Upper Barrakka Gardens

The Upper Barrakka Gardens sit on top of the St Peter and St Paul Bastion, the highest point of Valletta's walls. They were laid out in 1661 as a private garden for the Italian knights of the Order of St John and opened to the public in the nineteenth century. Arches, trees and a fountain make it a welcome place to pause after the climb up from the harbour.

The view is the reason to come. From the arcade you look straight across the Grand Harbour to Fort St Angelo and the Three Cities, with ferries, yachts and cruise ships moving on the water below. Among the busts and memorials along the paths, look for Les Gavroches, Antonio Sciortino's bronze of three street children.

Beneath the gardens is the Saluting Battery, where guns have saluted ships and marked the time for centuries. They are fired at noon and at 4pm, and the terrace above fills up beforehand. The battery itself is run by the Malta Heritage Trust and charges a small fee if you want to watch from among the guns.