Things to Do in Valletta, Malta: Walking Guide

The best things to do in Valletta combine fortified history, Baroque churches, museums, palaces, and views across the Grand Harbour. Malta’s compact capital is especially rewarding on foot, with major landmarks and quieter historic streets concentrated within its peninsula. Neywo offers a free audio guide to Valletta with 61 narrated places, available in 11 languages.

What to See in Valletta

Our Lady of Victory Church

Our Lady of Victory Church was the first building constructed in Valletta after the Great Siege of 1565. Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette funded it as a thanksgiving offering for the Order of St John’s victory over the Ottoman forces. Designed by Girolamo Cassar, the church was completed in 1566 and dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin.

Auberge de Castille

The Auberge de Castille was created for knights associated with the Castile, León and Portugal langues of the Order of St John. The present Baroque building dates from the 1740s, when it was reconstructed under Portuguese Grand Master Manuel Pinto da Fonseca. Today, it houses the office of the Prime Minister of Malta, and “Castille” is also used as a reference to the prime minister’s office.

Auberge d’Italie and MUŻA

The Auberge d’Italie was built for knights from the Italian langue of the Order of Saint John. Constructed in stages from the late 16th century, it began with a Mannerist design associated with Girolamo Cassar and later acquired a Baroque character.

Today, the building houses MUŻA, Malta’s national art museum. The museum brings together works by Maltese and foreign artists representing major European artistic styles. The national collection moved here in 2018 after the former National Museum of Fine Arts closed at Admiralty House.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral

St. John’s Co-Cathedral was built in the 1570s by the Order of St John and designed by Girolamo Cassar. Its exterior is notably austere, but the interior is one of Europe’s finest examples of high Baroque architecture. Mattia Preti and other artists transformed the church with lavish decoration during the 17th century.

The cathedral’s Oratory contains Caravaggio’s The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, painted in 1608. The large oil painting depicts the execution of John the Baptist in a dark, asymmetrical composition, making it one of the defining works to see in Valletta.

Grandmaster’s Palace

The Grandmaster’s Palace has stood at the centre of Valletta for nearly five centuries. It began as a private house belonging to Eustachio del Monte, the nephew of the city’s founder, and was later purchased and expanded by the Order of St John under Girolamo Cassar.

The palace served as the administrative centre of Malta under the Order for three and a half centuries. After Napoleon expelled the Knights in 1798, it became the National Palace; under British rule, it served as the Governor’s Palace. It now houses the Office of the President of Malta, and it was also the seat of Parliament until 2015.

Fort Saint Elmo

At the end of the Sciberras Peninsula, Fort Saint Elmo guards the entrances to Marsamxett Harbour and the Grand Harbour. The star-shaped fort was built by the Knights of the Order of Saint John in 1552 and played a crucial role during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.

Part of the fort now houses the National War Museum. Its collections cover Malta’s history from the Bronze Age through to 2004, extending well beyond the First and Second World Wars that shaped the museum’s earlier focus.

Auberge de Bavière

Auberge de Bavière overlooks St Elmo Bay and the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour. Originally built as Palazzo Carneiro in 1696, it became the residence of Grand Master Marc’Antonio Zondadari before being converted into an auberge for the Anglo-Bavarian langue in 1784.

The building later served the British military, including briefly as a military hospital during the First World War. It was subsequently used as a school, a hostel, and government offices, and now houses the Maltese Lands Authority.

St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral

St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral stands on Independence Square. It is an Anglican church with cathedral status, although the “pro-cathedral” title indicates that it is not the main cathedral.

The church was created after Queen Adelaide, widow of King William IV, learned that Malta had no Anglican place of worship. Construction began in 1839 and ended in 1844. William Scamp designed the building in the neoclassical style on the site of the former Auberge d’Allemagne.

Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is one of Valletta’s major churches. The present building was constructed between 1958 and 1981 after the earlier late-16th-century church on the site was destroyed during the Second World War.

Its Marian image received papal recognition: Pope Leo XIII granted a decree of canonical coronation in 1880, and the coronation took place on 15 July 1881.

St Francis of Assisi Church

St Francis of Assisi Church dates back to a monastery built in 1598. The first church was completed in 1607, but the original building deteriorated and was demolished in 1681. Grand Master Gregorio Carafa financed the replacement church, whose façade still displays his coat of arms.

The church contains works by Mattia Preti, Pietro Gagliardi, and Filippo Paladino. Alterations in the 1920s enlarged the building and added a dome, although some frescoes by Maltese artist Giuseppe Calì were damaged during the work.

St Augustine Church

St Augustine Church was originally built during the creation of Valletta according to a design by Girolamo Cassar. After the 1693 earthquake seriously damaged it, the present church was constructed between 1765 and 1785 under Giuseppe Bonnici and Antonio Cachia.

The church preserves monuments from its earlier building, including a painting of St Nicholas of Tolentino by Mattia Preti. Its later history also includes damage from a German air raid in 1942 and post-war restoration.

More historic churches and buildings

Valletta’s dense historic centre rewards looking beyond its largest landmarks. The Church of Our Lady of Liesse stands beside the Grand Harbour, while the Church of St Nicholas is a Greek Orthodox church with a Baroque character dating from its rebuilding in 1652. The Basilica of St Dominic grew from a chapel where sailors gave thanks for safe returns from sea.

The city also contains the Church of St Francis of Assisi, the Church of St Augustine, and many other churches associated with the Order of St John and Valletta’s later communities. For a broader view of Malta’s historic towns, you can continue to Birgu, Mdina, or Victoria.

Valletta self-guided walking tour with Neywo

A Valletta self-guided walking tour is a simple way to connect the city’s churches, auberges, palaces, fortifications, and museums without following a group. Neywo has five walking tours in Valletta, plus one bus route:

• The Knights’ City: Auberges, Churches and the Co-Cathedral — 0.76 km, 110 minutes, 12 narrated stops
• City Gate to Archbishop’s Palace: Opera, Art and Baroque Domes — 1.41 km, 105 minutes, 12 narrated stops
• Valletta’s East End: Fort St Elmo, Chapels and Palaces — 1.18 km, 95 minutes, 12 narrated stops
• Seats of Power: Grandmaster’s Palace, Theatre and Library — 1.15 km, 90 minutes, 12 narrated stops
• Bastions, Gates and the Grand Harbour — 1.29 km, 74 minutes, 10 narrated stops
• Bus 133: Valletta’s Circular Ride — 4.5 km, 19 minutes, 9 narrated stops

With the Neywo app, each story plays as you reach the place it describes. You explore at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. The free Valletta audio guide includes 61 narrated places, while the tours offer structured routes through different parts of the city.

Download Neywo and explore Valletta at your own pace

Download Neywo for a free audio guide to Valletta and discover the capital through its fortifications, churches, palaces, museums, and harbour landmarks. Choose one of five walking tours or the circular bus route, then let the app tell the story of each place as you arrive—at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.

When you are ready to explore more of the island, continue with Malta, or visit nearby Sliema.