Self-guided Sightseeing Tour #1 in Floriana, Malta

Legend

Churches & Art
Nature
Water & Wind
Historical
Heritage & Space
Tourism
Paid Tours & Activities

Tour Facts

Number of sights 28 sights
Distance 7.5 km
Ascend 247 m
Descend 298 m

Experience Floriana in Malta in a whole new way with our self-guided sightseeing tour. This site not only offers you practical information and insider tips, but also a rich variety of activities and sights you shouldn't miss. Whether you love art and culture, want to explore historical sites or simply want to experience the vibrant atmosphere of a lively city - you'll find everything you need for your personal adventure here.

Individual Sights in Floriana

Sight 1: Knisja tas-Sarria

Show sight on map
Knisja tas-Sarria Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Church of the Immaculate Conception known also as Sarria Church is a Roman Catholic Rotunda church in Floriana, Malta.

Wikipedia: Sarria Church (EN)

554 meters / 7 minutes

Sight 2: Lion Fountain

Show sight on map
Lion Fountain Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Lion Fountain, also known as the Vilhena Fountain, is a Baroque fountain located in St Anne Square in Floriana, Malta. It was installed in 1728 by Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, and it was relocated a few metres from its original location in the 1950s.

Wikipedia: Lion Fountain (Floriana) (EN)

662 meters / 8 minutes

Sight 3: War Memorial

Show sight on map

The War Memorial is a memorial obelisk in Floriana, Malta, which commemorates the dead of World War I and World War II. It was inaugurated on 11 November 1938 by Governor Charles Bonham-Carter to the memory of those killed in World War I, but in 1949 it was rededicated to those killed in both world wars.

Wikipedia: War Memorial (Floriana) (EN)

506 meters / 6 minutes

Sight 4: Our Lady of Victory Church

Show sight on map

The Our Lady of Victory Church, formerly known as the Saint Anthony the Abbot Church, was the first church and building completed in Valletta, Malta. In 1566, following the Great Siege of Malta, Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette and his Order showed interest to build a church in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin as a form of thanksgiving; the construction was funded by De Valette.

Wikipedia: Church of Our Lady of Victory (Valletta) (EN)

77 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 5: Royal Opera House

Show sight on map
Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House, also known as the Royal Theatre, was an opera house and performing arts venue in Valletta, Malta. It was designed by the English architect Edward Middleton Barry and was erected in 1866. In 1873 its interior was extensively damaged by fire but was eventually restored by 1877. The theatre received a direct hit from aerial bombing in 1942 during World War II. Prior to its destruction, it was one of the most beautiful and iconic buildings in Valletta. After several abandoned plans to rebuild the theatre, the ruins were redesigned by the Italian architect Renzo Piano and in 2013 it once again started functioning as a performance venue, called Pjazza Teatru Rjal.

Wikipedia: Royal Opera House, Valletta (EN)

78 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 6: Church of Saint Barbara

Show sight on map

The Church of St Barbara is a Roman Catholic church situated in Valletta, Malta. The church was built to service the spiritual needs of the knights of Provence.

Wikipedia: Church of Saint Barbara, Valletta (EN)

64 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 7: National Museum of Archaeology

Show sight on map
National Museum of Archaeology Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0

The National Museum of Archaeology is a Maltese museum in Valletta, with artefacts from prehistory, Phoenician times and a notable numismatic collection. It is managed by Heritage Malta.

Wikipedia: National Museum of Archaeology, Malta (EN)

179 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 8: Church of St Catherine of Alexandria

Show sight on map

The Church of St Catherine of Alexandria, commonly known as the Church of St Catherine of Italy is a Roman Catholic church in Valletta, Malta. It was built by the Hospitaller Langue of Italy and it serves as the parish church of the Italian community of Malta.

Wikipedia: Church of Saint Catherine of Italy, Valletta (EN)

85 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 9: Auberge d'Italie

Show sight on map

The Auberge d'Italie is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built at various stages in the late 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Italy, and it originally had a Mannerist design by Girolamo Cassar and several other architects. The building continued to be modified throughout the course of the 17th century, with the last major renovation being carried out in the 1680s during the magistracy of Gregorio Carafa, giving the building a Baroque character.

