RoutesHiking trails & RoutesMalta
Upper Barrakka Gardens – In the streets of Valletta loop from Valletta
RoutesHiking trails & RoutesMalta
Upper Barrakka Gardens – In the streets of Valletta loop from Valletta
Moderate
4.6
(236)
1,699
hikers
Upper Barrakka Gardens – In the streets of Valletta loop from Valletta
02:01
7.27km
130m
Hiking
Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: April 22, 2026
Waypoints
A
Start point
Bus stop
Get Directions
1
1.10 km
Upper Barrakka Gardens
Highlight • Viewpoint
The Upper Barrakka Gardens (Maltese Il-Barrakka ta ’Fuq) are a public park in Valletta, the capital of Malta. They are located at the highest point of the city fortifications on the St. Peter and St. Paul Bastion and offer an excellent view of the Grand Harbor, the three classic cities of Vittorosia, Senglea and Cospicua, the suburb of Floriana and the large shipyard, the Fort St. Angelo and the Valletta Waterfront, where many cruise ships dock.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
2
3.50 km
Lower Barrakka Gardens
Highlight • Viewpoint
There are benches and a kiosk. Ideal for a rest.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
3
3.52 km
View of Barriera Wharf
Highlight • Viewpoint
The Grand Harbour (Maltese: il-Port il-Kbir; Italian: Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks (Malta Dockyard), wharves, and fortifications.
The harbour mouth faces north east and is bounded to the north by Saint Elmo Point and further sheltered by an isolated breakwater and is bounded to the south by Ricasoli Point. Its north west shore is formed by the Sciberras peninsula, which is largely covered by the city of Valletta and its suburb Floriana. This peninsula also divides Grand Harbour from a second parallel natural harbour, Marsamxett Harbour. The main waterway of Grand Harbour continues inland almost to Marsa. The southeastern shore of the harbour is formed by a number of inlets and headlands, principally Rinella Creek, Kalkara Creek, Dockyard Creek, and French Creek, which are covered by Kalkara and the Three Cities: Cospicua, Vittoriosa, and Senglea. The harbour has been described as Malta's greatest geographic asset.
With its partner harbour of Marsamxett, Grand Harbour lies at the centre of gently rising ground. Development has grown up all around the twin harbours and up the slopes so that the whole bowl is effectively one large conurbation. Much of Malta's population lives within a three kilometer radius of Floriana. This is now one of the most densely populated areas in Europe. The harbours and the surrounding areas make up Malta's Northern and Southern Harbour Districts. Together, these districts contain 27 of 68 local councils. They have a population of 213,722 which make up over 47% of the total population of the Maltese islands.
The Maltese islands have a long history, mainly due to their strategic location and natural harbours, mainly the Grand Harbour as well as Marsamxett. The Grand Harbour has been used since prehistoric times.
Megalithic remains have been found on the shores of the Grand Harbour. The Kordin Temples, the earliest of which date back to around 3700 BC, overlooked the harbour from Corradino Heights. Another megalithic structure possibly existed underwater off Fort Saint Angelo, but this can no longer be seen.[6] Punic and Roman remains were also found on the shores of the harbour.
By the 12th and 13th centuries, the Castrum Maris had been built in what is now Birgu. It might have been built instead of ancient buildings, possibly Phoenician or Roman temples, or an Arab fortress.
In 1283, the Battle of Malta was fought at the entrance of the Grand Harbour. Aragonese forces defeated a larger Angevin force and captured 10 galleys.
The Grand Harbour was the base for the Order of Saint John for 268 years, from 1530 to 1798. They settled in the city of Birgu and improved its fortifications, including rebuilding the Castrum Maris as Fort Saint Angelo. In July 1551, Barbary corsairs and Ottoman forces raided Malta. They landed at Marsamxett and marched upon the Grand Harbour, but did not attack as they found the town of Birgu too well fortified to attack. Although this attempt was unsuccessful, the Ottoman force later managed to sack Gozo and conquer Tripoli within the same campaign. After the attack, Fort Saint Elmo and Fort Saint Michael were built to better protect the harbour in any future attacks. The city of Senglea was also founded soon afterwards.
Later on in the 1550s, a tornado struck the Grand Harbour, killing 600 people and destroying a shipping armada.
