Lower Barrakka Gardens

The basics

Perfectly positioned to see the mouth of Grand Harbour, the Lower Barrakka Gardens offer the best ship-watching in the city. You could easily spend hours here watching ships enter and leave the port. Amid the gardens is a neo-classical monument to Sir Alexander Ball, the first British Governor of Malta appointed in 1813. Several commemorative plaques dot the walkways, including those that mark the 50th anniversary of the European Union in 2007 and the Prague Spring of 1968. Guided walking tours of Valletta typically stop in the gardens.

Things to know before you go

• The Lower Barrakka Gardens are typically quieter and less visited than the Upper Barrakka Gardens.

• There is no admission fee to enter the gardens.

• You can buy snacks from a vendor set up just outside the gardens.

• The gardens are wheelchair accessible.

How to get there

The gardens are around a 15-minute walk from the Valletta bus station and the City Gate. Parking is tricky in Valletta, especially near Lower Barakka, so it is advisable to park in a parking garage outside the City Gate. If you park on a Valletta street, parking is only permitted in designed white boxes.

When to get there

The Lower Barrakka Gardens are open year-round every day, from early morning until late evening. If you visit the gardens at 12 pm or 4 pm between Monday and Saturday, you’ll get a good view of Malta’s Saluting Battery as they fire their ceremonial gun signals.

Siege Bell Memorial

The Siege Bell Memorial stands just below the Lower Barrakka Gardens. The 10-ton bronze bell commemorates the 7,000 people who died during the two-year Siege of Malta, which ended in 1942. The bell was inaugurated by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1992 to mark the 50th anniversary of the siege. Her father, King George V, awarded the entire Maltese nation the George Cross—the UK’s highest military accolade—in honor of their bravery during the war.