Upper Barrakka Gardens
Upper Barrakka Gardens is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Valletta audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~30 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type garden
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Valletta Valletta guide
About Upper Barrakka Gardens
A terraced garden high on Valletta's bastions, with a sweeping view over the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities, and a ceremonial cannon firing daily at noon below.
The Upper Barrakka Gardens occupy the upper tier of St Peter and Paul Bastion, at the highest point of Valletta's land-front walls, and command a panoramic view over the Grand Harbour, the Three Cities and the former Malta Dockyard. The arcade of arches was built in 1661 by Fra Flaminio Balbiani, a knight of the Italian langue of the Order of St John, as a place of recreation. The roof over the arches was removed after the Rising of the Priests of 1775, and the gardens were opened to the public around 1800, at the end of the French occupation.
The terrace holds memorials and busts, among them tributes to Gerald Strickland, Thomas Maitland and Winston Churchill, and a bronze cast of Antonio Sciortino's 'Les Gavroches'. On the bastion tier below stands the Saluting Battery, built in the 1560s, where a ceremonial gun is fired daily at noon and 16:00.
Did you know? The Saluting Battery below the gardens was built by the Order in the 1560s and is among the oldest still working; under British rule it fired daily time signals at sunrise, noon and sunset.
How long should you spend at Upper Barrakka Gardens?
Plan about ~30 min at Upper Barrakka Gardens. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Upper Barrakka Gardens worth visiting?
Upper Barrakka Gardens is one of the 14 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Valletta, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Valletta
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Upper Barrakka Gardens and read more:
Day 2 of the Valletta in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Upper Barrakka Gardens
Preview the Valletta tour free in the Gingerguide app.