"margaret's Page" a Valletta Travel Page by margaretvn

The islands walled capital and its suburb Floriana lie on a peninsula between two beautiful natural harbours - the Marsmxett harbour and the Grand Harbour. Most people first encounter with Valletta is in the large square around the Triton fountain where the central bus station is, buses to all places on the island leave from here. On the north east side of the square is the City Gate which is the entrance to Valletta. As you walk through it you are directly on the central artery of the city - the long straight Republic Street. This goes to the end point of the Sciberras peninsula where Fort St. Elmo is situated. On the street are some of the most important historical buildings and most of the shops plus most of the cafes. The Knights Templar built Valletta after the Turks were defeated in 1565. From the Palace of the Knights Templar on Republic Street you can see that the streets of the city are constructed like a chessboard and along these streets are churches and palaces. The streets are narrow and the houses very often have wooden balconies leaning towards each other. The colours of the balconies and flowers on them give the whole scene a cheerful atmosphere. It is fun just to wander through the streets and you cannot get lost. You can finish a walk around the city with a cup of coffee in one of the two cafes on Queen's Square - they also make lovely tasty sandwiches for a lunch. Your walk should also include the Upper Barracca gardens because that gives you lovely views over the Great Harbour and the "three cities" on the opposite side of the harbour.