Valletta is the capital city of Malta, a small island in the centre of the Mediterranean. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage City and with good reason too, because it is probably one of the places with the highest concentration of buildings of historical value.

A Short History Lesson
One cannot write a review on Valletta without mentioning the Great Siege. It would be like reviewing New York and not mentioning the Statue of Liberty! So, what's all this fuss about a simple siege a hear you ask? Well, before Valletta was built, Malta was under the command of the Knights of St. John, enemies of the infamous Ottoman, Suliman. At the time, because of Malta's strategic position, whoever had control over the island, would find it very easy to control the rest of the Mediterranean. Because of this, Suliman, together with his army of 30,000 men decided to come over and gave us a visit. The Knights, which amounted to just 500 and controlled only another 8500 troops (Maltese that is) were no match for the Ottomans and so decided to find refuge in Malta's forts around its ports. Amazingly, together with our help, the Knights held off the Ottomans for three whole months until help was sent. Obviously, we suffered many casualties but this was an important victory, not only for the Knights but also for Christianity in general. This is sometimes describes as the last battle of the Crusades.

Valletta Today
As mentioned above, there is a lot to see in Valletta. However, on any day of the week one won't find Valletta just crowded with tourists but also with us Maltese, since Valletta is where most of us do our shopping. From Valletta and mostly Republic Street, one can purchase anything from clothes to CD's to books to holidays. Many big brands can be found, so if we take clothes as an example, one can choose from Springfield, Tom Tailer, Calvin Klein, Diesel, Levi's, Miss Sixty, Kenvelo, Nike, Big Bon, Marks & Spencer and many more. I guess the prices offered would be quite competitive for you guys. One can also find a flee market in the morning where one finds mostly fake stuff. Anything from shoes to football shirts to DVDs, lol.

The Sights
Undoubtedly, the most important sight in Valletta is St. John's Co-Cathedral. Apart from being very big and very old (it was built in 1578), its marble floors also hold the tombs of many of the Grandmasters of the Knights Hospitaller. Also, here one can find Caravaggio's 'Beheading of St. John' and a statue of Our Lady which is said to have once 'cried' blood.

Other places to visit
The Museum of Archaeology - I visited this just once a few years ago and was pretty impressed. The place is laid out very well and there are many artefacts to see. Since Malta has the oldest free standing temples in the world (yes it's true, older than the pyramids and Stonehenge) one would naturally expect impressive artefacts.

The Malta Experience - This is a film visited by many tourists who visit Malta. It explains Malta's history and some other important facts. Personally I do not know what all the fuss about this is, but that's probably because I'm Maltese. Many tourists seem to appreciate it.

To my knowledge, there are no hotels in Valletta, although since Malta is such a small island, one can find many hotels in neighbouring towns just minutes walk from the capital. Since I am a local I cannot really comment on the quality of the accommodation offered, although I expect that it is of good quality since Malta's economy depends a lot on its tourism industry.