This July, our family is taking a Mediterranean cruise and we have a stop in Valletta, Malta. We plan on booking a shore excursion to the Blue Grotto, but would like to spend a couple of hours in Valletta, as well.
We will be dropped off at the pier and then will need to find transportation into the town of Valletta. I truly have no clue about this town and would love to know if anyone would like to suggest any interesting things to see. Unfortunately, our time will definitely be limited, as we have the early dining option.
Thank you for any suggestions!!
A few hours in Valletta, Malta - any ideas?
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When the wife and I go to Valletta she's only interested in shopping, so I don't get to see much else but there are other things to do:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Malta/Valletta-453812/Things_To_Do-Valletta-TG-C-1.html
There is a lot to see in Valletta, we had about 10 days on Malta, staying in an apartment in Valletta, and another 5 days on Gozo and really loved the place. They have a good network of buses so there should be a bus from the pier to the bus station which is right outside the city walls of Valletta. You can't drive inside and it's a great place for walking though there are lots of fairly flat stairs. The stairs were built like that as the Knights wore heavy armour and it made getting up and down the stairs easier (or so we were told!).
The view of the Grand Harbour is really beautiful, you'll get a good view from the Upper Barracca Gardens, which aren't far from the entrance into Valletta, near the bus station.
I'd spend some time wandering the streets, exploring. You could do a complete circuit of Valletta, right down to Fort St Elmo at the bottom tip, which would take a while but there are touristy horse and carriages if your feet need a rest.
St John's Co-Cathedral is spectacular inside and worth a quick visit. The main street of Valletta is pedestrianised with lots of outdoor cafes so a nice spot for a drink or lunch with people watching thrown in for free.
It depends on what interests you, I believe there is a market on each day in Valletta, with a bigger market on Sundays. The Armoury is also interesting if you like seeing some ancient and pretty amazing weapons and the Manoel Theatre is small but beautiful, built in 1731 and still used.
The main feeling I came away with was that Valletta is quite unique with a fascinating history. It seems almost impossible that, so long ago, they had the means to built such immense fortifications.
Kay