Malta. Valletta

 Valletta is the capital of Malta and the smallest capital in the European Union... The city is situated on hills and was designed from the outset, so there are no chaotic buildings and almost all streets intersect at right angles... Its most notable feature is the numerous colorful balconies, making the capital easily recognizable...

  Map of visited places...

 Our trip to Malta took place at the end of November, and it was still quite warm, with the air and sea temperatures averaging around 20 degrees... Arriving in the evening, we took a bus straight to the capital...

  We booked a room for two nights in the central part of the city... Due to the pandemic, we didn't even interact with the hotel manager in person... All doors had code locks, and on the day of our arrival, I received the passwords for each one via message...   

  For two days, we felt like real residents of the capital, with our own colorful balcony...

  Valletta is a beautiful and interesting city with about 6,444 residents... 

  

  The balconies and hills on which the city is built are its highlights...

  Old balconies of an abandoned building... 

 The residence of the Prime Minister... Malta is a parliamentary republic...

  One of the most beautiful places in Valletta is the Barrakka Gardens, offering panoramas of the "Grand Harbour"...

  The buildings of the city are steeped in history... 

  Classic British phone booths remind of the times when Malta was part of the British Empire...

  In the Lower Barrakka Gardens, there is a monument to the British Vice-Admiral who led the uprising against the French in 1798, after which Malta became part of the British Empire...

  You can take a boat to the other side of the bay, where the town of Sliema is located, and see what Valletta looks like from the water...

 Overall, Valletta is very touristically attractive... Many streets, cafes, cathedrals, and everything looks very authentic, and thanks to the balconies, it has its unique charm... You feel like you are in a different era, where everything is built with ancient buildings... It's no wonder the entire city was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980...