The area was the scene of much of the fighting in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565 when the Ottomans attempted to eject the Order of St John but were ultimately defeated. After the siege, the capital city of Valletta was built on the Sciberras peninsula on the north west shore of the harbour. Over the years, more fortifications and settlements were founded within the Grand Harbour, including Fort Ricasoli and the towns of Floriana and Cospicua.
During the French occupation of Malta, the harbour area was blockaded by Maltese rebels on land and the Royal Navy at sea. The French eventually capitulated in September 1800 and Malta became a British protectorate, later a colony. During the British colonial rule, the harbour became a strategic base for the Royal Navy and the base of the Mediterranean Fleet.
The whole area was savagely bombed during the Second Siege of Malta during World War II, as the docks and military installations around the port became targets for Axis bombers. However collateral damage wrecked much of Valletta and The Three Cities, and caused large numbers of civilian casualties. An Italian naval raid on the harbour was repelled on the early of 26 July 1941.
Malta Dockyard is still active but with the departure of the British Military the harbour lost much of its military significance. A considerable part of Malta's commercial shipping is now handled by the new free port at Kalafrana, so the harbour is much quieter than it was in the first half of the 20th century.
In September 2007, the Maltese Government unveiled 20 proposed regeneration projects that would revamp the area while respecting its historic value.
As of May 2021 the harbour is undergoing renovation works initiated by Infrastructure Malta and sponsored by the European Union with the goals of electrifying the harbour to produce a 90% decrease in harmful emissions from ships. Shorepower units are to be installed to eliminate the need for fossil fuel-powered engines to run while ships are docked.
The harbour mouth faces north east and is bounded to the north by Saint Elmo Point and further sheltered by an isolated breakwater and is bounded to the south by Ricasoli Point. Its north west shore is formed by the Sciberras peninsula, which is largely covered by the city of Valletta and its suburb Floriana. This peninsula also divides Grand Harbour from a second parallel natural harbour, Marsamxett Harbour. The main waterway of Grand Harbour continues inland almost to Marsa. The southeastern shore of the harbour is formed by a number of inlets and headlands, principally Rinella Creek, Kalkara Creek, Dockyard Creek, and French Creek, which are covered by Kalkara and the Three Cities: Cospicua, Vittoriosa, and Senglea. The harbour has been described as Malta's greatest geographic asset.
With its partner harbour of Marsamxett, Grand Harbour lies at the centre of gently rising ground. Development has grown up all around the twin harbours and up the slopes so that the whole bowl is effectively one large conurbation. Much of Malta's population lives within a three kilometer radius of Floriana. This is now one of the most densely populated areas in Europe. The harbours and the surrounding areas make up Malta's Northern and Southern Harbour Districts. Together, these districts contain 27 of 68 local councils. They have a population of 213,722 which make up over 47% of the total population of the Maltese islands.
The Maltese islands have a long history, mainly due to their strategic location and natural harbours, mainly the Grand Harbour as well as Marsamxett. The Grand Harbour has been used since prehistoric times.
Megalithic remains have been found on the shores of the Grand Harbour. The Kordin Temples, the earliest of which date back to around 3700 BC, overlooked the harbour from Corradino Heights. Another megalithic structure possibly existed underwater off Fort Saint Angelo, but this can no longer be seen.[6] Punic and Roman remains were also found on the shores of the harbour.
By the 12th and 13th centuries, the Castrum Maris had been built in what is now Birgu. It might have been built instead of ancient buildings, possibly Phoenician or Roman temples, or an Arab fortress.
In 1283, the Battle of Malta was fought at the entrance of the Grand Harbour. Aragonese forces defeated a larger Angevin force and captured 10 galleys.
The Grand Harbour was the base for the Order of Saint John for 268 years, from 1530 to 1798. They settled in the city of Birgu and improved its fortifications, including rebuilding the Castrum Maris as Fort Saint Angelo. In July 1551, Barbary corsairs and Ottoman forces raided Malta. They landed at Marsamxett and marched upon the Grand Harbour, but did not attack as they found the town of Birgu too well fortified to attack. Although this attempt was unsuccessful, the Ottoman force later managed to sack Gozo and conquer Tripoli within the same campaign. After the attack, Fort Saint Elmo and Fort Saint Michael were built to better protect the harbour in any future attacks. The city of Senglea was also founded soon afterwards.
Later on in the 1550s, a tornado struck the Grand Harbour, killing 600 people and destroying a shipping armada.
