Valletta from the Knights of Malta to Colonial times (Red Line)

Valletta from the Knights of Malta to Colonial times

Our most comprehensive Valletta walk

This walk takes you down Republic Street, formerly known as Kingsway. You will pass by beautiful Auberges, richly adorned Churches, historical band clubs, the Magisterial Palace, and other monuments that recall episodes from the islands’ chequered history. The beauty of the buildings will leave you in awe as they represent some of the best examples of baroque architecture. The walk ends at Malta5D, a unique cinematic experience with special effects that highlights the history and culture of Malta. Entrance fee of this show is included in your purchase of the City Walks Malta pass. Shows run every 30 mins. from 10am to 4pm from Mon to Sat.

Historic Landmarks

Join one of our walking tours and discover the history and culture of what is possibly one of the smallest capital cities in Europe. Valletta, officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980, may be small in size, but it is bursting with iconic landmarks, monuments and buildings, each with a colourful story to tell.

Professional Destination Experts

Our destination experts are all locals who are passionate about our islands’ capital city. At City Walks Malta we insist on working only with the most trusted and experienced destination experts, who share our values, vision, and ethics. They can share stories and local anecdotes that you will not be able to hear from anyone else.

Audio

Our guided tours are in English but if this is not your language each tour comes with full recorded explanations in French, Italian, German and Spanish.

Malta5D Show

The Malta 5D show is a new generation theatre exploring the history and culture of Malta & Gozo in an interactive and exciting way. Shows run every 30 mins. from 10am to 4pm from Mon to Sat.

Walk Itinerary

1 - Royal Opera House
Built on Freedom Square in 1866, the Royal Opera House was considered one of Valletta’s most iconic buildings before its destruction during the Second World War. The ruins have been converted into an open-air theatre where plays and other performances are held during the warm summer months.
2 - Palazzo Ferreira
On Freedom Square you will find Palazzo Ferreria. Completed in the late 19th century the mansion is one of the largest in Valletta, second only to the Grandmaster’s Palace.
3 - Church of St. Barbara
The Church of Saint Barbara was founded in 1573 by the will of a group of Knights Hospitaller coming from the French region of Provence. There are eight columns on the church’s façade, which is carved from limestone.
4 - La Vallette Band Club
Boasting a long-lasting but fair rivalry with the King’s Own Band, La Valette Band Club is the seat of the Società Filarmonica Nazionale La Valette. Inaugurated in 1924, La Valette Band Club’s seat occupies the premises of the former Manchester House and includes a restaurant and bar on the lowest level.
5 - Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
The St. Francis of Assisi Church can be found at the top of Republic Street. It was founded in 1598 by Franciscan Monks, but was entirely rebuilt in Baroque style by Gregorio Carafa, a Grand Master of the Order of St. John, in the late 17th century.
6 - Auberge de Provence
The Auberge de Provence is an ornate baroque building on Republic Street built for the Order of Saint John between 1571 and 1574 and housed the Knights from Provence in France. Today, a large part of the building is taken up by the National Museum of Archaeology.
7 - King's Own Band Club
The King’s Own Band is a Maltese philharmonic musical group based in Valletta. You can find the King’s Own Band Club on Republic Street in what is now a popular bar and restaurant. Establishments such as this were some of the first places in Malta where music could be experienced outside of a religious setting.
8 - St. John's Co-Cathedral
St. John’s Co-Cathedral is one of the defining architectural landmarks of Valletta. It is a Catholic co-cathedral that was designed by the prominent Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar. The Co-Cathedral of St. John is also the current home of Italian painter Caravaggio’s “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist”.
9 - Great Siege Monument 1565
The monument was built to commemorate the Great Siege of Malta, when Ottoman Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent seized the archipelago for nearly four months before his 40,000-men army was repelled by a significantly smaller Maltese force.
10 - Law Courts
11 - Casino Maltese
12 - Caffe Cordina
Cafe Cordina was founded in 1837 in a small outlet in Bormla, but in 1944, the late Mr. Casare Cordina relocated the cafe to its current home in an old palazzo in the bustling streets of Valletta. It occupies a special place in the hearts of locals and visitors alike for more than a century.
13 - Queen Victoria Memorial
Erected on August 5th, 1891 by Sicilian sculptor Giuseppe Valenti, the statue of 19th-century British Queen Victoria sits prominently in front of the National Library in Republic Square. Sculpted out of marble, the Queen is depicted sitting down with her hand outstretched, wearing a shawl of Maltese lace on a pedestal made of grey stone.
14 - National Library of Malta
Founded in 1776 and Ccommonly known as the ‘Bibliotheca’, the National Library is a reference and research library. It is a major treasury of the Maltese islands and serves as the guardian for the written memory of Malta for future generations.
15 - Grandmasters Palae & Palace Armoury
Palace Armoury was the main armoury of the Order of St. John during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was the last arsenal established by a crusader military order.
16 - Main Guard
The Main Guard, originally called the Guardia della Piazza, was built as a guardhouse by the Order of St. John in 1603 to house the Grand Master’s personal guards.
17 - Sette Giugno Monument
The ‘Sette Giugno,’ Italian for “Seventh of June” is a national Maltese holiday commemorating a series of riots that happened on that day in 1919. These riots are seen as the first step towards Maltese independence.
18 - Civil Service Sports Club
The Civil Service Sports Club is an institution as well as a club with a bar and restaurant. Housed inside a historical palace belonging to a Knight of the Order of Saint John, the venue boasts a remarkable 17th-century Baroque exterior.
19 - Auberge d'Aragon
The Auberge d’Aragon was built in 1571 and is the oldest of seven auberges built by Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar. The structure was erected to house the knights of the Order of St John from the langue of Aragon, Navarre, and Catalonia.
20 - St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral
Resembling a Greco-Roman temple, the Pro-Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Paul is one of three cathedrals of the Anglican Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe.
21 - Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was built in 1570 from the designs of Maltese architect and engineer Girolamo Cassar. The Basilica is a Roman Catholic church and is one of the most famous churches and one of the main tourist attractions in Valletta. It forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, which includes the entire city.
22 - Teatru Manoel
23 - St. Augustine Church
24 - Malta 5D
Certified by the Malta Tourist Authority, Malta 5D is an innovative 3D movie theatre whose interactive effects include moving seats, light water spray and blasts of air for its audience. The primary show is a film with Maltese history and culture that is available in many languages. Entrance fee for this show is included in your purchase of the City Walks Malta pass.

