A stroll around central Valletta

A couple of weeks ago I had some time to kill while waiting to pick up my son so I drove to Valletta and decided to stroll around for a bit. Our capital city has changed drastically in the last 3-4 years. A number of small shops and boutiques have closed down and been replaced by restaurants, cafeterias and wine bars; and old residences and palazzos that were vacant for decades have been spruced up and are now enjoying a new lease of life as boutique hotels.

But in spite of the many changes, face-lifts and renovations, there is much that, thankfully, has remained the same. There is still age and patina and I enjoy seeking it out and pressing the shutter button of my camera, clicking my way around the grid-like streets that, at the time Valletta was built, were completely in contrast to the winding thoroughfares that characterised all medieval towns and villages. But with its birth date in 1566, Valletta is ‘modern’ compared to some of the more ancient areas of this island.

So let’s take a stroll around some of my favourite spots in the central part of Valletta.

Old Treasury Street

I love the arcaded portion of this narrow street that seem to draw the eyes upward towards its carved ceiling. 

To the left hand side is the magnificent building housing the Bibliotheca – the National Library of Malta – and to the right is Republic Square, formerly Piazza Regina.

From here, the Grand Master’s Palace would be right behind me. I will share more about the palace in some other post.

Piazza Regina

I am still old enough to remember the old name for this square and I hardly ever call it by its new name (Republic Square).  Piazza Regina (Queen’s Square) obviously sounds more regal than Republic Square and I prefer it that way. This tree-lined square got its name from the imposing statue of Queen Victoria that sits at its rear. Piazza Regina is now used as an extra outdoor seating area for two restaurants. So it's possible to dine al fresco under the watchful eye of Queen Victoria – as long as you’re on your best behaviour. Piazza Regina is right next door to the Grand Master’s Palace .

Right opposite this square is Caffe Cordina – one of the oldest and best-loved cafeterias in Valletta; and one of my favourite places to grab an ice-cream or a delicious pastry.

The Main Guard & St George’s Square

The Main Guard is directly opposite the Grand Master’s Palace and was built in 1603 as a guardhouse for the Grand Master’s personal guards. The Neoclassical portico was added by the British in 1814. Right outside the Main Guard is St George’s square. At the rear of each end of the square are two fountains and the sound of their tinkling water is a very pleasant sound during the stiflingly hot summer months. A number of benches are scattered around St George’s square and it is a favourite spot to take a rest with both Maltese and tourists, especially since free Wifi is available here.

A playful, modern, fountain at the front of the square shoots water out of the ground to a random, computer-generated sequence that is very fascinating for young children, who love running through it during its down time but always with the added thrill that it could turn back on at any time and give them a good soaking. I’m speaking from experience here as my son did his best to get soaked every time we would go to St George’s Square for an evening walk. I really miss those days.

The Grand Master's Palace from St. George's Square

Old Theatre Street

To one side of St George's Square is Old  Theatre Street, the upper part of which is strewn with shops and restaurants and is completely pedestrianised. Many of the eateries use this to their advantage by having tables on the street.

Some shops on Old  Theatre Street: Marks & Spencer, Bata, Karen Millen, Kyoto, Kenjo.

Restaurants on Old Theatre Street (to mention just a few): StrEat Cafe, City Lounge, Taproom, Theobroma Raw Cacao Collective.

Strait Street

Cutting across Old Theatre Street, and just minutes away from the Grand Master's Palace, is Strait Street, which used to be notorious as Valletta’s red light district. Nowadays it’s more quirky than sinful, but what I love most about it are the glimpses of its less-than-salubrious past and the rust and  patina that have still not been cleared away and replaced.

Strait Street is the site of the infamous hotel that was known as The Splendid together with numerous bars and dance halls. Some of these have now been converted into restaurants. Despite its notoriety, various small palazzos adorn this very narrow street (it is the narrowest in Valletta) and one of them now houses one of our favourite restaurants: Palazzo Preca.

Strait Street is really a photographer’s dream and I plan to share more about it in the future.

I hope you enjoyed this short stroll around the centre of Valletta. When I’m without my camera, 15 minutes is all it takes to walk around all the areas I have mentioned today but, whenever I take my camera for a walk, it could take me a couple of hours or more. I have many more photos to share it you're interested in seeing other areas of the smallest capital city in Europe. Just let me know in the comments.

Related posts:
Valletta: Five Quirky Facts
Valletta:  Five More Quirky Facts