When I was booking my stay in Malta, Valletta was one of the options on my list, ended up not staying in the area but I was a 30-minute bus ride away, so I obviously added it to my list of places to visit and ended up spending a whole day in Valletta because there were so many beautiful places to see in this area.
In case you plan on visiting Malta, this is a great area to visit, possibly even to stay if you are looking for a gorgeous area but like places that are less busy.
I arrived to St. Julian's the day before, that was the area where I was staying and on the day I arrived, I just stayed around and decided to visit the area.
This was my second day, I woke up had my lovely breakfast, and had already planned what to see when in Valletta. Got on the bus that was just a couple of minutes away from the Hotel I was and headed to Valletta.
If you want to see more about the Hotel H, where I was staying, the breakfast or even see St' Julian's, I have already uploaded other posts about it.
There is a bus terminal in Valletta and that was my stop. As soon as I got there I was welcomed by this beautiful view.
The sun was out and shining and I was very lucky about it.
There is a whole beautiful part of Valletta, where there is no traffic and all the streets are closed. And as soon as you enter I can assure you that you will be speechless.
If you are like someone like me who loves a good photo. Get ready, bring two batteries and your memory cards empty. You will need it because everywhere you look, there will be opportunities to create new amazing amazing.
This is the area I was telling you about where the traffic is not allowed, you obviously can tell this is the historical and also the touristic part of Valletta. But you will be surprised that even when you walk to other areas that are more residential, you get the same amazing vibes and feeling you get in this area.
When I am visiting a new area, it is always interesting to see people going with their life. And in this are you can see a lot of people that are tourists, just chilling and visiting Valletta just like you.
I should have warned you in the beginning. Bring nice walking shoes and get your legs ready. Valletta is a place to be visited by foot and you will be walking for hours. And these streets are not for the faint of heart, a lot of hills. But it is worth it.
In this section, I will be sharing with you a lot of the side streets I have captured in the area. This is a small collection of the many photos I have captured because every street I look, I want to photograph.
You will see some cars and roads with traffic because here not all of the streets are from the central area I referred above. Also, I believe the locals that live in the area might have a special license to be able to get in some streets and park.
It doesn't get more Mediterranean than an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and you can really get those vibes when you are walking in Valletta.
I guess, being Portuguese, that was probably one of the main reasons why I was so taken away by Malta. Because although I've been living in the UK for 12 years, visiting a place like this feels very familiar.
If you are from a Mediterranean country I feel that you probably can get those vibes even from the photos on this post.
The city glows with a warm and magical aura as the bright lights illuminate the yellow walls of every building. The sight is simply brilliant, creating a charming atmosphere that captivates all who visit.
You know you can always climb the streets but in many places, you will have the chance to choose routes that instead of climbing streets you can climb stairs. It is up to you to choose your route. I personally, avoided the stairs. Spoiler alert, It did not help, by the end of the day I was still very tired and soar.
Valletta is a very historical area and it's location have a big entrance to a lot of different bays, making this a place that had a lot of historical importance. But no matter where you go in the island of Malta, I feel that because it is a small place. I feel that every city and village has a lot of historical importance for them. No exceptions.
Look for as many details as you can see when walking around the streets of Valletta because you will keep on discovering beautiful details everywhere around you.
Remember that Malta economy is not the best yet. Although a very popular Summer destination in Europe. When walking around, not only in Valletta, I have noticed it all around.
You will find a lot of buildings abandoned and destroyed.
It is sad to see that such a beautiful place that people use to vacation is still struggling that much and that the country doesn't even have the meanings to rebuild itself.
Another fun detail about Malta you might not know, and that is not specifically just related with Valletta, is that English is their official second language. That makes it easier for travelers to move around.
Although in Valletta, when you are in the most central areas, there are a lot of restaurants and bars that look very "local" and traditional, they are clearly directed to the tourists.
So if you are planning on stopping for a drink or a meal. I would suggest you to do some more research and try to find some locals that are not so central and are the real deal. Because in those central places you might be paying a tourist price for not such a more local experience.
And that way you also can be helping local businesses, instead of chain companies.
In this post, I have shown you a lot of the places in the center of Valletta, this is also a small selection of the photos I have taken. I thought I had to stop myself, because this post is already too long as it is.
But if you think this is everything you have to see in Valletta, wait for it.
Because there are so much more to see in Valletta, some more specific areas. I think I still missed some areas. But get ready for more in some posts to come.
I have walked all around and I have visited some places that were recommended to me by friends that have visited before. And after seeing all the beauty in these streets I thought it could not get better.
Wrong. It gets even prettier and more beautiful as I keep exploring Valletta and some of its touristic points of view.
But you will have to wait for the next post to visit that places with me. I can't wait to edit all those images and share them here with you with some more information.
In the meanwhile, I hope you have been enjoying these images from the city.
I guess no matter where I go, I will have a St. Paul's Cathedral calling for me. I had to make a choice, and sadly cut this from the list of places to go, but this view of the Cathedral it was still worth it.
These were my first couple of hours walking around the streets of Valletta and I still had so much to see. As I said I will definitely take you with me and show you the other places and areas I have visited in Valletta.
But I can tell you already. If you are in Malta, Valletta is a place to visit. You won't regret for sure.
I was in Love, and at this point, I was even considering coming back to this area if I had the time during my visit. That I unfortunately did not have.
Malta should be in your list of places to visit for sure.