Wikipedia: Auberge d'Italie (EN)

39 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 10: Church of Saint James

Show sight on map

The Church of St James is a Roman Catholic church in Valletta, Malta. A previous Mannerist church was built on site in the early 17th century and demolished in the early 18th century to build the present baroque church. Built on the designs of Romano Carrapecchia, the church served for religious service to the Langue of Castille. It remain an active church, found in Merchants Street, and it is a scheduled cultural building in a World Heritage Site. The church has a number of artistic features, including its imposing façade and paintings, one drawn by Filippo Paladini and another dating back than the present church itself. Nowadays the church is also used for services by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Wikipedia: Church of St James, Valletta (EN)

295 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 11: Saluting Battery

Show sight on map
Saluting Battery Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Saluting Battery is an artillery battery in Valletta, Malta. It was constructed in the 16th century by the Order of Saint John, on or near the site of an Ottoman battery from the Great Siege of Malta. The battery forms the lower tier of St. Peter & Paul Bastion of the Valletta Land Front, located below the Upper Barrakka Gardens and overlooking Fort St. Angelo and the rest of the Grand Harbour.

Wikipedia: Saluting Battery (Valletta) (EN), Url

74 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 12: Lascaris War Rooms

Show sight on map

The Lascaris War Rooms are an underground complex of tunnels and chambers in Valletta, Malta that housed the War Headquarters from where the defence of the island was conducted during the Second World War. The rooms were later used by NATO and are now open to the public as a museum.

Wikipedia: Lascaris War Rooms (EN)

365 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 13: St. Paul's Shipwreck

Show sight on map

The Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, also known as simply the Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, is a Roman Catholic parish church in Valletta, Malta. It is one of Valletta's oldest churches.

Wikipedia: Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck (EN)

201 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 14: St. John's Co-Cathedral

Show sight on map

St John's Co-Cathedral is a Catholic co-cathedral in Valletta, Malta, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was built by the Order of St. John between 1573 and 1578, having been commissioned by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière as the Conventual Church of Saint John.

Wikipedia: Saint John's Co-Cathedral (EN), Website

170 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 15: Malta Law Courts

Show sight on map

The Courts of Justice building is a courthouse located in Republic Street, Valletta, Malta. It was built in the neoclassical style between 1965 and 1971 on the site of Auberge d'Auvergne, which had been destroyed by aerial bombardment during World War II.

Wikipedia: Courts of Justice building (Valletta) (EN)

171 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 16: Main Guard

Show sight on map

The Main Guard, originally called the Guardia della Piazza, is a building in Valletta, Malta, located in the square facing the Grandmaster's Palace in the city centre. It was originally built as a guardhouse in 1603 by the Order of St. John, and it remained in use after the British took over Malta in 1800. A Neoclassical portico was added in 1814, and a British coat of arms and a commemorative inscription were installed later on above the portico. These have become one of the main symbols of British rule in Malta. The building used to house the Office of the Attorney General.

Wikipedia: Main Guard (Valletta) (EN)

221 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 17: Palace Armoury

Show sight on map

The Palace Armoury is an arms collection housed at the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, Malta. It was the main armoury of the Order of St. John in the 17th and 18th centuries, and as such it was the last arsenal established by a crusader military order. Although today only a part of the original armoury still survives, it is still one of the world's largest collections of arms and armour still housed in its original building. The Palace Armoury has been open to the public as a museum since 1860.

Wikipedia: Palace Armoury (EN)

179 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 18: Greek-Catholic church Our Lady of Damascus

Show sight on map

The Church of Our Lady of Damascus is a Greek Catholic Church in Valletta, in Malta, observing the Byzantine rite. It is also called Id-Damaxxena.

Wikipedia: Church of Our Lady of Damascus, Valletta (EN), Website

98 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 19: Knisja tal-Ġiżwiti

Show sight on map
Knisja tal-Ġiżwiti Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Church of the Circumcision of Our Lord, also known as the Church of the Jesuits or the Church of the University, is one of the oldest and largest churches in Valletta, Malta. It was originally built between 1593 and 1609 by the Jesuit order, and it is located adjacent to the Old University Building, which originally housed a Jesuit college known as the Collegium Melitense. The church was rebuilt in the Baroque style by Francesco Buonamici after suffering extensive damage in an explosion in 1634. The church remained in use after the Jesuits were expelled from Malta in 1768, and it is also used for Masters and Doctoral graduation ceremonies of the University of Malta, the successor to the Collegium.

