Valletta Malta Shopping Eating Sightseeing Cruise Port Cruise Port Guide

Pier Information . The ship is scheduled to five-minute ride from the pier. Taxis are generally available pierside.

Establish the fare before setting out.

Shopping . Traditional crafts, such as handmade lace, ceramics, silver and gold filigree, brass and copper metalwork, pottery, tiles and mouth-blown glass, are great buys. On Sundays, mainly tourist oriented shops will be open and ; a Sunday market is set up from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. outside the main entrance gate to Valletta. The local currency is the Maltese lira.

Cuisine . Influenced by Italian cuisine, Maltese food is rich with Mediterranean flavor and color. Garlic, olive oil and herbs play an important part; so do home-farmed vegetables and freshly caught fish. Fenek (rabbit), fried, in a casserole or a pie, is Casa Rocca Piccola. This lovely small mansion was built during Valletta's early days and is well worth a visit. Opening this lived-in family home to the public gives visitors an opportunity to see and enjoy the charm and beauty of a genuine Maltese patrician household.

Manoel Theater. The oldest theater in Europe, it was built in 1732 "for the honest recreation of the people," a purpose recorded in a Latin inscription above the main entrance. Guided tours are available only in the mornings.

Mosta Dome. Constructed between 1833 and 1860, this parish church of Mosta boasts the third-largest unsupported dome in the world; there are several religious paintings by local artists.

St. Paul's Catacombs. These catacombs at Rabat are typical of the underground Christian cemeteries common in the 4th century. This group of narrow passages is the largest of its kind in the Maltese Islands.

Maritime Museum. Situated at the Old Naval Bakery of the British Naval Headquarters at Fort St. Angelo, the museum illustrates Malta's maritime history from early times to the present day.