Reviews

Amazing Tour! Great food, sights and awesome guides. We had an awesome time. We were a large group, but easily accommodated by City Walks Malta. The atmosphere was amazing, the weather was perfect, and the sights were beautiful.
Sally Smith
March 2022
The company was recommended to us by a friend, and now I can see why! It was certainly one of the highlights of our vacation. The guides were all very friendly, experienced, and professional which made it a real treat.
Doug Martin
March 2022
I was visiting from out of Europe with my family, most of whom had never been to Malta before, and we thought a tour would be a good idea - we're sure glad that we did! The experienced guide made sure that the whole day went smoothly, and luckily for us the weather was great. Highly recommended!
Gary Jones
March 2022

€20 All walks included

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Our Other Walks

Take a look at all the walk routes which are included in your pass. 1 pass will literally cover all the points of interest in beautiful Valletta!

Valletta - The east side of the peninsula city

This walk takes you through the East side of the peninsula city of Valletta. It is the side the overlooks the Grand Harbour; the side of Valletta that has possibly witnessed more historical episodes than the western side. You'll see landmarks of Malta’s political, social, religious, and commercial history when you walk by Auberge de Castille, the old University, St John’s Co. Cathedral, or the quaint George Zammit spice shop.

Floriana – Borgo Vilhena

Floriana is a walled city just outside the walls of Valletta. The walls in Floriana were designed to keep enemy troops as far as possible from Valletta; a project started by Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena. This walk takes you around the main attractions, buildings ad lovely gardens and walkways in Floriana; all sites that were and continue to be central to life in Malta.

Lower Valletta and Grand Harbour

This walk takes you round the lower parts of Malta’s Capital city start with Fort St. Elmo, the scene of one of Europe’s bloodiest battles, in 1565. You can see the splendour of the Sacra Infermeria of the Order of St. John and admire the bastions that the Knights built to protect their capital city. The walk continues to magnificent churches and other landmarks along the edge of the Grand Harbour.

Renzo Piano and the entrance to a walled city

The walled city of Valletta always had a main entrance within the Porta Reale Curtain. Today's entrance, which marks the beginning of Republic Street was designed by the world-renowned Italian architect, Renzo Piano. This walk starts from the timeless majesty of the Three Triton Fountain and then takes the visitor to the Embassy of the Knights of St John, the original builders of the city of Valletta.
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