Valletta: what to see in 1 day

The Co-Cathedral of Saint John is the first stop: behind a sober façade hides a Baroque interior covered in gold, with floor tombstones inlaid with marble and Caravaggio's Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, the only work signed by the painter.

Walking along Republic Street, the main artery of the city, you reach the Upper Barrakka Gardens, a panoramic terrace overlooking the Grand Harbour from which daily at noon a cannon shot rings out, a tradition dating back to the Knights.

Descending toward the harbour you encounter Fort Saint Elmo, the star-shaped fortification that resisted the 1565 Ottoman siege and today houses the national war museum.

For lunch, venues around Republic Street or the nearby Saint George's Square offer Maltese cuisine, from pastizzi to rabbit stew.

The rest of the day offers a choice between the Palace of the Grand Masters, seat of the Maltese Parliament, with its frescoed halls and the armoury of knights' armours.

Toward the harbour, instead, the Grand Harbour allows you to take a brief ferry to the Three Cities on the opposite bank, from which Valletta appears in its entirety as a single honey-coloured wall.

With evening, returning to the Upper Barrakka Gardens, the view of the illuminated harbour remains the most natural point to close the day before dinner.

Saint John's Co-Cathedral, Upper Barrakka, and Fort Sant'Elmo sketch the Knights' heritage at Valletta, while the afternoon choice between the Grand Master's Palace and Grand Harbour brings with it the institutional or maritime side.

The Three Cities explored with more time and a trip to Mdina, the ancient capital inland, remain chapters for a second visit. Seeing Valletta's honey-colored ramparts reflected in the Grand Harbour remains the most direct image of the city.