The 10 Best Sights & Landmarks in Valletta, Island of Malta

Built between 1573 and 1577, this cathedral contains two masterpieces by Caravaggio. St John’s Co-Cathedral is a gem of Baroque art and architecture. It was built as the conventual church for the Knights of St John. This church is till this very day an important shrine and a sacred place of worship. It is also a venue for cultural events. The construction was commissioned in 1572 by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière to serve as the conventual church of the Knights of Malta and designed by the Maltese military architect Gerolamo Cassar. The church was dedicated to St John the Baptist, the patron saint of the Order. The oratory holds the biggest and only signed masterpiece by Caravaggio. St John’s church is administered by the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation responsible for the religious cultural heritage of the monument.

If you fancy seeing something a little bit different when visiting Valletta go to Casa Rocca Piccola. Often described as a ‘living museum’ it is the only privately owned palace open to the public in the city. Built over 400 years ago for a Knight of Malta, Don Pietro La Rocca it is now the ancestral home of a Maltese Noble family. On your tour the guides will point out interesting things to see such as an 18th Century golden Sedan Chair. There are literally hundreds of magnificent objects to see including modern paintings interspersed with the ancestral portraits of the Marquises de Piro and the Barons of Budach. You will also see a network of tunnels cut out from the rock under Casa Rocca Piccola which were used as Bomb Shelters in World War 2. Over 100 people sheltered here from the Nazi bombs that poured on Valletta. To finish your tour in the cellars of the house there is a delightful Sicilian restaurant called La Giara.

Visitors at Fort St Elmo can experience the impressive grounds of the fort, including the splendid architecture of the two chapels dedicated to St Anne. Among the most notable artefacts inside the museum one finds the military armour of the Order of St John and the Ottoman Turks, the Gloster Sea Gladiator N5520 FAITH, Roosevelt’s Jeep ‘Husky’, and Malta’s award for gallantry, the George Cross.

The Lascaris War Rooms consist of an underground complex of tunnels and chambers that housed the War Headquarters from where the defence of Malta was conducted during the Second World War.This secret complex contained operations rooms for each of the fighting services from where not only the air defence of Malta was coordinated, but also some of the greatest battles fought in the Mediterrean during the war. In July 1943, the Lascaris War Rooms served as the advance headquarters for the Invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky)by Generals Eisenhower, Montgomery, Alexander and Clark and Air Marshal Tedder and Admiral Cunningham. It went on being used under different forms by both the British services and Nato up to 1977.

The Saluting Battery is one of Malta's most vibrant visitor attractions where history is brought to life daily! Located high along Valletta's eastern historic ramparts it enjoys unrivalled spectacular views of the Grand Harbour and its surrounding fortified towns. It is also perhaps the oldest saluting battery still in operation anywhere in the world. Here one can see a fully restored gun powder magazine, an artillery side-arm store, a handsome collection of original muzzle-loading artillery , ammunition and equipment and get a close-look at the saluting guns. The battery is equipped with audio-guides but guided torus in English are also available three times a day at 11.00, 12.30 And 15.00Hrs.

The Barrakka Panoramic Lifts are located inside the ditch of the fortifications of Valletta, and it links Lascaris Wharf to St. Peter and Paul Bastion and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. It allows access from the Grand Harbour to the Valletta city. It was first constructed in 2012, on the site of a previous lift (1905 - 1973). In 1905, the lift was constructed out of steel, and it was 60 m high. The lift had two cabins that could hold 12 passengers and tickets cost ½d for military personnel and 1d for other clients. Malta's independence in 1964, took a toll on the lifts as a significant amount of the lift's clients were British military personnel and employees. There were significant losses, stopped operation in 1973 and lifts were demolished in 1983. Plans to construct similar steel structure lifts initiate in 2004, were designed by the local firm Architecture Project and inaugurated in 2012. The lifts facilitate access to the historic centre of Valletta to/from the Grand Harbour.