Wikipedia: Church of the Jesuits, Valletta (EN)

345 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 20: Sacra Infermeria & Mediterranian Conference Center

Show sight on map

The Mediterranean Conference Centre is a conference centre in Valletta, Malta. The building was built as a hospital in the 16th century by the Order of St. John, and it was known as the Sacra Infermeria or the Holy Infirmary. It was known as the Grand Hôspital during the French occupation of Malta and during the British period was named as the Station Hospital.

Wikipedia: Mediterranean Conference Centre (EN)

298 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 21: Lower Barracca Gardens

Show sight on map
Lower Barracca Gardens

The Lower Barakka Gardens is a garden in Valletta, Malta, and it is twinned with the Upper Barrakka Gardens.

Wikipedia: Lower Barrakka Gardens (EN)

30 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 22: Alexandro Ioan Ball EQ. Bar.

Show sight on map

The Monument to Sir Alexander Ball is a neoclassical monument in the Lower Barrakka Gardens in Valletta, Malta. It was built in 1810 as a memorial to Sir Alexander Ball, a British admiral who was the first Civil Commissioner of Malta. Attributed to the architect Giorgio Pullicino, the monument is in the form of an ancient Greek temple.

Wikipedia: Monument to Sir Alexander Ball (EN)

351 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 23: St. Lucia Church

Show sight on map
St. Lucia Church Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Church of St Lucy is a small Roman Catholic church situated in Valletta, Malta. The church was built in 1570 and features a titular painting above the high altar and the corpse of St Lucian, the martyr.

Wikipedia: Church of St Lucy, Valletta (EN)

92 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 24: Victoria Gate

Show sight on map

Victoria Gate is a city gate in Valletta, Malta. It was built by the British in 1885, and was named after Queen Victoria. The gate is the main entrance into the city from the Grand Harbour area, which was once the busiest part of the city. The gate is located between Marina Curtain and St. Barbara Bastion, on the site of the 16th-century Del Monte Gate.

Wikipedia: Victoria Gate (Valletta) (EN)

116 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 25: Church of the Madonna of Liesse

Show sight on map

The Church of Our Lady of Liesse is a church in Valletta, Malta. The church was built in 1740 on the site of a 17th-century church. The cupola was built to the designs of the Maltese architect Francesco Zammit. The church is located near the shores of the Grand Harbour, close to Lascaris Battery and the site of the fish market. It is especially venerated by the people of the port area.

Wikipedia: Church of Our Lady of Liesse (EN)

219 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 26: Lift to Valletta

Show sight on map
Lift to Valletta Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Barrakka Lift is a lift in Valletta, Malta which was constructed in 2012, on the site of a previous lift which had operated from 1905 to 1973 and which was demolished in 1983. It is located inside the ditch of the fortifications of Valletta, and it links Lascaris Wharf to St. Peter and Paul Bastion and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. It therefore allows access from the Grand Harbour to the city.

Wikipedia: Barrakka Lift (EN), Url

100 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 27: Upper Barrakka Gardens

Show sight on map

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. Along with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, they offer a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour.

Wikipedia: Upper Barrakka Gardens (EN)

1941 meters / 23 minutes

Sight 28: Fort Saint Angelo

Show sight on map
Fort Saint Angelo Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0

Fort St. Angelo is a bastioned fort in Birgu, Malta, located at the centre of the Grand Harbour. It was originally built in the medieval period as a castle called the Castrum Maris. It was rebuilt by the Order of Saint John as a bastioned fort called Fort Saint Angelo between the 1530s and the 1560s, and it is best known for its role as the Order's headquarters during the Great Siege of Malta of 1565. A major reconstruction to designs of Carlos de Grunenbergh took place in the 1690s, giving the fort its current appearance.

Wikipedia: Fort St. Angelo (EN)

Share

Spread the word! Share this page with your friends and family.

Disclaimer Please be aware of your surroundings and do not enter private property. We are not liable for any damages that occur during the tours.

GPX-Download For navigation apps and GPS devices you can download the tour as a GPX file.