Malta Tourist Attractions

VALLETTA

Valletta is the capital city of Malta and is known as the first planned city in Europe. The city was built by Jean de La Valletta, French Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St. John, following the Great Siege of 1565.

Palace of the Grand Masters
The Magisterial Palace contains portraits of the Grand Masters of the Order and European monarchs. It houses a collection of Gobelin Tapestries and works by Ribera, Van Loo and Batoni.

The National Library
Located in Republic Square, this Venetian-style edifice was the last public building erected by the Knights of the Order of St. John.

Palace & Armoury
The Armory of the Knights is displayed in the Palace along with arms and armor of various periods.

Mediterranean Conference Center
The former "Sacra Infermeria," was the original hospital of the Knights of the Order of St. John built-in 1574. In 1976 it was converted into a conference center seating 1,400 people. Today it also houses a 40-minute audiovisual show called "The Malta Experience" covering 5,000 years of Maltese history.

National Museum of Archaeology
Located at the Auberge de Provence on Republic Street, the museum houses a collection of artifacts from various historic periods. Included among the exhibits is a decorated altar from Hagar Qim, models of Neolithic temples, the first metal object found in Malta, original monoliths, and the statutes of the "Sleeping Lady" and "Maltese Venus".

National Museum of Fine Arts
Collections from the Venetian, Italian and Dutch schools are featured, as well as Gothic and religious paintings.

St. John's Co-Cathedral and Museum
Constructed between 1573 and 1577, it was formerly the Conventional Church of the Order. The cathedral and museum house a unique collection of Flemish tapestries, silver objects and church vestments, as well as two paintings by Caravaggio.

The National War Museum
The focus of the War Museum in World War II. Exhibits include a Gladiator biplane, "Faith," the only survivor of three such airplanes that formed the aerial defence of Malta in June 1940; the George Cross Medal awarded to Malta in 1942; a jeep used by President Roosevelt during his visit to Malta in December 1943. These items are a testament to the hardships suffered by the Maltese people during the war. The two-year occupation of Malta by the French (1798-1800) and World War I are also featured in the museum.

Manoel Theatre
Malta's oldest surviving theatre, it was commissioned in 1731 by the Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena and inaugurated in 1732 with a performance of Maffei's opera "Merope". The theatre seats 600 and is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture.

VITTORIOSA

The Maritime Museum
Located on Vittoriosa Wharf, the museum concentrates on Maltese and Mediterranean maritime history and traditions. Departments cover underwater archaeology and shipbuilding.

Folk Museum
Housed in the Inquisitor's Palace in Vittoriosa, the museum contains tools and objects of devotion.

The Hypogeum
This ancient underground monument consists of a system of caves, passages and cubicles cut into the stone, mimicking the interiors of the megalithic temples located above ground.