Malta/Sicily Day 1: Valletta, Malta

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Today is a day on our own, having arrived a day early for our tour to protect against flight problems. Jet lagged, we got up early and had breakfast at a nearby Starbucks. Their breakfast selections were locally-inspired, such as the breakfast sandwiches on Maltese bread. This Starbucks is also the first I have seen that offers coffee cocktails (like coffee martinis), but of course it was much too early for that.

We set out on a walking tour of Valletta using a guide we found online. Valletta is a compact walled city, and is very walkable if you don’t mind a few hills. Our hotel is just outside the city gate. Since it is a Sunday, some of the stops on the tour weren’t available (like the city’s “co-cathedral”), but for the most part it was a good way to get an introduction to the city.

We noticed that Valletta was much more crowded than it was when we first arrived, and found the cause: a very large (Celebrity) cruise ship was docked on the south side of the peninsula. Some stores were offering discounts to their passengers.

We spent most of our time at Fort Saint Elmo, at the end of the peninsula that comprises Valletta, and at the military museum located there. The museum helped us to understand Malta’s history and strategic position in the Mediterranean, and specifically how much they were bombarded in World War II. Historically, Malta has suffered numerous invasions and occupations over the centuries, and Fort Saint Elmo has evolved as a result.

We continued back towards our hotel along the south shore of the peninsula. Pedestrian traffic increased as we got closer to the cruise ship terminal.

We had dinner at one of the many Italian restaurants in Valletta. We were a little concerned because all of the restaurant listings said “book ahead” but it turned out not to be a problem at all.

This article is part of a series about our recent trip to Malta and Sicily. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.