Renzo Piano and the entrance to a walled city (Yellow Line)

Renzo Piano and the entrance to a walled city

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Behind the Porta Reale

The walled city of Valletta always had a main entrance within the Porta Reale Curtain. The entrance marks the beginning of Republic Street. Today’s entrance 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 through the works of this Italian architect to the Embassy of the Knights of St John, the original builders of the city of Valletta.

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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.

Trip Itinerary

1 - Triton Fountain
Just outside City Gate you will find the impressive Tritons’ Fountain first constructed in 1952. The fountain consists of a circular base, on which three bronze Tritons stand holding a large dish, representing Malta’s historic and cultural links to the ocean.
2 - City Gate
At Valletta’s entrance you will find City Gate, the original threshold of the city. The new entrance, designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano.
3 - Freedom Square
Freedom Square is a major city landmark dedicated to Maltese independence from foreign rule, it consists of a rectangular thoroughfare that leads to some of Valletta’s most important cultural landmarks.
4 - Hastings Garden
West of City Gate is Hastings Gardens, built on top of Valletta’s old city walls. This secluded spot offers spectacular views over local landmarks, such as the Tritons’ Fountain, as well the Marsamxett Harbour including Msida, Lazzaretto and Sliema creeks.
5 - Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of St. John
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is the modern-day continuation of the Knights Hospitaller, whose existence can be traced back as far as 1048. Today, despite having no territory, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta acts as an independent nation issuing its own passports, coins, stamps, and license plates.
6 - Market Stalls
While strolling along the streets of Valletta, you can find a series of characteristic market stalls selling any kind of goods. Among them, we can mention the open air market in Ordnance Street.
7 - Parliament of Malta
The Parliament House consists of two buildings. Both blocks are clad in Gozitan limestone, quarried in Gozo, Malta’s northernmost island. The use of this material evokes the churches, palaces, and townhouses that make up Valletta’s architectural heritage.

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.

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.

Valletta from the Knights of Malta to Colonial times

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 tour ends at Malta 5D.

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.
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