Guide to Malta
Must See Malta
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On his tour through the Mediterranean, Sir Walter Scott called Valletta 'the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen'. Today it's a beautifully preserved walled city, small enough to cover in a few hours without breaking out into too much of a Mediterranean sweat.
Valletta is a rough rectangle at the tip of a peninsula on Malta's northeast coast. From the City Gate at the southwest edge of Valletta, you can walk to the centre of town through a series of squares surrounded by palaces and cathedrals.
Among Valletta's many fine gardens are the Upper Barrakka Gardens where you can get a magnificent view of Grand Harbour and the Cottonera. St John's Co-Cathedral and Museum presents an austere facade, but the interior is a baroque masterpiece, with a patchwork of marble tombstones set in the floor commemorating the knights of old. The museum houses a collection of outstanding Flemish tapestries and two paintings by the Italian master Caravaggio.