One harbour, five hundred years of reflected light

Valletta is the smallest capital in the EU, built on a peninsula between two harbors. The Grand Harbour to the south-southeast — one of the deepest natural harbors in the Mediterranean — is flanked by the Three Cities (Vittoriosa, Senglea, Cospicua) on the opposite shore. The Upper Barrakka Gardens, on the southern bastions of Valletta at 50 meters, face directly south over the Grand Harbour with the Three Cities and their 16th-century fortifications behind — the view takes in 500 years of military architecture. The Saluting Battery below fires at noon and 4pm. Hastings Gardens, on the western side of Valletta, face northwest over Marsamxett Harbour and Sliema. At 36°N, golden hour runs about 29 minutes — among the briefest in Europe. The Grand Harbour ferry to Vittoriosa (5 minutes) gives the Valletta waterfront from the opposite shore at dusk.