Valletta with Harbor Cruise

This full day Valletta shore excursion combines the city's top sites with an afternoon boat cruise around Malta's dramatic harbors.

After meeting your private licensed guide at the pier, you drive to the city center for a walking tour of Valletta. Built in 1566 by a workforce of 8,000 and completed in just six years under the Knights of St. John, the city takes its name from Grand Master Jean de Valette, who defeated the Ottoman invaders during the Great Siege of 1565.

You begin at the Upper Barrakka Gardens, perched high above the Grand Harbor, where the Knights once practiced fencing to defend their galleys anchored below. The views over the fortifications and the Three Cities across the water are some of the best in Valletta.

A short walk brings you to St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta's most important historic and artistic treasure. Dating to the 16th century, its interior is covered in carved stonework, gilded columns, and a floor made from more than four hundred inlaid marble tombstones honoring knights from across Europe. Two paintings by Caravaggio hang in the Oratory.

Next you tour the Grand Master's Palace, home to Malta's parliament and the president's office. In the Tapestry Chambers, Gobelins tapestries cover the walls, and you'll pass suits of armor and elaborate state rooms surrounding the palace's open courtyard. This tour also includes time in the Fine Arts Museum, with works by Tintoretto and other masters.

After the palace you have free time for lunch (not included). In the afternoon, you drive to Sliema Harbor to board a pleasure boat cruise through Marsamxett Harbor and the Grand Harbor. The close up views of Valletta's fortifications from the water are a highlight for photographers, and a different perspective on one of the most naturally protected harbors in Europe.