The gun platforms
A full circle over harbour and Three Cities.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Continentaleurope — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Continentaleurope — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Continentaleurope — CC BY-SA 4.0
The fort that held through the Great Siege, and from which Malta was governed: St Angelo occupies the tip of the Birgu peninsula at the heart of the Grand Harbour, a fortified site since the Middle Ages — and when the Knights arrived in 1530 they made it their first seat, before Valletta was built. In the siege of 1565 it was the command centre: from here Grand Master Jean de Valette directed the defence while St Elmo fell on the opposite shore, and the fort held for four months until the Ottomans withdrew — its guns still pointing at the harbour mouth. The visit climbs its levels: courtyards, tunnels, magazines and the chapel, the Grand Master's quarters, the rock-cut Gwardamanġa prison, and gun platforms with a full circle of view over Valletta, the Three Cities and the whole harbour — the best view of Valletta is from here, not from within it. The top floor still belongs to the Order of Malta.
A full circle over harbour and Three Cities.
Where Valette ran the defence of 1565.
Birgu (Vittoriosa), Malta
The Saluting BatteryA historic artillery battery on a platform below the Upper Barrakka Gardens, loo7 minutes walk4.8
Upper Barrakka GardensMalta's best view, and free: the Upper Barrakka Gardens sit on Valletta's highes7 minutes walk4.6
Our Lady of Victories ChurchThe oldest building in Valletta, and the first thing built in it. Its foundation8 minutes walk4.6
Lascaris War RoomsThe Allied Mediterranean command post beneath Valletta's bastions: a tunnel netw8 minutes walk4.5
Birgu (Vittoriosa)The oldest of the Three Cities facing Valletta across the Grand Harbour, and the8 minutes walk4.9A ferry from the Valletta quay every half hour (five minutes, a cheap ticket) to Birgu; from there the fort, the Inquisitor's Palace, the waterfront and Birgu's lanes fill a half day on foot.