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Malta: the land of knights, balconies and panoramic views

Malta is an archipelago of 3 islands in the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and North Africa. The capital city is Valletta, which was (together with Leeuwarden in The Netherlands) the European Capital of Culture in 2018.

With its size of only 1km by 600m it's a very small capital, but don't be mislead by its dimensions; there is heaps to see! We have visited Malta just before Christmas and were amazed by the beauty of this sunny island in the middle of winter. In this travel blog I will share my highlights of Malta.


Fountain in Valletta, Malta

Valletta

The capital city of Valletta was built as a fortress, and as a cultural Baroque masterpiece after the Great Siege of 1565 by the Knights of St. John. The city of palazzo's has got steep charming streets and many of them lead towards the sea with great viewpoints.


Valletta Malta

Valletta, Malta

Sights

The Triton Fountain was placed in the 1950's and stands in front of the main City Gate. From here you will have a grand entrance from where the city unfolds.

Triton Fountain Valletta, Malta

The redesigned City Gate was constructed between 2011 and 2014 by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano. The Parliament Building just behind it is designed by him too.

The Parliament Building by Renzo Piano in Valletta

Maltese palazzo's and wooden balconies are everywhere to be seen in Valletta. They are colourful and give the city its own special character.

Wooden balconies in Valletta, Malta

Wooden balconies in Valletta, Malta

Streets of Valletta, Malta

St. Johns Co-Cathedral is definitely a must see when you visit Valletta. The walls and ceilings are heavily decorated and the tombstones in the floor are little pieces of art on their own. This is for sure one of the most impressive churches I have ever seen!


St. Johns Co-Cathedral in Valletta

The National Museum of Archaeology is located in a Baroque building from 1571. The collection is known for its artefacts dating back to 5000 BC like this 'sleeping lady' for examplee



National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta

Grand Masters Palace is, besides being the Office of the President, a museum with impressive hallways and huge beautifully decorated state rooms as well. If you are interested in arms you can visit the The Palace Armoury with the same ticket too.


Grand Masters Palace in Valletta

Casa Rocca Piccola is a wonderful 16th century palace (or palazzo) of a Maltese noble family. An interesting 45 minute guided tour showed us many gorgeously decorated rooms with lots of fascinating stories. It gave me a better insight in the traditions and customs of the (wealthy) inhabitants of Valletta during the past centuries. In my opinion a true must see when you visit Valletta!


Casa Rocca Piccola in Valletta

Casa Rocca Piccola in Valletta

Silver Filigree Jewellery has been made in Malta for centuries. The craftsmanship has been passed from father to son and you will still see several silversmith shops throughout Valletta. When you visit 'The Silversmith's Shop' at 218 Republic Street you will see the artist at work.


 'The Silversmith's Shop' at 218 Republic Street in Valletta

 'The Silversmith's Shop' at 218 Republic Street in Valletta

Auberge de Castille was built in the 1570's to house Knights of the order of St. John. Nowadays it's the impressive office of the Prime Minister.


Auberge de Castille in Valletta

From the Barrakka upper and lower Gardens you will get a good view over the Three Cities (Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua). This picture is made at the upper gardens from where you can see the saluting battery. Every day at noon and at 16:00 a cannon will be fired.

The cannons were of course used to defence the city in the past, but also to greet visiting dignitaries and ships, and at sunrise and sunset to indicate the hour at which the town gates were to be opened and closed.

Lonnies Planet in Valletta Malta

Food and drinks

Camilleri Tal-Helu is established in 1843 and therefore the oldest confectionary trading company on the Maltese Islands. Here they bake the Honey Ring which is traditionally eaten at Christmas. As the pastry is so famous it's nowadays available whole year round. As we visited Valletta a couple of days before Christmas we had to taste it too of course! We planned to eat a part of it and to keep the rest for the holidays at home, but it didn't survive that long... We needed to buy a new one the next day and had to restrain ourselves not to eat it before getting on the plane :)


Bakery Camilleri Tal-Helu in Valletta Malta

Caffe Cordina is an institution in Valletta as it is established in 1837 in a former palazzo and it is still packed with locals and tourists each and every single day. It's an authentic and well known place to drink a cup of coffee or to have lunch. There is also a wide selection of hand made traditional pastries and sweets to take home.



Caffe Cordina in Valletta Malta

Caffe Cordina in Valletta Malta

Aaron's Kitchen is owned by Aaron Degabrielle, who is a local celebrity due to his cooking show on Maltese television. At this cozy family run restaurant you can eat Maltese and Italian disches and choose between more than 100 different (local) wines. The local Ulysses wine by Marvin Winery accompanied the food very well.



Aaron's Kitchen in Valletta Malta

Aaron's Kitchen in Valletta Malta

Eating at Noni was a wonderful experience. The restaurant has got an elegant look, the staff was very friendly and the food extremely tasty! The menu reinterprets dishes from Malta and the Mediterranean by adding a touch of classic French cuisine. I tried the vegetarian dish with crushed Jerusalem artichokes, cauliflower and puy lentils and it was just heavenly :) Besides the food, we were also a big fan of the local Fenici Red wine by Meridiana Wine Estate.


Restaurant Noni in Valletta Malta

Restaurant Noni in Valletta Malta

The Harbour Club is situated in a beautiful building with vaulted ceilings which overlooks the harbour of Vittoriosa. The risotto with wild mushrooms tasted even better with the local red Nexus wine by Meridiana.



The Harbour Club Valletta Malta

The Harbour Club in Valletta Malta

MUZA opened its doors in December 2018 and is the National Museum of Art in Malta. You can visit the restaurant without an entrance ticket.


