Valletta, Malta

Valletta and its suburb town of Floriana are perched on the steep Sciberras peninsula jutting out into Malta's two deep natural harbours, Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. Valletta is the Islands' fortress city. Founded by the Knights of St John in 1566, it is known as the 'city built by gentlemen for gentlemen' ; a 16th century architectural masterpiece.

Valletta is very much a working, capital city; a bustling cultural centre and the administrative and commercial heart of the Islands. Walking around Valletta, you'll come across an amazing number of historical sites, squares, courtyards, gardens and any number of cafés to visit. The city is a delight to shop in: narrow side streets are full of tiny shops selling antiques, maps, books, prints and jewellery.

Things to See & Do

* Republic Street
* Upper Barakka Gardens
* St John's Cathedral
* Fort St Elmo
* The Casa Rocca Piccola - a Maltese Noble Family House on Triq ir-Republik

General Information

Cruise Season - Feb to Dec
Currency - Euro (€)
Language - Maltese, English
Land Area - 0.8 km²
Population - 7,500 approx.
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code - + 356

Port Location - The port is located at Victoria Gate, in the Grand Harbor of Valletta. The new cruise terminal has been built along the sea wall near the duty free shops.

Travel Links - Malta possesses its own national carrier, Air Malta, with regular connections to many European, North African and Middle Eastern centres.
Ryanair fly to/from London Luton, Dublin, Bremen, Pisa, Stockholm (Skavsta), Valencia and Girona.
The island's international Airport is located at Luqa.
There are frequent fast ferries to the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy. The trip takes around 4 hours, can get bumpy (or cancelled) if it's windy, and is often more expensive than flying.
There is also a highspeed catamaran between Pozzallo and Valletta that takes approximately 90 minutes.