geocalia
Day itinerary · 35.90° N · 14.51° E
Coffee at Cordina, the €3 catamaran to Birgu, the harbour walk and St Angelo, lunch at Rubino and back to Upper Barrakka for the four o'clock cannon.
Part of Valletta
The plan
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
Coffee and cannolo on Republic Square
244 Republic Street, VLT 1114 Valletta · +356 2065 0400
Upper Barrakka lift to the quay · €3 · Birgu and St Angelo
+356 2346 3862
Cannon at 16:00
Stroll back through the city
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
The Three Cities are opposite Valletta, across the Grand Harbour, and the way to go is the scheduled boat: ten minutes for €3, with the capital's walls behind you. This plan crosses in the morning, strolls round Birgu, returns for lunch at one of the city's classic tables and ends with the afternoon cannon.
There is a direct flight to Malta from several Spanish cities. From the airport, bus to the City Gate terminal in Valletta. The whole plan is done on foot and by boat.
9:30 · Coffee at Caffe Cordina. On Republic Square, in front of the Grand Master's Palace. A coffee with a pistachio cannolo, inside under the painted ceilings or on the terrace.
10:30 · Boat to the Three Cities. Walk to Upper Barrakka and go down in the public lift to the quay. The Valletta Ferry Services catamaran leaves about every quarter of an hour and crosses in about ten minutes to Cospicua. Stroll round the marina of Birgu, where the Order settled before founding Valletta, and climb to Fort St Angelo, at the tip (Heritage Malta, in winter from 9:00 to 17:00). If you have time to spare, cross to Senglea and its Gardjola garden.
13:15 · Lunch at Rubino. Boat back and climb to Old Bakery Street. Rubino opened in 1906 as a confectioner's; order the fenek moqli, the rabbit in red wine, and the Sicilian cassata. It serves lunch only Monday to Friday: book.
15:45 · Upper Barrakka. Return to the garden for the 16:00 Saluting Battery shot, now looking at Birgu, where you were in the morning.
16:30 · Return. A stroll through the city to the hotel.
Where to eat
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
What to order: a coffee with a pistachio or ricotta cannolo, or a Maltese sweet from the house such as the honey ring, sitting on the square terrace
What to order: a ftira to share, such as the Ta' Nenu or the pork one with Maltese sausage, and the fried rabbit with garlic (fenek moqli); for dessert, imqaret with ice cream
What to order: the fenek moqli, the fried rabbit in red wine with a bittersweet finish, and for dessert the Sicilian cassata; let them tell you about the blackboard of the day
Map
With where to park at each one.
Getting there
When to go
All year. Rubino serves lunch only Monday to Friday; on Saturday or Sunday, eat at Ta' Nenu. The boat runs every day.
Tips
The return ticket works out cheaper than two singles.
The room is small.
Swap Rubino for Ta' Nenu, which is open every day.
Questions
€3 for the daytime trip and €5 return.
No, it is a regular service.
The harbour promenade, Fort St Angelo and the Inquisitor's Palace.
More plans like this
geocalia.com/en/malta/valletta/itineraries/three-cities-by-boat-from-valletta
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/malta/valletta/itineraries/three-cities-by-boat-from-valletta