The area was the scene of much of the fighting in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565 when the Ottomans attempted to eject the Order of St John but were ultimately defeated. After the siege, the capital city of Valletta was built on the Sciberras peninsula on the north west shore of the harbour. Over the years, more fortifications and settlements were founded within the Grand Harbour, including Fort Ricasoli and the towns of Floriana and Cospicua.
During the French occupation of Malta, the harbour area was blockaded by Maltese rebels on land and the Royal Navy at sea. The French eventually capitulated in September 1800 and Malta became a British protectorate, later a colony. During the British colonial rule, the harbour became a strategic base for the Royal Navy and the base of the Mediterranean Fleet.
The whole area was savagely bombed during the Second Siege of Malta during World War II, as the docks and military installations around the port became targets for Axis bombers. However collateral damage wrecked much of Valletta and The Three Cities, and caused large numbers of civilian casualties. An Italian naval raid on the harbour was repelled on the early of 26 July 1941.
Malta Dockyard is still active but with the departure of the British Military the harbour lost much of its military significance. A considerable part of Malta's commercial shipping is now handled by the new free port at Kalafrana, so the harbour is much quieter than it was in the first half of the 20th century.
In September 2007, the Maltese Government unveiled 20 proposed regeneration projects that would revamp the area while respecting its historic value.
As of May 2021 the harbour is undergoing renovation works initiated by Infrastructure Malta and sponsored by the European Union with the goals of electrifying the harbour to produce a 90% decrease in harmful emissions from ships. Shorepower units are to be installed to eliminate the need for fossil fuel-powered engines to run while ships are docked.
Tip by
4
3.77 km
Traditional Maltese Balconies
Highlight • Monument
History of the Maltese Balcony
One of the best ways to appreciate the impact of the Maltese balcony is to walk the perimeter of lower Valletta and see the rows of balconies sitting one atop another, looking similar to eyes, where each property in Valletta watches silently over Valletta’s part of the water.
One of the best ways to appreciate the impact of the Maltese balcony is to walk the perimeter of lower Valletta and see the rows of balconies sitting one atop another, looking similar to eyes, where each property in Valletta watches silently over Valletta’s part of the water.
All of them are wooden, sporting glass windows that provide a discreet surveillance position to the viewer within. Found all over the island and mostly on the older part of any village or town, the traditional Maltese balcony is a key architectural feature that strikes one as unique and extremely versatile, which in fact it is.
The origins of the typical wooden Maltese balcony hark back to ancient times and to the ‘muxrabija’, a creation of the Arab world. Literally a peep-hole looking from the inside outwards, the ‘muxrabija’ was generally a wooden window frame which screened the window space completely. It was effective in allowing the person on the inside to observe all that was going on outside, whilst not being visible to the people in the street below. It was an excellent way in which menfolk could keep their womenfolk shielded from prying eyes, usually eyes belonging to other men, in a time and place when women wore clothing that covered them from head to toe. In Malta, a case in point was the tradition for women to wear the ‘ghonnella’, a cape-like creation of black cloth worn by all young women as soon as they came of age.
Over the centuries the balcony evolved in varied ways. One of the best locations where one can view a synthesis of this development is Mdina. There, antique balconies are many and varied, each one visibly harking back to specific eras and styles of architecture. Some of the smallest wooden balconies can be found in the narrow lower streets of Valletta, each sporting merely three glass windows. Whilst the more typical wooden balconies have from four to five windows, perhaps the largest wooden balcony on the island is the one encircling the left and right corners of the façade of The Palace in Valletta. Whatever the size, the enclosed wooden balcony allows the property the benefit of an extension looking out onto the world outside, bringing light and air indoors, whilst filtering heat and cold from entering directly inside.
For many families the balcony is an excellent place for drying laundry, for lounging and enjoying a good read, for keeping a collection of plants in conservatory style, for storing things as in a box room or merely for the enjoying of standing leaning out and observing the world go by. The original balconies are sought after especially in the Malta real estate market, where buyers are actually asking for it specifically. It is a great thing that the authorities are original townhouses in Malta that adorn these balconies. Lately, whilst driving by St. Julian’s it seems that developers are now having to keep the original facade of the home and build above the house.
