Valletta is just a 15 minute drive from most locations in Malta, so if you are on vacation in Malta you should really visit this wonderful City.

A passenger cruise terminal is being built and when it is completed, the terminal will be able to handle 2,000 passengers in an hour. This reflects local positive perceptions about Malta's potential in cruise liners and passengers and high class holidays and vacations.

In 2001, Valletta hosted almost 15,500 cruise line passengers.

The foundation stone of Valletta was laid by the Grandmaster of the Order of Saint John, Jean Parisot de la Valette, on 28 March 1566; The Order (which was the long-time ruler of the city and the island) decided to found a new city on the Xiberras peninsula just after the end of the Siege of Malta in 1565, so as to fortify the Order's position in Malta, effectively binding the Knights to the island. The city was designed by Francesco Laparelli, while many of the most important buildings were built by Gerolamo Cassar. Valletta, hence, is an urban area which boasts many buildings from the 16th century and onwards, but most of them were built during the time of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (the Knights Hospitaller, or Knights of Malta).

Malta's public transport system, which uses buses, operates mostly on routes to or from Valletta, with their central terminus just outside the city's entrance. Traffic within the city itself is restricted, with some principal roads being completely pedestrian areas.

Some palaces that you should definetely visit whilst in Valletta:

Grandmaster's Palace - houses the Parliament of Malta
Auberge De Castille - houses the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta
Auberge D'Aragon - houses the Ministry of Finance
Auberge D'Italie - houses the Malta Tourism Authority
Auberge De Provence - houses the National Museum of Archaeology
Auberge De Bavière - houses Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs
Casa Rocca Piccola - private residence open to the public
Palazzo Francia - houses a number of offices and shops
Palazzo Parisio - houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Palazzo Castellania - houses the Ministry of Health, the Elderly and Community Care National Museum of Fine Arts

visit:

http://www.paradisemalta.com