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Valletta, the Three Cities and the Grand Harbour – Malta's story in one view.
14 museumsAround the Grand Harbour, two thousand years of sea power meet: the knights' capital on one side, the fortified Three Cities on the other.
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★ Has its own city story
Start in Valletta at St John's Co-Cathedral, plain outside and golden inside, with Caravaggio's Beheading of Saint John. The Grandmaster's Palace shows the knights' armoury, and MUŻA, the national art museum, tells Malta's story through paintings. Fort St Elmo, at the tip of the peninsula, holds the National War Museum and the George Cross the whole island received in 1942. Take the small dgħajsa boat across the harbour to Birgu, where the knights first lived: the Inquisitor's Palace and the Malta at War Museum tell very different stories. Eat a ftira or pastizzi on the waterfront and stay for sunset from the Upper Barrakka Gardens, where the Saluting Battery fires a cannon every noon and at four. In summer every parish holds its festa; on Good Friday the processions walk through Birgu and Valletta.
The big moments, and where to see them today.
Marble tombs of knights on the floor and two Caravaggios in the oratory.
Malta's national art museum, from the knights to today, in an old auberge.
At Fort St Elmo: the Great Siege, the Second World War and the George Cross.
The rooms, courts and cells of the Inquisition in Birgu.
The 5,000-year-old underground temple and burial place – book well ahead.
From the airport to the city centre by public transport, then the trains and local lines to the museums.
Lines and timetables change. Check the operator’s website before you travel.
From the temples of Malta to the Wall in Berlin: Europe is one big cultural family. One site to plan your museum days, in your language.
