Malta - Valletta - Septermber 2023

 It's a short ferry ride from the Three Cities to Valletta ferry port. We took water taxi or commute ferry from Vittoriosa marina to reach Valletta.

Water taxi to Valletta.

ferry shuttle Valletta- Grand Harbor.

Valletta :  Malta's capital city is a beautiful walled city, established in the 1500s on a peninsula by the Knights of St. John, a Roman Catholic order. Valletta was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.  Even though it is one of the smallest capital cities in Europe, it offers plenty of things to do and to see in addition to breathtaking view from Upper Barrakka.  

View of the main entrance, Victoria Gate and the Valletta city center from the ferry port. 

Taking the Barrakka lift to Valletta city center.

View of the harbor from Valletta Upper Barrakka Gardens.

Cannons in row in Upper Barrakka gardens overlooking the harbor.

From Upper Barrakka Gardens - Vittoriosa (left), Senglea (right) with a Malta-Sicily ferry shuttle.

Terrace area - Upper Barrakka Gardens

Hanging out at the terrace.

 Upper Barrakka Gardens wall.

Auberge de Castille, close to St. James Cavalier, the Malta Stock Exchange and the Upper Barrakka Gardens.

The Malta Stock Exchange.

A tradition Malta sandwich for lunch at the Is-Suq Tal-Belt Valletta Food market. 

A sign in the Valletta food market.

Our Lady of Victory Church - Jean de Valletta Square.

Jean de Valletta Square

The Chruch of St. Paul's shipwreck

St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral - Church of England Diocese of Europe

Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Valletta

St. John Square.

Great Siege Square, memorial monument for Daphne C. Galizia, a journalist was killed in a car bomb attack.

National Museum of Archaeology.

Parlament building of Malta

Street restaurants ready to open for business in the evening.

Republic Square

Library in the Republic Square.

Fort Manoel, a star fort on Manoel Island in Malta, was built by the Knights Hospitaller to protect Valletta's Northern bastions.

Triton Fountain.

City Gate

Valletta Memorial Monument.

City gate in Valletta, the main entrance into the city from the Grand Harbor area.

A walk from Upper Gardens to ferry port.

View of fort St. Angelo from the ferry back to Grand Harbor.

Malta - The Grand Harbor and The Three Cities - September 2023

 Taking advantage of our previously planned destination of Portugal in October 2023, we headed out to Malta about two weeks earlier to enjoy this beautiful island nation in the Mediterranean Sea. True to form, we had perfect weather while in Malta.

Malta:   RDU - AID - FRA - MLA.

  

Arriving in Malta

Cospicua : One of the Three Cities, a double-fortified harbor city located within the Grand Harbor to the east of Valletta. We stayed at The Mike Hotel in Cospicua for five days when we visited Malta. UBER is our main transportation to get around Malta.  We also used the ferry to cross the harbor.

Our hotel, The Mike with the red banner on its window is in Cospucia. (Other two cities are: Senglea and Birgu or Vittoriosa).  It's an easy walking disctance to the Grand Harbor or Port of Valletta.

Old wall in Cospicua leading to the harbor.

Walking to the Grand Harbor from our hotel.

A residential street near The Mike Hotel in Cospicua.

St. Paul Church at the end of The Mike in Cospicua.

Dock No. 1, AUM- American University of Malta
.

AMU - War Museum in Cospicua.

Beautiful houses overlooking the harbor.

Grand Harbor: / Port of Valletta : Is a natural harbor on the island of Malta, walking distance from the Three Cities. It has an extensive docks, wharves and fortifications. It also has a world class luxury marina, an ideal location in the heart of Mediterranean for many vessels while cruising the Mediterranean.

Busy harbor

The Grand Harbor Marina, a UNESCO heritage site, located in Vittoriosa.

Vittoirosa Yacht Marina with lots of yachts, boats busy at all times.

Marina and ferry dock.

Fort St. Angelo in Birgu from the harbor.

Senglea:  One of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbor area, located in the south eastern region of Malta. 

Colorful homes on the waterfront in Senglea overlooking the Grand Harbor.

Harbor view from Gardijola Gardens in Senglea.

Gardjola Gardens

Gardjola Gardens in Senglea.

Fort St. Angelo from Gardjola Gardens.

Valletta view from Gardjola Gardens.

The street of the Knights.

Neighborhood church in Senglea.

Senglea's residential street.

Senglea Basilica.

Sunset dinner at the harbor.

Birgu / Vittoriosa:  Is an old fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbor. Fort Saint Angelo at its head, the city of Cospicua at its base and Senglea is across the harbor. 

Fort St. Angelo in Birgu (view from across the harbor), built in the medieval period as a castle. It was later rebuilt by the Order of Saint John as a bastioned fort.

Sign of the "Way" marks the beginning of the maritime route of the Camino Maltes pilgrim route at fort St. Angelo.

The fort gate.

Fort entrance.


Painting at the entrance gate.

The two lighthouses, entrance to the Grand Harbor- view from fort St. Angelo.

Battery facing the entrance to the Grand Harbor.

Battery floor.

Overlooking the harbor from fort St. Angelo

Ft. St. Angelo gardens.

Chapel St. Anna in the fort.

Residential street behind St. Lawrence Cathedral.

St. Lawrence's church in Birgu (Vittoriosa).

The Grand Harbor view is very spectacular as we enjoy our promenading in the evening.

   

Peach gelato for dessert.

The band helping the city of Cospicua celebrate its regatta team who won the championship.

St. Lawrence Cathedral.

Grand Harbor Marina.

View from a pedestrian bridge by the war museum in Cospucia.

 

A street in Birgu/Vittoriosa

A mairna in Cospicua.

Collegiate Church of Conception in Cospicua.

*****

A small (wooden boat) water taxi, our transportation to Valletta.