Europe / Malta
Places to go. A little room to wander.
THE SHORTLIST
Valletta
At night in St George's Square, there is a lovely water fountain, with coloured spouts of water which pop up and down - a fantastic play opportunity for children. They will get wet, so don't let them go near if they are wearing their best clothing. Great fun for kids.
Allow about 60 minutes · planning estimate
36 Old Treasury Street
An evocative old library on Republic Square, next to the Grandmaster's Palace. Only part of it is open to the public: you will need to take a passport or other photo ID to get in. The entire archives of the Knights of St. John from the Crusades in the 11th century until 1798, when Napoleon took Malta, are kept here, in true Maltese style in rickety wooden filing cabinets.
Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate
Valletta
Unremarkable from the outside, but incredibly ornate on the inside. Each of the different 'langues' (knights of a particular nationality had their own langue) has its own chapel lined along the side of the nave in which they tried to outdo each other in splendour. The barrel-shaped ceiling is a single, huge fresco, the lifework of famed artist Mattia Preti. The floor is entirely taken by the knight's graves intricately inlaid in marble in different colours.
Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate
Valletta
The gardens offer a jaw-dropping view of the Grand Harbour. Go on a sunny day and bring champagne!
Allow about 60 minutes · planning estimate
Valletta
Built at the tip of the peninsula by the knights after the Dragut Raid of 1551. During the Great Siege of 1565 the Turks made the mistake of choosing to first take this fort, for which they had planned a week. Instead, the knights and soldiers present fought desperately for a month, buying essential time. The knights in the fort knew they were fighting to the death, and so rather than being taken off the ramparts when wounded, knights would fight on seated in chairs until they couldn't even lift their arms anymore.
Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate
A note before you go. Start with St. George's Square, then decide whether The National Library deserves a separate visit rather than rushing both. The suggested days are an editable grouping, not a timed tour. Visit allowances exclude transfers, meals and queues; confirm the exact entrance and current visiting arrangements for Fort St. Elmo before setting off.
Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. Suggested days and time allowances are editorial starting points. Check the linked visitor information for opening hours, access, and reservations.
BEFORE YOU SET OFF
The Valletta peninsula is only a couple of kilometres in length and so the ideal way is to do everything on foot, which enables you to take many shortcuts via stairs. However, the city is built on a ridge and is steep in parts (requiring walking up and down stairs in some places), which can be tiring. The alternative would be doing it by car, which is not ideal for visitors due to a lack of parking space, direction signs and the fact that the streets are very narrow, often one way and confusing if unfamiliar.
St. George's Square and The National Library are about 0.1 km apart in a straight line. Use the route link to compare the actual streets or transport connections before putting both in the same morning; the measurement is not a walking distance or a transfer estimate.
A LITTLE STRUCTURE. ROOM FOR DISCOVERY.
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This city guide includes selected, abridged material by Wikivoyage contributors, adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. The adapted guide text is available under the same license; photographs and website design retain their separate terms. Selected and abridged reference descriptions; operational prices and timetables omitted. Elsewhere added the shortlist, geographic grouping and planning notes.
Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. It is community-edited background, not firsthand reporting or a live opening-hours service.
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