In short
In Valletta, ships berth on the Valletta Waterfront in the Grand Harbour, right below the city walls. Walk up in 15–20 minutes or take the Upper Barrakka Lift. In a day you can see the city and St John's Co-Cathedral, the noon gun salute, and the Three Cities by boat or Mdina. Malta is in the EU and Schengen.
The port at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where the ship berths | Almost always alongside in the Grand Harbour, on the Valletta Waterfront below the city bastions. Tenders are rare. |
| To the city | 15–20 minutes uphill on foot through streets and steps. Or 5 minutes along the waterfront to the Upper Barrakka Lift, which lifts you into the Upper Barrakka Gardens, inside the walls, in about half a minute. The lift is paid. Taxi rank by the terminal. |
| Typical call | Usually 8–10 hours. Valletta is sometimes where a cruise starts or ends. The exact times are in the ship's daily programme. |
| Money | Euro. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; a few coins are handy for the lift and small purchases. |
| Language | Maltese and English — both are in everyday use. Everyone speaks English. |
| Documents | Malta is in the EU and Schengen. EU citizens usually just need a passport or national ID card; other passports follow Schengen rules — check in advance (what to check). |
| Mobile data | Malta is in the EU's roam-like-at-home zone, so a Dutch or Belgian SIM usually works at home rates. |
| Traffic | Drives on the left, as in the UK. Look right first when you cross the road. |
| All aboard | Usually 30–60 minutes before departure. Go by the time in the daily programme and on your cruise card. |
What to fit in
Valletta is a fortress city built by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565. It fills a peninsula about a kilometre long, with streets laid out on a grid, so it is hard to get lost and the main sights are 10–15 minutes' walk from each other. Just bear in mind that the cross streets are steep, with plenty of steps.
Valletta on foot
Lift up to the Upper Barrakka Gardens, with their view over the harbour and the Three Cities. Then Republic Street, St John's Co-Cathedral with its Baroque interior and paintings by Caravaggio, including The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, and the Grandmaster's Palace. Then down to the Lower Barrakka Gardens above the sea.
Valletta and Mdina
Valletta and the noon gun in the morning. After lunch, a taxi or a bus from the terminus outside the city gate to Mdina, 25–35 minutes. Mdina is a quiet old walled town on a hill, the former capital, with a cathedral and views over the whole island from its walls. Next door is Rabat with St Paul's Catacombs.
The Three Cities by boat
A ferry or a traditional dgħajsa boat crosses the Grand Harbour to the Three Cities — Birgu, Senglea and Bormla — in about 10 minutes. This is where the Knights lived before Valletta was built: Fort St Angelo, quiet lanes and, from the garden by the Gardjola watchtower in Senglea, the best view of Valletta.
Gardens, the gun and the waterfront
The lift ride is a small adventure in itself. Then the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the noon gun, an easy stroll through town, an ice cream, and afterwards a café in the old warehouses on the Valletta Waterfront, a couple of minutes from the gangway.
The Grand Harbour, the gun and the cathedral: good to know
- Watch the sail-in from the deck. The ship enters through the narrow harbour mouth between Fort St Elmo and the bastions, with Valletta to one side and Fort St Angelo and the Three Cities to the other. It is one of the finest arrivals in the Mediterranean, often early in the morning. Be on an open deck in good time.
- The gun at 12:00 and 16:00. The Saluting Battery fires every day at noon and at four in the afternoon. It sits below the Upper Barrakka Gardens: you can watch from above without a ticket, while visiting the battery itself is paid. Arrive about 15 minutes early.
- St John's Co-Cathedral: shoulders and knees covered. Modest clothing is expected and stiletto heels are not allowed, as the floor is made of marble tombstones. There is an entry charge, and on Sundays and public holidays it is usually closed to visitors — check opening hours ahead.
- The Blue Grotto depends on the weather. The sea caves on the south coast are visited in small boats, which do not go out in a swell. If the sea is rough, choose Mdina or the Three Cities instead.
- Gozo is a stretch for one call. The fast ferry from Valletta takes about 45 minutes, but that leaves little time on the island itself. If you want to see Gozo, a ship's excursion is the easier option.
