We were on an Eastern Med cruise and had two days in Valletta. I had previously read about the Barrakka lift, and it was only a short walk from the cruise terminal. An excellent way of getting to the upper Barrakka gardens , and then entrance to the city via the Victoria gate. Excellent value for money as only a Euro for both journey - why bother walking !

The view from the lift is not so extra, but shorter a walk to up or down from the city to the port. It is only a short ride but save you a 10- 15 min walk each. The ticket cost 2 euros - it is on you, if you use it one or two ways.

Malta was a stop for our cruise ship heading from Greece to Barcelona. Didn’t expect much as we were only scheduled to be there 8 hours. Found a pleasant surprise with there hop on hop off buses. Approximately 25 euros pp gets you access to three different lines. We basically toured the entire island in 6.5 hours. Never got off the buses; just took in the scenes and took a lot of pictures. The island is bigger than we thought and very well to do. The buses are the thing to do if your just stopping for the day. Go through the cruise terminal; turn right past the cabs and the buses are right there.

Instead of walking up the stairs to Valletta old town, we took the lift. Great panoramic view if you step out. With temperatures over 30° Celcius, this easy start to our self organized Valletta discovery walk was a great start. Close to the cruise ships port.

Cheap way to go from ferries and lower road to upper Barrakka gardens and into Valletta's main areas. 1 euro for return ticket, saves so many steps and time. Plus if you always go into the one next to the harbour the views are awesome. The lift is quick and reassuringly quiet. Good experience well worth doing when in Valletta.