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Valletta
About Valletta
Valetta is the capital and administrative centre of the Malta. The city, a UNESCO World Heritage site and sometimes called the City of Knights or the Fortress City, is a city built by the Knights of St John and dates from the 16th century. The city was founded by Jean de la Valette, the French Grand Master who led the defense of the Islands during the Great Siege of 1565 and is a masterpiece of military engineering. Valletta’s 320 monuments make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.
Local highlights
Explore the city
- Upper Barrakka Gardens with a great overview
- Walk the streets of Valetta and dip into the world of the Knights at the time of the Crusades
- Tour around the fortifications
- The Upper Barracca Gardens with a magnificent view across the harbors
- Visit the Grand Harbor
Explore its museums and historical sights, such as
- St John's Co-Cathedral, the monastic church of the Knights of St John
- Castille Place-now the Prime Minister's office
- Grand Master's Palace-now the Maltese Parliament
- National Museum of Fine Arts
- Archaeology Museum
- War Museum
- The 16th-century Grand Masters Palace
Highlights in the vicinity
- Visit the Three Cities with its palaces, churches, forts and bastions that are far older than Valletta’s
- Mdina and its suburb Rabat- Mdina the 4000 years old city, Malta’s medieval capital and city of Malta’s past noble families. Rabat is where the Apostle St Paul lived after being shipwrecked on the Islands
- Visit Gozo with its nice beaches , small villages and cultural sites
- Go diving in Gozo or Calypso (the mythical isle) or Comino, famous for its Blue Lagoon
Good to know
- No. of inhabitants: 7 Thousand
- Timezone: UTC +1
- Weather: typically Mediterranean with lots of sunshine. In summer it can get hot. Cooling breezes from the sea in the summer are very nice, bur in autumn and spring the sea winds can carry the hot African winds (known as the Xlokk or Siroccco). Annual rainfall is low, averaging 578mm a year.
- If you have the chance, go watch the ceremony of arrival of the Knights of St John in Malta
Local transport
- Taxis
- Buses covering the whole island of Malta
- Car rental
- Alternative way to get around: the horse-drawn Karrozin
Inbound transport
- Nearest airport: Malta International Airport
- Ferries: regular ferry and catamaran service toseveral Italian and Sicilian ports
- Ferry service between Malta and Gozo-trip takes about 30 minutes
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