks and comfortable sightseeing, though the sea is still cold.
- February: highs of 16°C (61°F), about 8 rainy days, quiet crowds. Similar to January, with carnival floats and costumes filling Valletta's streets in some years.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Upper Valletta — City Gate, Republic Street and the cathedral end of the capital
- Lower Valletta — Quieter residential streets, Strait Street bars and Fort St Elmo
More of Valletta
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Valletta?
St John's Co-Cathedral. The Knights' conventual church looks austere outside but inside is a blaze of gilded carved stone, ceiling paintings by Mattia Preti and a floor of some 400 inlaid marble tombstones of knights.
+Which of these are free in Valletta?
Lower Barrakka Gardens and Siege Bell.