Valletta Travel Guide

Valletta, which is the capital of Malta, has the charm of an Italian city with its many Baroque palaces set on narrow steep streets that form a grid pattern. The city was carefully planned by its founder, Grand Master Fra Jean de la Vallette and the Knights of the Order of St John. The city was ’built by gentlemen for gentlemen’ with the first stone being ceremonially laid in 1566 after Ottoman forces withdrew their siege of the Maltese Islands and the Knights of St John took over. The purpose of the city, built in a short span of 15 years on a plateau between two harbours on Malta’s northeast coast, was primarily to fortify the island and secondly to provide palaces, Auberges (lodgings) for the eight Knight’s groupings (Langues), churches for worship and gardens for recreation. The remnants of the Knight’s occupation today characterise Valletta in the form of some splendid Baroque buildings and fortifications, but the majestic architecture manages not to overwhelm the island’s carefree personality.

Attractions

Hagar Qim:

The prehistoric temple complex discovered in 1839 at Hagar Qim in western Malta dates from about 3800 BC, and has the oldest known human structures in the world. The Hagar Qim and nearby Mnajdra ruins are close to the village of Qrendi, about nine miles (15km) southwest of Valletta. The megalithic temple complex carved from giant limestone slabs is adorned with carved animals and idols, sacrificial altars and oracular chambers, all fashioned with flint and obsidian tools. The largest megalith is 23ft (7m) high and weighs about 20 tons. Many of the relics recovered from the site, including the famous ’fat lady’ statues, are on display in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.

 Address: West of the village of Qrendi Telephone: 2142 4231 Email: reuben.grima@gov.mt Website: www.heritagemalta.org Transport: Bus 35 Opening Time: Daily 9am to 5pm Admission: Lm2 (adults), 50c (children 6-11)

Hypogeum:

The Hypogeum, just southwest of the Three Cities in the suburb of Paolo, is a labyrinthine complex of man-made chambers hewn out of limestone, extending about 36ft (11m) below the surface. Experts believe it was used as a burial site and temple by Neolithic man, who used antlers and stone picks to carve out the labyrinth in semi-darkness nearly 5,000 years ago. The site has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Archaeologists have recovered numerous statues, amulets, figurines and vases, many of which are on display in the Archaeology Museum in Valletta.

 Address: Burial Street, Paola Telephone: 2182 5579 or 2180 5018/9 Email: hypogeum@gov.mt Website: www.heritagemalta.org Opening Time: Daily 9am to 11am and 1pm to 4pm (only 70 visitors allowed per day) Admission: Lm4 (adults), concessions Lm2. Advance booking required at Hypogeum visitor centre in Paola or the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta, or online at www.heritagemaltashop.com

Lascaris War Rooms:

Valletta suffered a great deal of damage during bombing raids in the Second World War. The Battle of Malta and other events involving the islands during the early years of the war are featured in a series of 17th century tunnels, which were turned into a military operations complex during the war. The complex has been restored and now acts as a museum, with charts, models and dioramas.

 Address: Lascaris Ditch, Valletta Telephone: 2123 8396 Transport: On all bus routes Opening Time: Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm Admission: Lm1.75 (adults); 85c (children)

Malta Experience:

A dramatic presentation that illustrates the history of Malta, from Neolithic to modern times, can be enjoyed at the Mediterranean Conference Centre at St. Elmo’s bastion in Valletta. This building itself has been impressively restored, having been built by the Knights in the 1500s as a hospital. The wards, which are great sweeping halls with vaulted ceilings and marble floors, now serve as exhibition areas. A modern theatre has been added where the Malta Experience audio-visual show is offered in 10 languages.

 Address: Mediterranean Conference Centre, Mediterranean Street, Valletta Telephone: 2124 3776 or 2125 1284 Email: mxp@maltanet.net Website: www.themaltaexperience.com Transport: Bus 98 Opening Time: Show times: Monday to Friday every hour from 11am to 4pm, Saturdays and Sundays 11am to 1pm (until 2pm from October to June)

Mdina:

