Like the best cities, Valletta is an eccentric – a rambling, shabby-chic jumble of cultures and influences; a sun-blessed Mediterranean stepping stone that wears its history on its sleeve and has the uncanny ability to time-travel visitors back to earlier epochs. A Swiftian-style Eras Tour of Valletta would necessarily feature the trumpet-toting janissary troops of the Ottoman Empire, which besieged the city in the 16th century, along with the shiny armoured Knights of Malta who successfully defended it. V is for Valletta. Or there’s the Romantic era of Coleridge and Byron, who found their way here in the early 19th century, the latter grumbling about its never-ending steps; and the epaulettes of its role in World War II, when it held out against the odds – and the British period, which left behind red phone boxes and post boxes, and the daily blast of the ceremonial gun salute from Upper Barrakka Gardens. In between these, walk-on parts by tempestuous Renaissance artist Caravaggio, and by larger-than-life Oliver Reed, who met his demise in a pub that now acts as a shrine to the actor. Valletta had a starring role in both Gladiator movies, its golden limestone contours ever ready for their close-up, and has been the backdrop for many others. And while history pervades every pore, and faded 1920s shop signs dangle from every street, there’s a new dynamism to the city, with a growing number of stylish hotels and restaurants that take island ingredients and make something beautiful from them. Here are some of Valletta’s highlights.
The best things to do in Valletta
Take an art tour of the city
Despite being stranded in the middle of the Mediterranean, Malta has a growing reputation for its art scene – a scene sparked back in 1607 when Caravaggio arrived on the island and painted The Beheading of St John the Baptist for the St John’s Co-Cathedral. Make sure you get there early to see this Renaissance masterpiece, as it can get crowded. When it comes to contemporary art, Blitz Gallery has been flying the flag since 2013, with exhibitions held in the former townhouse home of Alexandra Pace’s grandparents; more recently, it has been joined by a revitalised national gallery, MUZA, and the whopping MICAS – the latter a huge space carved from 16th-century limestone bastions and opened in 2024 with an exhibition by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, who knits and crochets her work; the highlight being a 42-feet high tree covered in embroidered flowers.
Take in the architecture
Much of Valletta’s cityscape was set in stone, quite literally, in the 16th century when the Knights of Malta rebuilt the city after being besieged by the Ottoman Empire. The Grand Harbour is an epic work of limestone that blushes gold in the sunset, punctuated by wharves, thick protective bastions and forts, including the star-shaped Fort St Elmo, where historic re-enactments take place with musketeers, drummers and knights. Restored in 2004, the Manoel Theatre is a glorious example of baroque architecture, one of the oldest working theatres in the world. But the city’s narrative also takes in strikingly modern additions, such as Renzo Piano’s City Gate, a textured sweep of limestone and steel that encompasses an open-air theatre built amid the bomb-damaged opera house and the government headquarters.
Delve into the city’s WWII history
Malta was heavily involved in the Second World War, when the Luftwaffe tried to bomb it into submission and gain a strategic foothold in the Mediterranean – but the plucky little island, which became known as Fortress Malta, held out, supplied by a convoy of ships bringing food and ammunition. You can get a tangible sense of that period at the Lascaris War Rooms, an underground bunker headquarters for the Allied forces, where charts, maps and operations rooms have been preserved, alongside the National War Museum inside Fort St Elmo, where the exhibits include a screen on the floor showing a dramatic reconstruction of submarines, bombers and warships in action.
Take a boat across to the Three Cities
Valletta’s history flutters with the sails of ships, from the earliest landings by ancient Greek sailors to its role as a Royal Navy base, which ended in 1979. So every visitor to Valletta should take a sea voyage at least once during their stay – and the easiest trip is to hire a traditional Maltese dghajsa, or water taxi, and sail across to the Three Cities, the fortified district across the Grand Harbour that was the first home of the Knights of Malta when they settled here. Painted in bright colours, with the Phoenician eye to ward off evil and striped awning to protect against sun, these little boats are the gondolas of Valletta.
Visit the markets
Valletta’s higgledy-piggledy history is reflected in the city’s street markets, where you can pick up all sorts of memorabilia, from Roman coins to wartime shells. The Sunday market at Floriana, open till 1pm, is worth a browse, with stalls selling handmade crafts and bric-a-brac, while the smaller weekday market can be found on Ordnance Street. Those after food, though, should head to the restored Victorian market of Is-Suq tal-Belt, an iron-clad covered structure inspired by London’s Covent Garden that was renovated and reopened in 2018. At its heart is a food court with flavours ranging from Maltese stewed rabbit to Vietnamese banh-mi, while the food market ripples with produce plucked from the island’s farms and market gardens.
Where to eat and drink in Valletta
Ion Harbour
Malta’s food scene had been ramping up for a while by the time this opened during the pandemic, with young chefs bringing their global experience to bear on the island’s ingredients and traditional dishes at restaurants such as Noni, Risette and Under Grain – but Ion Harbour is something very special indeed. Original chef Alex Dilling left to open in London, but his boots were ably filled by L’Enclume’s Simon Rogan, who sources ingredients from farms, foragers and fishermen across the island for signature, impeccably tweezered dishes such as grilled brassica salad and stuffed grouper with black courgettes and watercress that are almost as impressive as the views across the harbour. It’s the only two Michelin star on the island.
Address: 11 St.Barbara Bastion, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1961, Malta
Website: ionharbour.com
Noni
Jonathan Brincat and his sister Ritienne spent time working in restaurants around the world, with Melbourne a favourite, and brought their experience to the table here, along with several Asian notes in chef Jonathan’s fresh, Michelin-star-winning take on traditional Maltese recipes. Housed in a 400-year-old building on central Republic Street, it’s an atmospheric location for plates such as ricotta raviolo with clams and beetroot, and an octopus tagine with fregola, dates and preserved orange.
