Things to do in Valletta

Culture · Valletta, Republic Street

A plain exterior concealing the most ornate baroque interior in the Mediterranean, with a floor of inlaid marble knights' tombs.

Local tip: The oratory holds Caravaggio's Beheading of Saint John the Baptist — his largest painting and the only one he signed. Go early; the cruise groups arrive by mid-morning.

Landmark · Valletta, above Grand Harbour

A colonnaded terrace above the Grand Harbour looking across to the Three Cities, with a gun battery fired daily at noon.

Local tip: Take the lift up from the harbour rather than the hill. The noon gun is genuinely worth timing a walk around, and the terrace is free.

Neighborhood · Across Grand Harbour

The older fortified towns opposite Valletta, with marinas, quiet streets and a fraction of the visitors.

Local tip: The ferry from Valletta takes minutes and is the best-value trip in Malta. Birgu's Collachio quarter is where people who could live anywhere on the island increasingly choose to.

Landmark · The tip of the Valletta peninsula

The star fort at the peninsula's point, holding the museum that runs from the Bronze Age to the Second World War siege.

Local tip: The George Cross awarded to the island in 1942 is here. The 1565 siege and the 1940s siege are the two events that explain most of how Malta sees itself.

Nightlife · Valletta

The narrow lane that was the Royal Navy's notorious 'Gut', now a strip of small bars and jazz venues.

Local tip: It is where Valletta actually goes out, as opposed to the harbourfront terraces. Quiet on weekdays and genuinely good on a Friday.

Culture · Old Theatre Street, Valletta

Built in 1731 and one of the oldest working theatres in Europe, seating a few hundred under a painted ceiling.

Local tip: Almost nobody visiting Malta knows it is here. Tickets for a concert cost less than a mediocre dinner and you are sitting in a room that has been in continuous use for nearly three centuries.