Mdina, known as the noble city, was the original capital of Malta before the arrival of the Knights of St John in the middle ages. It was originally a Phoenician town but spent periods under Roman, Arabic and Norman occupation. The elegant walled city, with its suburb, Rabat, can trace its origins back more than 4,000 years, although today all that remains is the medieval town, which has been largely restored. It is situated on a rocky outcrop about nine miles (15km) west of Valletta. At the heart of Mdina is its landmark Baroque Cathedral of St Paul. Mdina has a conservative atmosphere, in keeping with its noble past. While the Knights reigned over Malta the city became the home of the Maltese nobility, who lived there under autonomous rule, not being deemed worthy to be invited to join the Order of St John. The descendants of some of these families live here still. Mdina and Rabat not only offer some fascinating and valuable sightseeing opportunities, but the old city is particularly inviting at night when it is lamplit and visitors can enjoy the ambience of restaurants tucked away in its bastions and palace courtyards. Motor vehicles are off-limits inside the city walls, and pedestrians have free reign to walk the streets and take in a glimpse of life in the middle ages.

 

National Museum of Archaeology:

The archaeological museum on Republic Street is housed in one of the inns of the Knights of St John, the Auberge de Provence. The museum’s focus on Malta’s prehistory includes displays such as the reconstruction of prehistoric remains found at Hypogeum. Items such as pottery, sculptures, statuettes, stone implements and jewellery from the prehistoric, megalithic and temple-building periods are featured, as well as some Punic and Roman tomb furniture. All the exhibits were found on excavations across the Maltese islands.

 Address: Charles Borg, Auberge de Provence, Republic Street, Valletta Telephone: 2122 1623 Email: suzannah.depasquale@gov.mt Website: www.heritagemalta.org Transport: On all bus routes Opening Time: Daily 9am to 5pm Admission: Lm1 (adults), 25c (children 6-11)

Palace of the Grand Master:

The Grand Master’s palace, built around 1571, today serves as the office of the President and seat of the Maltese Parliament. The palace is a treasure house of art, from the unique collection of Gobelin Tapestries to frescoes depicting the Great Siege of 1565 by Perez d’Aleccio that cover the walls of the Halls of St Michael and St George. Visitors can also view the armoury and state apartments, which are adorned with friezes describing the history of the Order of St John.

 Address: Republic Street, Valletta Telephone: 2122 1221 Opening Time: Daily 9am to 5pm Admission: Lm1 (adults); under-19s and over-65s free

St John’s Co-Cathedral:

Valletta’s magnificent medieval cathedral is famous for the painting by Caravaggio, which hangs in its oratory, and the 369 inlaid mosaic marble tombstones that cover its floor. Each tombstone depicts the lives of the Grand Masters of the Order of St John, buried beneath. The façade is rather severe and militaristic, but inside the cathedral is lavishly splendid in the grandest tradition of high Baroque, with every inch of wall covered by carving, while the vaulted ceiling sports paintings depicting the life of St John the Baptist, patron saint of the Knights.

  Telephone: 2122 5639 Email: info@maltachurch.org.mt Opening Time: Monday to Friday 9.30am to 12pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm; Saturdays 9.30am to 12pm

St Mary’s Church, Mosta:

The centre of every Maltese town and village is occupied by a beautiful church. One of the largest in Europe is St Mary’s in the central Maltese town of Mosta, with its glorious blue, gold and white dome. The church is regarded as having been the site of a World War II miracle: In 1942 while 300 people were praying in the church a bomb penetrated the dome and landed on the mosaic floor, but did not explode. A replica of the bomb is today displayed in the church sacristy.

 Address: Rotunda Square, Mosta Telephone: 2143 3826 Transport: Bus 43, 44, 45, 47, 49, 50, 52

Three Cities:

Malta’s main maritime towns have merged into a fortified conglomerate known as the Three Cities, resting on the promontories opposite Valletta. Walking tours of the area are popular. Vittoriosa is the oldest town in Malta after Mdina. It features plenty of historical architecture, including several of the Inns of the Knights of St John, as well as a hospital built by the Order in 1672, which is still a Benedictine convent inhabited by devout nuns. Fort St Angelo, the oldest fortified part of Vittoriosa dating from 1274, stands at the tip of the promontory, and the Museum of Maritime History is also well worth a visit. The youngest of the Three Cities, Cospicua, dates from 1717 and features some interesting churches, while Senglea, designed by Grandmaster De La Sengle in 1551, is an important place of pilgrimage. Senglea’s parish church contains a statue of Christ the Redeemer that is said to have miraculous powers.

 

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