35.89° N · 14.51° E · Valletta
The scheduled catamaran crosses the Grand Harbour from the foot of Upper Barrakka to Cospicua for €3. On the other side wait Birgu and Senglea, where the Order lived before founding Valletta.
Part of Valletta
Who offers it
Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.
Malta's cheapest boat is also one of the best views of Valletta: ten minutes across the Grand Harbour, with the capital's walls on one side and the forts of the Three Cities on the other.
The Three Cities are Birgu (or Vittoriosa), Senglea (or L-Isla) and Cospicua (or Bormla), the three fortified towns that face Valletta across the Grand Harbour. That is where the Order of St John settled on arriving in Malta, and from there it withstood the Ottoman Great Siege of 1565, before building the new capital opposite. By road it takes a while to go round the harbour; by boat you cross in about ten minutes.
The Valletta Ferry Services catamaran leaves from the quay below the Upper Barrakka Gardens. From the gardens you take the public lift down to the water and walk a few metres to the landing stage. It arrives at Cospicua, at the head of Dockyard Creek harbour, a short walk from Birgu.
The daytime trip costs €3 and the return €5; children pay €1 and €1.50. From 19:30 the night fare applies, €3.50 each way. You do not need to book: you buy the ticket and board the next departure, about every quarter of an hour.
In winter (1 November to 31 May) the boat runs from first thing; on Sundays and public holidays it goes from 9:00 to 18:15, and from Friday to Sunday there are extra departures. In summer (1 June to 31 October) it runs until the small hours. Check the day's timetable on the operator's website before setting out.
In three or four hours you cross, walk round Birgu, go into one of the two monuments and return for the afternoon.
Map
What you have around the starting point.
More to do
Itineraries
Tips
Arrive at Upper Barrakka at 11:45, watch the 12:00 Saluting Battery shot and go down in the lift to the boat.
The ticket is cheap and is bought at the landing stage.
Valletta lights up as the sun goes down and from the boat you see it all.
Questions
€3 for the daytime trip and €5 return. Children, €1 and €1.50.
No. It is a regular service, with departures about every quarter of an hour.
About ten minutes.
Yes. In winter, on Sundays and public holidays, from 9:00 to 18:15.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/malta/valletta/things-to-do/three-cities-ferry
