Hot Spot- Malta: Behind the walls

Juliet Rix breaches Valletta's impressive defences to take a closer look at the city

Valletta is one of the most densely historic cities in the world, with sights ranging from Neolithic temples to the legacy of the Knights of St John, known for good reason as the Knights of Malta.

The diminutive Maltese capital, a World Heritage Site, is the perfect size to stroll around soaking up the history and the sunshine. It is also an ideal jumping-off point for sightseeing across the island.

Built on a peninsula, Valletta is surrounded on three sides by sea (including the famous Grand Harbour) and on all four sides by 16th-century bastion walls. Panoramic views are 19 to the dozen.

This is still very much the city of the knights who built it on a barren hill following the Great Siege of 1565, in which they nearly lost Malta to the Ottoman Turks.

Designed by Europe's top military architects primarily for impregnability, Valletta was later embellished into a fine example of baroque decorative art - most obviously in the sparkling interior of St John's Co-Cathedral in the heart of the city.

Valletta's narrow streets are overhung with characteristic galleriji - enclosed painted wooden balconies - that dot the facades of everything from the lowliest home to the Grand Master's Palace, which dominates the main square.

It was here in 1942 that the George Cross was awarded to the whole population of Malta (then a British colony) for bravery in the face of some of the worst bombing of the Second World War.

The City Gate, an area badly bombed and never properly reconstructed, has been redesigned by the architect of the London Shard, Renzo Piano, and work to create an ultra-modern entrance-way here is to be completed later this year.

WHEN TO GO

Any time. Summer is the time for boat trips and swimming between sights, as the sightseeing itself can be a rather sweaty affair. Spring and autumn are in many ways the perfect seasons to visit, with a risk of rain, but most of the time the weather is beautiful. Everything is open, locals are livelier and there is plenty of cultural activity.

ATTRACTIONS

. St John's Co-Cathedral

This was the main church of the Knights of St John. It's plain on the outside but the interior is a magnificent symphony of newly renovated baroque decoration. Each langue (language group) of the Knights had a chapel here and they competed for opulence. Colourful inlaid marble tombs cover the floor while gold, paint and sculpture take up every inch of the walls and ceiling. The museum owns a prized set of 29 late 17th-century Flemish tapestries. See stjohnscocathedral.com.

. National Museum of Archaeology

The building is the original Knights Auberge de Provence. This is the home of unique sculptures and architectural carvings from Malta's Neolithic temples (3600-2500BC), including the extraordinary Fat Ladies. There are also informative new galleries covering the Bronze Age, Phoenician era and Malta's mysterious car ruts (which are much more easily spotted in the landscape when you have seen the reconstruction in the museum). See heritagemalta.org.

. The Grand Master's Palace

Home to the Grand Master of the Knights of St John and headquarters of the order. The state rooms here are hung with tapestries and paintings from the period of the Knights along with suits of armour and later British additions. Original wall paintings celebrate victories against the Ottoman Turks. The Knights' Armoury includes an interesting selection of weaponry. See heritagemalta.org.

. Lascaris War Rooms

Deep in the bastions of Valletta, in tunnels once used to house the Knights' galley slaves, are the war rooms from where the Allies controlled the Mediterranean Fleet and launched action against the Axis powers in North Africa and Sicily - achieving surrender in Italy. Multiple rooms of this important wartime nerve centre survive, including the tiny office of General Eisenhower. See wirtartna.org.

. Upper Barracca Gardens

These arcaded gardens atop the bastions offer panoramic views of the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities. The noonday salute is still fired each day from the cannons of the Saluting Battery below, to a background of British military music. A new lift connects the gardens to the wharf.

. Two harbours boat trip

Valletta was built to withstand invasion by the Ottoman Turks and, looking up at the fortifications from the sea, it is easy to understand why the Turks never managed to take it. The 1.5-hour tour starts at Sliema Ferries (a five-minute ferry ride from Valletta), taking in both the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. See captainmorgan.com.mt.

. The Fortifications

The new Fortifications Interpretation Centre shows how the fortifications were created and how they changed and adapted over the centuries, with special emphasis on the fortifications of the Knights of St John.

You can walk right around Valletta, enjoying its fortifications, and in some places on top of the bastion walls themselves. At the tip of the peninsula is Fort St Elmo, the oldest part of which has been here since before the building of Valletta and played a dramatic role in the Great Siege.

WHERE TO STAY

. Luxury

The Phoenicia (phoeniciamalta.com)

Just outside the main entrance at City Gate, this is the best five-star hotel for sightseeing. Built in the '30s under British rule, it retains an Art Deco feel. There is plenty of space both inside and - unusually for a Valletta institution - outside, where a long, thin garden with shady benches runs down to a pool terrace. Rooms from £80 (about R1300).

. Mid-range

The Osborne Hotel (osbornehotel.com)

Set on a quiet road, this is a pleasant place to relax in the evening, with comfortable furniture upholstered in attractive fabrics and rugs covering the wood and stone floors. The roof terrace provides somewhere to sunbathe with a plunge pool to cool off in and views of Marsamxett Harbour. Rooms from £60 (R950).

. Affordable

Asti Guesthouse (18 St Ursula Street)

A great choice for anyone on a tight budget, found on a typically steep Valletta street just inland from the fortifications of the Grand Harbour and round the corner from the Upper Barracca Gardens. This 350-year-old townhouse has kept its original stone walls and staircases. Breakfast is served under a crystal chandelier of Bohemian glass. Rooms from £35 (R560).

WHERE TO EAT

Malta has thrown off the British colonial influence that affected its cooking through much of the 20th century. It has now largely returned to its own national and regional food.

. Malata

St George's Square (malatamalta.com)

Right on Valletta's recently restored main square, Malata's outdoor seating has a perfect view of the Grand Master's Palace (atmospherically lit up at night) as well as being ideally placed for people-watching. The interior, down a few steep steps, is a cosy traditional vaulted stone cellar. The food is tasty Maltese, Mediterranean and French and is accompanied by live jazz most Tuesday and Friday evenings. Mains from à18 (R240).

. Rubino

53 Old Bakery Street (rubinomalta.com)

An unassuming Dickensian shopfront leads to this smart but relaxed favourite, with white tablecloths and walls decorated with wine bottles and bottled vegetables. The menu of excellent traditional Maltese and Mediterranean food changes daily, but there is usually a rabbit dish and almost always Rubino's rightly famous Sicilian cassata. Main courses from à15.50 (R200).

. Legligin

119 St Lucy St

A firm favourite with locals - and for good reason. In this cosy, unpretentious cellar restaurant, candlelit in the evenings, chef-owner Chris produces the "Legligin Meze" of at least nine dishes of mouth-watering Maltese home cooking (much of it from his mother's recipes).

Starting with bread and different olive oils, you move on to tasters such as arjoli (made from sun-dried tomatoes, capers, olives and anchovies), local goat's cheese and ravioli. Meat and vegetable dishes follow, usually including a couple of slow-cooked hotpots, before you round off with Chris's homemade chocolates. Hard to beat. Meze à20 (R270). - © The Daily Telegraph