MUZA in Valletta Malta

MUZA in Valletta Malta

Lot Sixty One Coffee Roasters is in my opinion by far the best specialty coffee bar in town! We've started every single day at this stylish and bright place to get that desired daily shot of caffeine. And I was really glad they had some non-dairy options as well.


Lot Sixty One Coffee Roasters in Valletta

Lot Sixty One Coffee Roasters in Valletta

Lot Sixty One Coffee Roasters in Valletta

Cru Wine Bar is in my opinion the loveliest wine bar of Valletta. It's small, extremely cozy and has got a couple of great (small) dishes to go with the good imported wines.


Cru Wine Bar in Valletta Malta

Cru Wine Bar in Valletta Malta

Vittoriosa (Birgu)

Vittoriosa (also known as Birgu) is one of the Three Cities, and is only a 5 minute ferry ride away from Valletta. It is a fortified city with an elegant harbour where boats silently sway in the shining water. The narrow and winding streets were almost empty during the december day of our visit.



Ferry from Valletta to Vittoriosa

Victory Square in the heart of Vittoriosa is the place where you will see very detailed facades, balconies and this statue. Several cafes and restaurants are situated around the square.


Victory Square in Vittoriosa Malta

It's all about the details... Many people in Malta have built little religious statues in the facades of their homes.

Vittoriosa Malta

Vittoriosa Malta

Fort St. Angelo was built in the 16th century by the Knights Hospitaller to protect the harbour and the inhabitants. Nowadays it's a museum and it has got sweeping views over the harbour and the city of Valletta.



Fort St. Angelo in Vittoriosa Malta

The Church of St. Lawrence stands behind the Freedom Monument and overlooks the harbour.


Church of St. Lawrence in Vittoriosa Malta

Beautiful light at Vittoriosa's harbour and Church of St. Lawrence just after sunset.

Harboour of Vittoriosa Malta

Mdina

Mdina is also known as the 'silent city' and a place where it really feels like time stood still as there are little influences to be seen from the 21st century. At a small square I even felt like I was in Mexico...

Mdina


Mdina in Malta

Mdina in Malta

Palazzo Falson is the former home of Olof Frederick Gollcher (1889-1962), who was an artist, scholar and philanthropist who loved to collect art and historical objects.


Palazzo Falson in Mdina Malta

Palazzo Falson in Mdina Malta

St. Paul's Cathedral and its Museum is definitely worth a visit!


St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina Malta

Lunch with a fantastic view over the countryside and the sea at Fontanella Tea Garden.


View from Mdina Malta

Sliema

From Valletta every half an hour a ferry will take you within a couple of minutes to Sliema, from where you will have an awesome view over Valletta! Sliema itself felt a little bit run down along the coastline, but when you start walking through the backstreets you will find many beautiful streets with fantastic old buildings. It is quite common to see these iconic British telephone booths in Malta, but I liked the one I found in Sliema the most as it was standing on some sort of roundabout next to this beautiful tree.

Sliema


Sliema Malta

Coffee Circus is a small specialty coffee bar close to the sea . They have all kinds of vegan types of milk like for example oat, soy, almond and coconut.


Coffee Circus in Sliema Malta

Coffee Circus in Sliema Malta

Marsaxlokk

The little fishing village of Marsaxlokk is not the prettiest town, but these colourful fishing boats in the blue water are an attractive sight. We arrived here on a December morning by public bus from Valletta and we experienced a very quiet and relaxed harbour as there were only a handful of other tourists. Local fishing men were trying to catch some fish, fixing their nets or repairing their boats. Life seemed very calm over here at this time of year.



Lonnies Planet at Harbour of Marsaxlokk Malta

Harbour of Marsaxlokk, Malta

Marsaxlokk is the place to go to if you like to eat fresh fish. We had lunch while overlooking the colourful harbour at Capo Mulini. This brand new restaurant opened its doors in December 2018 and has a stylish interior and very good menu. In my opinion the perfect place to unwind, sit back and soak in the peaceful atmosphere while having a tasty lunch or dinner with a view!

Xatt is-sajjieda (closed)


Restaurant Capo Mulini in Marsaxlokk

Restaurant Capo Mulini in Marsaxlokk

Travel info Malta

The Malta Pass is a good option if you like to visit musea. You can choose between a 1, 2 or 3 day pass.

I have never booked a rental car during my travels as I am a big fan of using local transport because it's affordable, you're among locals and it is the 'greenest' way to explore a country.

Public Transport in Malta is very reliable and convenient. We used the local bus for day trips to Marsaxlokk and Mdina. We went to the Three Cities and Sliema by ferry.

View over Valletta Malta

Boutique Hotel

We have stayed 5 nights at the amazing Palazzo Jean Parisot Boutique Suites. The hotel is situated in a charming authentic building in the middle of the city centre. Our stylishly decorated room had a balcony and was very comfortable and spacious. Staff is genuinely friendly and very helpful. If you go, don't forget to spend some time at the rooftop terrace, because it has got the most impressive view for sunset drinks :)



Palazzo Jean Parisot Boutique Suites in Valletta

We had nice views over St. Paul's Street from our balcony.


Palazzo Jean Parisot Boutique Suites in Valletta

Rooftop sunset drinks with a splendid view over St. Paul's Shipwreck Church.


Roofterrace at Palazzo Jean Parisot Boutique Suites Valletta

View from the rooftop of Palazzo Jean Parisot Boutique Suites.


View from Palazzo Jean Parisot Boutique Suites in Valletta

 

Please note: this post is not sponsored.


Thank you Visit Malta for showing us your wonderful museums!

 

Valletta Malta

 

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