TRAVEL. MALTA.

Ancient Maltese Heritage

A capital that is one fortified city

It didn't matter where we walked. There were fortified walls everywhere. From the old church in the city center all the way to the shoreline. Every house at every corner had protection from all sides.

Valetta

We had arrived in the dark last night. Staying the night in Sliema, we thought we were in what was one large city. If you look at the map everything from St. Julian's, across Valetta all the way down to Zabbar appears to be an urban area. But what we thought were different parts of one city were all different towns that grew into each other.

Waking up in the morning, I saw an orange spectacle and some cotton clouds in the sky. We packed our bags and left the apartment. We didn't have any idea yet where we would be staying the night but thought about finding something during the day.

After enjoying breakfast by the sea, we wandered along the coastline marveling at old and new buildings standing right next to each other.

There was some construction work going on that forced us to turn left. While we thought we were going inland, we just cut off parts of the peninsula and arrived a few steps later back on the water.

Malta surprised us with unexpectedly clean streets. Recycling stations, water refill tanks, and food trucks selling fresh fruits might be part of the reason.

We marveled at beautiful doors, tiny ancient buildings between newer developments and creative bar and restaurant scenes.

Buying water in a small supermarket (before we found the refill station), we got into a conversation with a friendly local who send us toward Valetta. She did say there were two ways of getting into the capital. Either by ferry or by bus.

As we arrived at the harbor we thought of taking the ferry but the queue was incredibly long and we anyway had bus tickets already. When we arrived last night at the airport we bought a 7-day pass that allowed us unlimited travel across the island.

We hopped off the bus in front of the gates. Or in front of what we thought were the gates to the historical city.

Walking on the sidewalk we passed several churches, watch towers and cat rescue stations as well as homes for them in the city.

"Malta’s capital Valletta is a fortified city located on a hilly peninsula between two of the finest natural harbours in the Mediterranean." - UNESCO

Built on a narrow peninsula surrounded by water, the capital hasn't really changed over the years. One can see signs of history around every corner. Ancient buildings are the image of the city.

"The capital of Malta is inextricably linked to the history of the military and charitable Order of St John of Jerusalem. It was ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the Knights of St John. Valletta’s 320 monuments, all within an area of 55 ha, make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world." — UNESCO

Arriving at the Triton Fountain with the city gates right behind, we now knew we were getting into ancient Valetta. Horse carriages and historic minibusses were the only options left to get inside if one didn't want to walk.

The city walls were huge, thick and had a deep ditch below.

It was a sunny Saturday morning in April and the crowds were out.

We enjoyed marveling at old buildings and new shops and restaurants. Street signs were everywhere calling you inside. The shop owners had to get creative to call people from the streets to look at their offerings.

But Valetta isn't just a tourist city. It's home to the Maltese population. And while foreigners are walking down below on historic roads, the local population is doing their business. Hanging up laundry, driving to work and chatting with the neighbors from their typical balconies.

We just turned twice left and lost the crowds. Narrow alleyways and steep stairs were leading us back down to the water.

More fortified walls, fenced-off entrances and views across the watchtower and huge bells.

It had started to drizzle and we put the rain covers over our backpacks but the water wasn't enough to make us wet. The clouds quickly moved across our heads.

Looking across the channel which is all part of Valletta harbor, we saw more cities located on more narrow peninsulas. More fortifications. More historic buildings.

We reached the lower Barrakka Gardens and marveled at another Monument around the hill.

I wouldn't hesitate but stop every few meters to take in those views.

We then slowly made our way back out of the city to check into the apartment we had booked while eating lunch. It was just outside the city and an easy ride with the bus.

After putting our bags back down and relaxing our feet for an hour or two, we headed back out. To try more Maltese foods and cocktails. It was Saturday night after all and we went all in. Or out.

An adventurous but very interesting day in Malta’s capital came to an end when we walked passed the fountain in the dark on our way home to the apartment.

This was day 2 in Malta. Read here about our spontaneous flight and arrival on the island:

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