Stylistic changes have created varied models of balconies over time. There are the open stone carved balconies, the open wrought iron balconies, the open balconies with aluminium fixtures, the open balconies with a combination of wood, wrought iron and stone… The onus remains that of letting in the light and providing seemingly outdoor space to a property. This is especially valuable to the smaller homes that keep their owners bound indoors. The outcome of the ‘muxrabija’ is in fact completely contrary to its original intent and a far cry from the tradition which kept the inhabitants of a property firmly ensconced indoors within introverted homes.
One of the best ways to appreciate the impact of the Maltese balcony is to walk the perimeter of lower Valletta and see the rows of balconies sitting one atop another, looking similar to eyes, where each property in Valletta watches silently over Valletta’s part of the water.
One of the best ways to appreciate the impact of the Maltese balcony is to walk the perimeter of lower Valletta and see the rows of balconies sitting one atop another, looking similar to eyes, where each property in Valletta watches silently over Valletta’s part of the water.
All of them are wooden, sporting glass windows that provide a discreet surveillance position to the viewer within. Found all over the island and mostly on the older part of any village or town, the traditional Maltese balcony is a key architectural feature that strikes one as unique and extremely versatile, which in fact it is.
The origins of the typical wooden Maltese balcony hark back to ancient times and to the ‘muxrabija’, a creation of the Arab world. Literally a peep-hole looking from the inside outwards, the ‘muxrabija’ was generally a wooden window frame which screened the window space completely. It was effective in allowing the person on the inside to observe all that was going on outside, whilst not being visible to the people in the street below. It was an excellent way in which menfolk could keep their womenfolk shielded from prying eyes, usually eyes belonging to other men, in a time and place when women wore clothing that covered them from head to toe. In Malta, a case in point was the tradition for women to wear the ‘ghonnella’, a cape-like creation of black cloth worn by all young women as soon as they came of age.
Over the centuries the balcony evolved in varied ways. One of the best locations where one can view a synthesis of this development is Mdina. There, antique balconies are many and varied, each one visibly harking back to specific eras and styles of architecture. Some of the smallest wooden balconies can be found in the narrow lower streets of Valletta, each sporting merely three glass windows. Whilst the more typical wooden balconies have from four to five windows, perhaps the largest wooden balcony on the island is the one encircling the left and right corners of the façade of The Palace in Valletta. Whatever the size, the enclosed wooden balcony allows the property the benefit of an extension looking out onto the world outside, bringing light and air indoors, whilst filtering heat and cold from entering directly inside.
For many families the balcony is an excellent place for drying laundry, for lounging and enjoying a good read, for keeping a collection of plants in conservatory style, for storing things as in a box room or merely for the enjoying of standing leaning out and observing the world go by. The original balconies are sought after especially in the Malta real estate market, where buyers are actually asking for it specifically. It is a great thing that the authorities are original townhouses in Malta that adorn these balconies. Lately, whilst driving by St. Julian’s it seems that developers are now having to keep the original facade of the home and build above the house.
Stylistic changes have created varied models of balconies over time. There are the open stone carved balconies, the open wrought iron balconies, the open balconies with aluminium fixtures, the open balconies with a combination of wood, wrought iron and stone… The onus remains that of letting in the light and providing seemingly outdoor space to a property. This is especially valuable to the smaller homes that keep their owners bound indoors. The outcome of the ‘muxrabija’ is in fact completely contrary to its original intent and a far cry from the tradition which kept the inhabitants of a property firmly ensconced indoors within introverted homes.
Tip by
5
4.50 km
Valletta City Gate
Highlight • Monument
I'm not really enthusiastic about the new goal. I liked the old one better, but tastes differ.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
6
4.70 km
Triton Fountain
Highlight • Monument
Great fountain in front of the city gate
Translated by Google •
Tip by
7
5.33 km
In the streets of Valletta
Highlight • Settlement
Take some time to walk the streets of Valletta. The historic buildings and the location are just great.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
8
6.17 km
Auberge de Castille
Highlight • Historical Site
Once the "Auberge de Castille" was the seat of the Iberian tongue of the Order of St. John, today the Maltese Prime Minister resides here.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
B
7.27 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
2.56 km
1.73 km
1.53 km
1.45 km
Surfaces
6.00 km
1.20 km
< 100 m
< 100 m
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Elevation
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Highest point (60 m)
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Weather
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Monday 22 June
34°C
23°C
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Max wind speed: 14.0 km/h
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