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Valletta: Guided Half-Day History and Architecture Tour with Optional Cathedral Visit
4.1
49 Ratings
Valletta
Immerse yourself in the history and architecture of Valletta, Malta’s capital city. Explore its UNESCO World Heritage Site, visit the stunning St. John’s Co-Cathedral, and enjoy panoramic views of the Grand Harbour.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Valletta - During this tour we will walk through the bustling streets of Valletta admiring the stunning buildings (some dating back to the 16th century) and the distinctive architecture of the city – the city is Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist, Neo-Classical and Modern architecture, we will walk past the Grand Master’s Palace, the recently restored St. George’s Square, and many other remarkable landmarks.
- Upper Barrakka Gardens - A visit to the Upper Barrakka Gardens is a must, here we can enjoy breath-taking views of the imposing Grand Harbour.
- St. John’s Co-Cathedral - Then we will visit the marvellous Co-Cathedral dedicated to St. John the Baptist, built by the Order of the Knights of St. John soon after the Great Siege of 1565 and completed in the year 1577, it is unquestionably one of the World’s most magnificent cathedrals. Here you will be able to appreciate and admire all its riches, the adorned interiors, carved stone walls, painted vaulted ceilings, beautiful paintings, precious relics, rich baroque art, and opulent altars. The entry ticket and guided tour of the Cathedral is optional (select this option when booking).
If you select the option which does not include the visit to the Cathedral, whilst the rest of the group will have a guided tour of the Cathedral (approximately 45 minutes), guests booking this option will have some free time to roam around the streets of Valletta until we meet again with the rest of the group at a designated time and place.
- The Malta Experience - Before the end of this half day tour, we will enjoy a must-see audio-visual show. Educational, informative, and entertaining, the show runs through the turbulent history of a small island nation that has overcome almost unimaginable odds to survive and prosper, the audio-visual show will enrich your understanding of the islands, its people and its rich history through beautiful imagery and a gripping commentary.
What's Included
- Hotel pick-up & drop-off
- Entry ticket to an audio-visual show about the history of Malta
- Licenced tour guide
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Tips (optional)
- Optional entry ticket & guided tour of the St. John’s Co-Cathedral (select this option when booking)
Additional Information
Embark on a guided journey through the lively lanes of Valletta, where you’ll uncover the allure and elegance of Malta’s capital city, a fortified metropolis constructed by the Knights of St. John in 1566.
An entire UNESCO World Heritage Site with a chronicle of nearly five centuries, Valletta is often considered a living museum by many! Its formidable ramparts and bulwarks, astonishing baroque palaces, splendid churches, stunning gardens, and a wide variety of architectural styles, ranging from middle-16th-century baroque to modernism, make Valletta one of the most unique and enchanting cities you’ll ever explore.
Wander through the ancient edifices, marvel at the remarkable baroque architecture, take in the grandeur of St John’s Co-Cathedral, soak up the panoramic views of the Grand Harbour from the terraced Upper Barrakka Gardens, and don’t miss out on a riveting audio-visual presentation of Malta’s history.
- The time shown on the website or on your ticket is the approximate start time of the activity and not the time when you will be picked up from your hotel (or closest meeting point). At least a few days before the date of your activity, you need to make sure to contact the tour operator to confirm your pick-up location and pick-up time. Your pick-up time can be anytime between 8:30 AM and 9:15 AM, depending on where you are staying.
- The tour will be guided in the language you have booked, however please note that at times, depending on operational circumstances, the commentary might be provided by a multilingual guide (limited to a maximum of 2 languages).
- The tour in Polish will be conducted by either a Polish-speaking guide (subject to availability) or an English-speaking guide together with a native Polish host serving as a translator.
- The tour in Spanish will be conducted by either a Spanish-speaking guide (subject to availability) or an English-speaking guide together with a Spanish-speaking host serving as a translator.
- The entry ticket to St. John’s Co-Cathedral is only included if you book the option that includes the visit to the Cathedral.
- Not recommended for travellers with mobility impairments
Location
Valletta
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.1
(49 Ratings)
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365morenag
Jul 18, 2024
UNA MERAVIGLIA! - Beautiful excursion to the lively capital of the island with a visit to the historic center and the wonderful Co-Cathedral of San Giovanni with two beautiful paintings by the legendary Caravaggio. In the afternoon we go to an ancient theatre for Malta Experience a multimedia and multilingual video about Malta's rich history. Davvero da non perdere!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anita_y
Jul 12, 2024
Lovely Valletta - The cathedral was absolutely beautiful , So glad we visited it
The tour was very good and informative.
Review provided by Viator
Susan_w
Jun 6, 2024
Guided tour of Valetta - Tatianna was an excellent guide,very informative and knowledgeable and did the tour at a steady and acceptable pace.She gave clear Instructions as to where and when to meet where necessary.
Review provided by Viator
Hedley_t
Apr 11, 2024
Wish we had booked more - We really enjoyed our Valletta tour, Sylvia was lovely and very genuine in her delivery. We were so glad we booked it as we would have missed so much.
Review provided by Viator
Travel38915088723
Oct 17, 2023
A beautiful morning tour with a fantastic guide! - Valentina was a very knowledgeable, personable and organised guide. She told us lots of stories with humour and panache on our half day tour. The time flew and we learnt lots about this fascinating city!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Remika_s
Jul 11, 2023
Lovely day exploring... - Lovely day exploring Valletta, English speaking tour guide very knowledgeable and friendly also making sure we got the correct transport home, perfect half day tour
Review provided by Viator
Karinbk550yp
Jul 2, 2023
Valletta tour - The tour guide was fantastic, nothing was too much trouble for her, very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pieter_i
May 16, 2024
Great tour - The tour was very well organized and the tour guide was very knowledgeable and good to understand. The visit to Valletta was excellent.
Review provided by Viator
Kyliemf4926tt
Sep 19, 2023
Great tour. Very informative - The tour was great. We got to see everything that was on offer and our guide had a wealth of knowledge. The hotel pick up was a real plus the only slight negative was the time we had to wait for all the guest to arrive. I would have thought with a small tour they could have picked us up at the same time. Waiting in the heat was not ideal.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rado001
Jun 8, 2023
Not a good experience - Here are some of the reasons why we would not do this tour again:
- our tour was bilingual. This means that every single sentence was pronounced first in English and then in German immediately after. So say goodbye to a continuous narrative and good luck trying to make sense of anything when the conversation gets faster.
-it's also means that on a 3-hour tour you're really getting only one and a half hours worth of content.
- the narration was pretty basic and it sounded like reading off bullet points or reading from a textbook. If there was any personal insights then it was lost on us.
- Highlights of the tour was supposed to be the St. John co-cathedral, which while pretty in itself was poor experience because it was PACKED with people so much that it felt like you are in a city bus, during the rush hour, trying to make your way from one end to another.
- additionally, this tour description lists several items to be "included" in the tour (such as access to the Baraka Gardens), but all those things are in fact free.
And there are a few other things that I'm not going to nitpick over, but just know that if you're reading this and find this review valuable have in mind that this experience really is worth zero Stars. In the end, we left the tour before the end.
I don't want to complete this review without giving a suggestion, and my suggestion is this:
Malta has such an amazing Rich history and these stories are definitely worth hearing. However this kind of tour won't give you that. So instead find a smaller, more personal tour. Maybe you will have to pay more but if you get something out of it it will be worth it. This tour cost us $65 each and it was a total waste of money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