On your own or on a ship's excursion
Valletta is easy to explore on your own: take the lift or walk up and you are in the city, and the Three Cities are a 10-minute ferry ride away. Mdina is also doable independently by bus or taxi.
A ship's excursion makes more sense if you want to combine several places: the Blue Grotto and the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, Mdina with a winery, or the island of Gozo. Malta's roads are often busy, and in season buses can be full and do not always keep to the timetable. The ship will usually wait for its own excursions if they run late — it will not wait for independent passengers.
How to be back on board in time
- Traffic. Malta is small, but it has a lot of cars. Coming back from Mdina or the Blue Grotto, keep at least an hour and a half in hand.
- The lift in the afternoon. Towards the end of the day there can be a queue for the lift down. If it is long, walking down the steps to the waterfront takes about 15 minutes.
- The ferry runs to a timetable. The Three Cities ferry does not run every five minutes. Check the return times at the landing as soon as you arrive.
- The 16:00 gun only with time to spare. If all-aboard is 16:30 or earlier, listen to the afternoon gun from the deck.
- Take with you. Your cruise card, the document your cruise line asked for, some cash in euros and a phone with the ship's emergency number.
Where cruises calling here start
Valletta features on both Western and Eastern Mediterranean itineraries, often between Sicily, Italy and Spain. If you would like a cruise that calls here, look at these departure ports:
- Cruises from Civitavecchia (Rome) — routes heading south to Sicily and Malta.
- Cruises from Genoa — week-long Mediterranean routes where Valletta is a regular call.
- Cruises from Barcelona — some western routes reach Malta.
- Mediterranean cruises — seasons and routes in full.
Common questions
Does my ship dock in Valletta or use tenders?
Almost always it docks. Cruise ships berth in the Grand Harbour along the Valletta Waterfront, right below the city’s bastions. Tenders are rare here. The exact berth and times are in the ship’s daily programme.
How do I get up from the pier into the city?
Two ways. On foot it is 15 to 20 minutes uphill through streets and steps to the city gate. Or walk five minutes along the waterfront to the Upper Barrakka Lift, which takes about half a minute to lift you into the Upper Barrakka Gardens, already inside the walls. The lift is paid and runs from morning to evening. There is also a taxi rank by the terminal.
When is the gun fired at the Saluting Battery?
Every day at 12:00 and 16:00. The battery sits just below the Upper Barrakka Gardens, overlooking the harbour. You can watch from the gardens above without a ticket, but spots at the parapet go early, so arrive about 15 minutes ahead. If all-aboard is later than 16:30, it is about 10 minutes from the gardens to the lift and the pier.
Is there time to visit Mdina?
Usually yes. Mdina is Malta’s old capital, on a hill in the middle of the island about 13 km from Valletta. By taxi it takes around 25 minutes, by bus from the terminus outside the city gate about half an hour, traffic permitting. Allow three to four hours for Mdina and neighbouring Rabat, including the journey.
Can I visit the Blue Grotto on my own?
Yes: about 30 to 40 minutes each way by taxi, as buses there are infrequent. The boats into the caves take 20 to 25 minutes and only run when the sea is calm; in wind and swell they are cancelled. Allow three to four hours and have a plan B. On a short call, a ship’s excursion is simpler.
Do I need any special documents to go ashore in Malta?
Malta is in the EU and Schengen and uses the euro. EU citizens can usually go ashore with a passport or national ID card; other passports follow Schengen rules. Take whichever document your cruise line asks for, plus your cruise card.
How the club fits in
Cruises calling at Valletta that are available in the club work on the same terms as any other route. You choose one way to pay per booking: the member price (INsider Pricing), roughly 17% below the listed price, or your Reward Points, which can cover up to half of the cruise price. They do not add up. To pay up to 100% with points, you need to have accumulated enough points and book 270 days or more before departure.
Not every cruise line can be booked through the club: check the specific sailing in the club's search, or ask us and we will tell you which itineraries calling at Valletta are available in the month you have in mind.
How booking with points works →
Practical port information is summarised from public sources as of October 2026: berths, call times, entry rules and visiting arrangements may change. Before you travel, check the ship's daily programme and the requirements for your passport. Percentages describe the club's rules and are indicative. Reislite is an independent information site run by partners, not a website of inCruises.