Valletta

Malta is a small island in the Mediterranean, just south of Italy, and while it’s not the most popular destination in the region, I think it was 100% worth seeing. We spent just a few days there, which was the perfect amount of time to see everything and relax a bit.

On our first day, we started bright and early and had breakfast in front of St. John’s Co-Cathedral. Afterward, we went inside, and it was absolutely stunning. The amount of detail in this church was incredible, with so much to see and admire. Next, we walked to the Upper Barrakka Gardens, a beautiful park set on a hill beside the water, where you get amazing views of the port and the buildings across the water. We then walked down to the Lower Barrakka Gardens, which is similar but offers a great view of the city gates. From there, you can really see how the city is set up on the hill, with walls of stone dating back to before the war.

Afterward, we took a short walk to the city gate and the Triton Fountain and admired the city from there. It was quite hot, though, so we didn’t spend too much time before heading back to our accommodation, but not before enjoying a delicious dinner.

The next day, we took an early morning boat cruise through the ports and bays. There are five different creeks that branch off the side of Valletta, and we went down each one, learning about and seeing all the different parts. After the cruise, we headed to a beach club, where we grabbed some lunch, swam, and tanned until the afternoon.