[Updated 03 September 2024]
Hi 😊 here's my list of things to visit and see in Valletta.
All links in the titles will take you to the Google Maps location of highlighted place.
In my opinion, #1 thing to see in Valletta. A perfect representation of the Knights of St John, the builders and patrons of Valletta. Many guests I take inside are blown away. One of the top Barqoue churches in the world.
The church is open as a museum from Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 16:15. At 16:45 they kick you out of the church. I very much recommend you pay to enter. You can buy tickets at the door. You can also buy tickets online, which can help you skip the queue.
You can visit the church for free when it's open for mass. The church entrance is found here. However, you cannot roam around, you cannot see the side-chapels (where most of the opulence is featured), and you cannot see the Caravaggio paintings. Of course a mass is being held, so please show the required silence and decorum. The mass times can be found here.
An actual noble family's open that has been opened up as a museum. The noble family lives on the upper floors and has opened the lower floors as a museum. Contains a fantastic curation of jewelry, furniture, paintings, and other items which give a good idea of the Knights of St John.
There are guided tours which are run every hour, on the hour.
Recently restored, and another excellent example of the stateliness and grandeur of the Knights of St John.
Not in the best state, but is an excellent overview of the very rich Stone Age of Malta, together with its Bronze Age, and the Phoenician Period.
Regarding the Stone Age, I always heavily recommend visiting the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Temples, and if you're a big fan of said period I would recommend the Hypogeum.
It's very big. Maybe too big. So I would recommend you don't spend too much time in the earlier sections and focus instead on the most significant wars in Malta: the Great Siege of 1565 and World War 2.
You also get to walk around a historic fort which is pretty cool.
Very close to the above National War Museum, it offers a 45-minute audio visual experience of the entire history of Malta. Many guests tell me they loved it; I do too.
You could also get a ticket for a tour of the nearby Sacra Infermeria. Many guests have also highly recommended this tour.