Valletta is the capital city of Malta, the European Union‘s smallest capital city.
UNESCO World Heritage site. A LOT of history.
Founded by the Order of St John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitaller.
Ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the nights of St John. Valletta’s 320 monuments, all within an area of 55 ha, make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.
Today the strongest influence is from 150 years of British colonial history.
About 30% of the population of Malta are expats ➙ British, Italian, Indian, and Filipino most prominently. You can buy a EU passport with a minimum €600,000–€750,000 contribution. 😀
Population of Valletta as of 2021 was 5,157.
At any given moment, there are far more tourists than citizens. More than 3 million tourists arrive in Malta each year. Most of them visit Valletta.
I started in the afternoon with a scramble around nearby, dilapidated Fort Manoel.
Fort Manoel should be a major tourist attraction — but, as of 2026, most is closed to tourists. Some project renovations to be finished by 2033.
I didn’t get to Valletta until after dark. More evocative than during the day. Mysterious. Even spooky in places.
I do recommend you visit at night.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Another day I joined a free hostel walking tour to Valletta.
We started with 13 tourists from around the world.
Paty, our leader from Brazil, took us to many interesting spots.
We unexpectedly crashed wedding photos.
AND we had a birthday girl. Actually it was the day after her birthday — but the couple had been on the plane flying to Malta the day before.
Over the course of several hours, some of our group took off to meet friends. Or stop for dinner.
Only 6 of us were left by the time we got to Paty’s recommended restaurant, Alexanders by Zizka. Excellent.
I ordered that weird, delicious thin crust pizza. The rest had pasta, some with rabbit — a local favourite dish.
I loved Malta. But the highlights were all on hostel walking tours.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
We did take the ferry over to the Three Cities, but only had about an hour there. Time allowing, it would be even better than Valletta being so much less crowded with tourists.
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Rick McCharles 