Address: 211 Republic Street Valletta, VLT 100, Malta
Website: noni.com.mt
Under Grain
Victor Borg won a Michelin star for Under Grain just five months after opening the restaurant in 2019 – so expect pin-smart service and more than a few bold flourishes on the umami-forward plates here, which range from Milanese-style arancino and mussels, gorgonzola and passionfruit to a frothy mushroom and garlic sopressini and a chocolate mousse pepped with caviar ice cream (nicer than it sounds), even a solo bread course with burrata. The dining room decor is inspired by the tailor shops that once lined the street, with a sewing-pattern menu, pin cushions and photos of vintage clothing all around. Suits you, sir.
Address: 167 Merchants Street Valletta, 167 Merchants St, Valletta VLT 1174, Malta
Website: grain.mt
Risette
As you’d hope from a restaurant near the city’s baroque theatre, Risette – overseen by chef Steve Scicluna, formerly of London’s influential Clove Club – is suitably dramatic, with a decor that sets bright yellow banquettes against moody dark walls and a menu that starts with canapes such as balls of gold-dusted fried dough with bursts of langoustine inside and ends with desserts including a chocolate and banana millefeuille with a scoop of parsley ice cream. Hotelier Matthew Ellul is in charge of the wine pairing – ask to try some of the island’s own wines, which are getting better by the year.
Address: VLT1429, 81 Old Theatre Street, Valletta, Malta
Website: risette.com.mt
Caffe Cordina
Valletta’s main people-watching spot since 1837– as the date chiselled on stone above the entrance points out – this is an essential port of call if you’ve never been to Valletta before. As well as watching life go by, along with the black-bowtied waiters carrying trays of tea and cake, you can catch up on the island’s history by looking at the murals that adorn the interior and depict appearances by the Greeks, Romans, Knights of Malta and the British, all the way up to its entry into the EU in 2004. As for what to order, take your time at the counter, with its regiments of rum babas, ricotta cannoli, Maltese puddings and cheesecake.
Address: 244 Republic, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1114, Malta
Website: caffecordina.com
Cafe Society
Come summer and the stone steps alongside Café Society quickly fill up with people clutching mango basil mimosas, Orson Welles (gin, Cynar and vermouth) and other cocktails from the list here. Since opening in 2015 on a corner between St John Street and St Paul’s , Jake Page’s little bar has gone from strength to strength, with LGBTQ-friendly events and music from regular DJ and music sessions spilling out at weekends. A lot of fun.
Address: 13 Triq San Gwann, Il-Belt Valletta, Malta
Website: @cafesociety_valletta
Where to stay in Valletta
Rosselli
Valletta’s streets are lined with thick-walled townhouse palaces, many of which have been transformed into small hotels while keeping the original character – this one on Merchants Street, one of the prettiest addresses in the city, was once home to Don Pietro Rosselli, a 17th-century Knight of Malta, who would doubtless appreciate the swimming pool that now caps the building. The 24 rooms are all slick spaces with halo lighting, dove-grey fabrics, vivid strips of floral wallpaper and geometric tiles; for a small hotel, there’s a lot going on food-wise, with the basement Michelin-starred restaurant Under Grain, a small-plates bistro Grain Street on the ground floor and a rooftop bar called Over Grain. All Valletta’s sights – the cathedral, Fort St Elmo and Grand Master’s Palace – are an easy walk away.
Iniala Harbour House
For many years, The Phoenicia – once the hangout of young Princess Elizabeth and her new husband Philip when they lived on Malta – was the city’s finest hotel, but the arrival of this harbourside hotel in 2020 took things to another level. It’s an impressive architectural feat, combining four blue-shuttered townhouses and palazzos overlooking the Grand Harbour – best views from the rooftop dining terrace – with interiors by three of Europe’s most imaginative design studios, including Istanbul’s Autoban (which also worked on Joali’s two Maldives resorts). Bedrooms are peacock flamboyant but not over-the-top, with fan-like golden bedheads and bespoke wallpaper depicting tropical palm-trees flitted by jewel-like birds; the spa is equally as immersive, while the restaurant is steered by Simon Rogan of three-star L’Enclume fame.
Casa Ellul
This characterful townhouse near the historic Manoel Theatre has been in the Ellul family since the early 19th century and still has many original details such as the wooden ceiling beams, colourful Maltese tiles and antique furniture. Opened in 2014, it was one of the first boutique hotels on the island, with nine suites individually designed by local interiors specialist Chris Biffa – clear favourites are the two rooftop ones, which have their own plunge pool and sunloungers for up, close and personal views of the cathedral and Grand Harbour. On the ground floor is Risette, one of the city’s best restaurants with a creative menu that stirs up dishes such as a seabass brioche with a beer sauce.
Senglea House
Not a hotel, but in many ways much more appealing. Suzanne Sharp is a Maltese-born designer and all-round renaissance woman who co-founded the London-based Rug Company with her husband and is currently hard at work transforming her Maltese family home into a hotel. She’s passionate about the island’s artisanal crafts, taking over the century-old Villa Bologna Pottery workshop in order to protect it, and her eye for interior design is evident in the two one-bedroom apartments she furnished in Senglea. The well-placed furniture was sourced from auctions and antiques markets around Europe; traditional Maltese tiles from the workshop line the floors, and bathrooms are wrapped in Sicilian marble. With windowed balconies and a penthouse roof terrace, they make excellent perches from which to watch life unfold on Valletta’s Grand Harbour below.