Holidays in Valleta, Malta

Valletta is the capital city of Malta. Its foundation stone was laid by the Grandmaster of the Order of Saint John, Jean Parisot de la Valette, on 28 March 1566. The city is located in the central-eastern region of the island Malta.
Valletta is Baroque in character, but it has elements of Mannerism, Neo-Classicism, and modern architecture located in selected areas. Valletta suffered many damages during World War II. In 1980 Valletta was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, so no wonder that many holiday makers visit it for its historical treasures.
Nowadays Valetta is the main tourist destination of Malta, so it has a few very good all-inclusive hotels and a plenty of luxurious villas to choose from. Holidays spent in Valleta, in this luxurious properties, have an unbelievable charm...

All-inclusive hotels & villas

Malta's capital city was built on the Valletta peninsula, which is fed by two natural harbours: Marsamxett and Grand Harbour; Here is Malta's major port, with unloading quays at Marsa and a cruise-liner terminal which has been built recently in the Grand Harbour.
Valleta has several all-inclusive hotels and many villas with modern comfort but, due to its rich history, it contains also many buildings with historic value, amongst which the most important is St. John's Cathedral, built by the Knights of Malta and home to the largest single work and only signed work of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Other important tourist attractions are: fortress Auberge de Castille et Leon, formerly the official seat of the Knights of Malta, now office of the Prime Minister of Malta; the Magisterial Palace, built between 1571-1574, formerly seat of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, now housing the Maltese Parliament and the offices of the President of Malta; the National Museum of Fine Arts, a palace dating back to 1570; the National Museum of Archaeology; Manoel Theatre, built in just ten months in 1731, by order of Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, nowadays one of the oldest working theatres from Europe; the Mediterranean Conference Centre, formerly Sacra Infermeria, built in 1574, one of Europe's most renowned hospitals during the rule of the Knights of Malta. Beside all this, the fortifications themselves, built by the Knights as a magnificent series of bastions and curtains, around 100 meters high, designed to protect the city from attacks, are a great attraction for vacationers.
A list of the main attractions which should be enjoyed during holidays in Valetta include:
- churches such as St. John's Cathedral, Our Lady of Victories Church, Carmelite Church, St. Paul's Cathedral, St. James Church, St. Francis of Assisi Church, Parish Church of St. Augustine, Christ the Redeemer Church, Church of the Jesuits, Parish Church of Saint Mary of Porto Salvo and Saint Dominic, and Franciscan Church of St. Mary of Jesus, St. Andrew's Scots Church.
- palaces like The Grandmaster's Palace, now hosting the Parliament of Malta, Auberge de Castille, now hosting the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta, Auberge d'Aragon, host to the Ministry of Finance, Auberge d'Italie, where can be now found Malta's Tourism Authority, Auberge de Provence, hosting the National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Baviere, home to Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs, Casa Rocca Piccola, Palazzo Francia, Palazzo Parisio, hosting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Palazzo Castellania, housing the Ministry of Health, the Elderly and Community Care, and National Museum of Fine Arts.
- museums like St. John's Cathedral Museum, Grandmaster's Palace Armoury Museum, Malta's War Museum from Fort Saint Elmo, National Museums of Archaeology hosted by Auberge De Provence, National Museum of Fine Arts, Manoel Theatre Museum, and the Toy Museum.
- forts Saint Elmo and Saint James Cavalie.
- gardens Upper Barrakka Gardens, Lower Barrakka Gardens, and Hastings Gardens.
- squares St. John, St. George, Queen's Square, Great Siege Square, Freedom Square, and Castile Square.
- places like Castellania, the former law court of Knights of Malta, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta's waterfront, Triton Fountain, and the Public Library.
All this places can be visited at best having accommodations at all-inclusive hotels and villas. Many of them offer vacation packages, so there can be saved a lot of money even during luxurious holidays in Malta!