These Sicilian Arab-inspired ricotta and pea filo pastries are serious business, and locals say Caffe Cordina, founded in 1837, is the best lunch spot on Republic Street to sample them (85p ). If pastizzi offer an instant hit of Malta’s past, the Aperol spritz is today’s signature drink. The cafe at the Upper Barrakka Gardens is where Vallettans go to sip one in the shade (£4.50), with views across the harbour to the fortified mini cities of Birgu (also called Vittoriosa), Senglea and Cospicua - aka the Three Cities. There’s not enough time for all three, but Birgu is a must, 10 minutes away by water taxi (£1.70) or ferry (£2.50 return ). The 1530s Inquisitor’s Palace (£5.30 Main Gate Street) and the bastioned Fort St Angelo (£7 Birgu Waterfront) are the big hitters here. But it’s also lovely just to take an aimless stroll through the cobbled, flower-filled lanes, then have a beer at Tate Cafe, on the quay.Įven without the European Capital of Culture events, Saturday nights are a joy, with diners spilling out to pavement tables for dinner in the warm night air. The area around St Paul’s Street is full of bohemian bars and hipster eateries, including Cru, a four-table wine bar that opened last year and serves craft beers, organic wines and delicious tapas treats: try the smoked mackerel pâté and artichoke and sausage tortilla (mains £6 ). Just around the corner, the steps outside Café Society are where the locals groove to live bands and DJ sets (St John Street cocktails from £5.30). Morning Scheduled to open in early 2019 in the former residence of the Italian Knights of St John, Muza is the highly anticipated national gallery ( ). Until then, it’s time for a Sunday-morning mosey. Valletta’s handsome grid of honeyed limestone facades is riddled with traces of its myriad occupations, from covered Ottoman balconies to art deco flower kiosks and British phone boxes. Nearby, St Paul’s Street is home to Maltese designers selling vintage clothes and jewellery at Mint Sparrow ( ).ĭon’t miss Strait Street, once a gauntlet of dodgy seadog sin pits, now an atmospheric alley lined with cool cafes - Frascati does great coffee ( ). Off St Paul’s Street, the Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck is a wonderfully creepy shrine to the saint, who was stranded on Malta and whose wristbone is now on display amid a blaze of gilded arches and altarpieces. Then do as the Vallettans do: kick back under the shaded colonnade of Cafe Royale, opposite parliament, for people-watching and pastries (£2 Pjazza Teatru Rjal).Īfternoon Half an hour from the centre by bus (£1.75 ) or taxi (about £20), Mdina is a magnificent hilltop town that has barely changed since the Middle Ages, when it was Malta’s capital.
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