Activites

• Stroll down Republic Street and Merchant Streets: the main streets with historic buildings, shops, and cafes. You'll find some nightlife here, but most people go to St Julian for this.

• St George's Square and Great Siege Square: Coffee and people watching

• Cafes: Start your day sipping coffee with harbor views at Lot61 or Coffee Circus Lisboa (hidden underground gem with pastel de nata and freddo espresso). Caffe Cordina (take a look at the beautiful interior, prime location by Republic square to have a coffee, but food is ok). 

• Upper Barrakka Gardens: Go here for the views. From the terrace, there is a view of Grand Harbour and Three Cities—Birgu, Senglea, and Cospicua.Lower terrace: the cannons/guns are still fired with much ceremony by attendants in traditional uniform at 12pm (get there by 11:30am) and 4pm. Max time needed: 30 min-1 hour. Take the Elevator down to the Waterfront, get a water taxi to The Three Cities. 

• Victoria’s Gate: Flags line the winding street and brightly coloured balconies are dotted with window boxes full of red geraniums. Look for the classic English red phone box on the Victoria’s Gate, a leftover from British rule. Near the port.

• St John’s Co-Cathedral: The plain, fortress-like exterior gives no hint of what lies within. It’s full-throttle marble and gold baroque. 8 chapels. The Chapel of Germany’s frenzy of gilding is a must-see. For the best view of the interior, take the narrow stairs up to the balcony at the back of the cathedral. $12-15. Allot 1 hour. https://www.stjohnscocathedral.com/ (I know you're not into churches. Not that I want to see a lot either. But, I may see this one. Depends on time we have.)

• Grand Master’s Palace: The main draw seems to be the armoury, which hosts a large collection of knights’ outfits and accessories. But isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But, might be worth a "walk by." Allot 30 min. $12 Euros.  

• Valletta’s waterfront: 18th century warehouses turned into restaurants, shops and bars. Touristy restaurants, just grab a drink to watch the sunset over the water. Take the $1 E elevator from the Upper Gardens instead of the 280 stairs. You can get a $3 Euro water taxi from here to go to The Three Cities.

• Lower Barrakka Gardens: If we have time or tail end of trip...Everyone goes to Upper Barrakka Gardens, but far fewer know about Lower Barrakka Gardens at the other end of the city. (It is a little farther from the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the central areas where most attractions of Valletta are located. Thus, less tourists, quieter.) This harbor-front park contains a Doric temple commemorating Sir Alexander Ball, the British naval captain who successfully captured Malta from the French in 1800. Visit for glorious harbor views at sunset.

• Pastizz: For an afternoon snack, grab a pastizz (ie empanada). Jeff's Pastizzeria on 147 Merchants Street has the best ones in Valletta. Overall, the champ spot is Crystal Palace Pastizzeria in Rabat (near Mdina). Sphinx Pastizzeria in Sliema was also rated well.

Restaurants in Valletta

Kingsway (brekkie/brunch), Elephant Shoe (brekkie/brunch near Upper Barrakka Gardens), Tribe (brekkie/brunch near Upper Barrakka Gardens), San Paolo Naufrago (known for pizza and lasagna, call to have the balcony overlooking the cute street), Zero Sei (Italian, known for Carbonara), Sally Port Pizzeria (pizza), Sotto (Roman style pizza) Cheeky Monkey (burgers), Muza (dinner, in a museum/former palace), Fifty Nine Republic (Michelin, dinner)

-Is-Suq Tal-Belt (city market): 15 international food stalls.

The Three Cities 

• A trio of (tiny) ‘cities’ built in close proximity to each other around the Grand Harbour, which separates them from Valletta. The Three Cities are only five minutes by water taxi from the capital, so it’s easy to see both areas in one short trip. Note: other names for the Three Cities are Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua, as well as Il-Birgu, L-Isla and Bormla.

Birgu: It takes about 20 minutes on the bus from Valletta, for 1.50€. You can also get a water taxi from the Waterfront to go to The Three Cities $3 E. It’s quiet, attractive and nice to wander around, full of picture-perfect streets, with flowers cascading down from balconies overhead and rows of brightly coloured doors.

Mdina (Um-Dee-Na)
Transport: get #51 bus from Valletta for €1.50. It takes about 30 min. You arrive in Rabat, just outside the city walls of Mdina. (Wander around Rabat as well later.)
The main point of Mdina is to just walk through the gate and lose yourself in the enchanting streets. Admire all the gorgeous Baroque features, taking in the silence. You’re in Mdina to enjoy its unique atmosphere and beauty. It’s not a ‘do this, see that, check off the big sights’ kind of place. Technically, you could whiz thru it in 10 min.

St Paul's Cathedral: This is one of the few actual ‘sights’ in Mdina, if you don’t count the walls and streets themselves. The majestic and imposing 17th-century cathedral looms over the main square in Mdina and will likely be the first thing you stumble across. Like most Baroque cathedrals, it’s super swanky inside, with lots of tiles and impressive gold decor.

Fontanella Tea Garden: Get tea and cake, sit upstairs for the view.

St Paul’s Catacombs: In Rabat. These burial chambers, dating back to the 4th century, show the earliest Christianity on Malta because Roman law forbade burials within the city. Note: You’ll only need 15 min max to see the catacombs. Don’t expect them to be as impressive as others around Europe.