5Views 0Comments
Where to eat, stay, play in Valletta: the best city in the world according to our readers
Delve into the city’s WWII history
Malta was heavily involved in the Second World War, when the Luftwaffe tried to bomb it into submission and gain a strategic foothold in the Mediterranean – but the plucky little island, which became known as Fortress Malta, held out, supplied by a convoy of ships bringing food and ammunition. You can get a tangible sense of that period at the Lascaris War Rooms, an underground bunker headquarters for the Allied forces, where charts, maps and operations rooms have been preserved, alongside the National War Museum inside Fort St Elmo, where the exhibits include a screen on the floor showing a dramatic reconstruction of submarines, bombers and warships in action.
Take a boat across to the Three Cities
Valletta’s history flutters with the sails of ships, from the earliest landings by ancient Greek sailors to its role as a Royal Navy base, which ended in 1979. So every visitor to Valletta should take a sea voyage at least once during their stay – and the easiest trip is to hire a traditional Maltese dghajsa, or water taxi, and sail across to the Three Cities, the fortified district across the Grand Harbour that was the first home of the Knights of Malta when they settled here. Painted in bright colours, with the Phoenician eye to ward off evil and striped awning to protect against sun, these little boats are the gondolas of Valletta.
Visit the markets
Valletta’s higgledy-piggledy history is reflected in the city’s street markets, where you can pick up all sorts of memorabilia, from Roman coins to wartime shells. The Sunday market at Floriana, open till 1pm, is worth a browse, with stalls selling handmade crafts and bric-a-brac, while the smaller weekday market can be found on Ordnance Street. Those after food, though, should head to the restored Victorian market of Is-Suq tal-Belt, an iron-clad covered structure inspired by London’s Covent Garden that was renovated and reopened in 2018. At its heart is a food court with flavours ranging from Maltese stewed rabbit to Vietnamese banh-mi, while the food market ripples with produce plucked from the island’s farms and market gardens.
Where to eat and drink in Valletta
Ion Harbour
Malta’s food scene had been ramping up for a while by the time this opened during the pandemic, with young chefs bringing their global experience to bear on the island’s ingredients and traditional dishes at restaurants such as Noni, Risette and Under Grain – but Ion Harbour is something very special indeed. Original chef Alex Dilling left to open in London, but his boots were ably filled by L’Enclume’s Simon Rogan, who sources ingredients from farms, foragers and fishermen across the island for signature, impeccably tweezered dishes such as grilled brassica salad and stuffed grouper with black courgettes and watercress that are almost as impressive as the views across the harbour. It’s the only two Michelin star on the island.
Address: 11 St.Barbara Bastion, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1961, Malta
Website: ionharbour.com
Noni
Jonathan Brincat and his sister Ritienne spent time working in restaurants around the world, with Melbourne a favourite, and brought their experience to the table here, along with several Asian notes in chef Jonathan’s fresh, Michelin-star-winning take on traditional Maltese recipes. Housed in a 400-year-old building on central Republic Street, it’s an atmospheric location for plates such as ricotta raviolo with clams and beetroot, and an octopus tagine with fregola, dates and preserved orange.
