Three Fortified Cities of Malta: Half-Day Tour Including Boat Trip and Transfers
3.7
20 Ratings
Cospicua (Bormla)
Explore the rich history and architectural wonders of Malta's Three Cities on a half-day tour. Discover the medieval charm of Vittoriosa and the impressive fortifications of Cospicua and Senglea. Includes a boat trip and transfers.
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Cospicua (Bormla) - You will start your tour with a panoramic drive past the city of Cospicua, a double fortified harbour city and the largest of the Three Cities, flanked by Senglea on the West and Vittoriosa on the East. Cospicua is well known for its large dockyard and its impressive fortifications known as the Santa Margherita Lines and the Cottonera Lines.
  • Birgu (Vittoriosa) - A short stretch away from Cospicua lies the city of Vittoriosa, the city occupies a promontory of land with the impressive Fort Saint Angelo at its head and the city of Cospicua at its base.

The origins of this glorious city date back to the Medieval times, over the centuries Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, the Angevines, the Aragonese and the Order of the Knights of Saint John all contributed to the development of this magnificent city. Here you will enjoy a fascinating walking tour through the distinctive narrow winding streets of the city, admiring and appreciating all the historical buildings and captivating treasures found at every twist and turn.

  • Vittoriosa Waterfront - Birgu Waterfront - Upon your arrival at the stunning Vittoriosa Waterfront, we will board a traditional Maltese \
What's Included
  • Hotel pick-up & drop-off service
  • Air-conditioned transport for all tours
  • Entrance fees to all scheduled sites
  • Traditional Maltese boat harbour tour
  • Expert guidance from a licensed tour guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Tips (optional)
Additional Information

The Three Cities refers collectively to the fortified regions of Cospicua, Vittoriosa, and Senglea.

Vittoriosa, the originals of the deemed Three Cities, traces back its existence to the Middle Ages. Senglea, alongside Cospicua, on the other hand, came to being in the 16th and 17th centuries, respectively, under the foundational acts of the Order of the Knights of Saint John.

On this semi-day exploration, you’ll get the chance to soak up the distinct historical significance of these fortified territories, all while marveling at towering churches, authentically traditional squares, remarkable fortification structures, and architecturally-gifted treasures sprinkled throughout the Three Cities locale—a vibrant example of living history maintained meticulously over centuries!

  • The time shown on the website or on your ticket is the approximate start time of the activity and not the time when you will be picked up from your Hotel (or closest meeting point). At least a few days before the date of your activity, you need to make sure to contact the tour operator to confirm your pick-up location and pick-up time.
  • The tour will be guided in the language you have booked, however please note that at times, depending on operational circumstances, the commentary might be provided by a multilingual guide (limited to a maximum of 2 languages).
  • The boat trip is always subject to favourable weather conditions; if the boat trip cannot be done due to poor weather conditions, we will spend more time visiting the three cities.
  • The difficulty level of this tour is considered easy; however, one should take note that it’s a rather long walk.
  • Not recommended for travellers with mobility impairments
Location
Cospicua (Bormla)
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.7
(20 Ratings)
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Stitch1968
May 30, 2024
Good Value For Money - Excellent tour with mix of walking, boating and in a mini van. Tour guide was Jacqui, who was very good. Boat excursion into the Grand Harbour was a great add on.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ana_m
Apr 29, 2024
Simply Beautiful - Our tour guide was wonderful. The tour of the three cities was very informative and very fun. The boat ride from Selema to Vittoria was an experience. Recommend this tour to anyone. Just make sure the day is sunny and not as windy.
Review provided by Viator
3rdgearekws
Apr 7, 2024
Great tour and interesting as well as beautiful! - A wonderful tour led by Donna who was super knowledgeable! A mix of history and modern explanations of a beautiful part of an historic island - don’t just visit Valletta - explore outside as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Norie_j
Mar 8, 2024
A real gem! A very interesting excursion to an extremely important area of the island. - Maria is a very knowledgeable, professional guide. She was helpful and supportive throughout the excursion. I actually learned quite a bit more about the history of Malta through her explanations and historical commentary. Hotel pickup and delivery transfers were very professional. The highlight was the traditional Maltese carvel-built fishing boat tour of the harbour. This is a walking tour and not suitable for people with walking, breathing or mobility issues. I mention this because many of the clients on my tour were quite elderly and one man actually fell on the cobblestoned street. However, if you are able, this is a gem of a tour!
Review provided by Viator
Thefriedes
May 23, 2024
A good half day tour. - The boat trip across the Grand Harbour was spectacular. Although it was a large group the guide Maria managed in both Italian and English.
Review provided by Viator
Malcolm_h
Mar 22, 2024
Tour of Fortified Cities of Malta - A really good tout of the 3 fortified cities of Malta which also included a boat trip on the harbour in traditional Maltese boats. The guide was also good particularly with handling late arrival customers. Would recommend this tour
Review provided by Viator
Sharon_c
May 1, 2024
Guide needed a microphone... - Guide needed a microphone as group was spread out due to various walking speeds. Too much time spent after driving to starting point....waiting for late tour participants
Review provided by Viator
Craig_e
Apr 19, 2024
Disappointing - Boats cancelled and 2 groups merged into 1 with Italians so it all took longer. Left a bit disapointed
Review provided by Viator
Virginia_s
May 25, 2024
Unknown tour - We were unable to join this tour. Our ship docked in an area requiring a ferry across. We sat on the ferry for 45 min. and were late. The guide left without us. No call or attempt to understand why were not there for the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Barry_m
Apr 18, 2024
Avoid and walk the beautiful cities yourself. This tour gives minimal info and no alternative to boats if it is windy. - We gave up on this tour after the first hour. We have never left a tour early before. This tour was of such poor quality and so completely disorganised that we felt it was a waste of our time and money. We have been on so many other good tours of Malta, so we would recommend that you do not choose this one. There was very minimal information, and we did not get to even see the traditional boats. I am providing a full account here of what happened for why I am giving this tour a one star review. The van picked us up 25 mins late from our hotel honking at us to cross a busy road quickly. When we arrived in the first city we were told we had to wait around for more vans of people to arrive. More waiting around. Then we finally were in a large group of more than 30 people and discovered that it was in a mix of Spanish and English. We thought it was an English language tour, not multi-lingual meaning that everything would be explained in both languages. The guide said it took a lot more time to explain things in Spanish than English so she would be speaking more time in Spanish. However, I can understand Spanish and knew that she sometimes was talking to individuals and saying some extra things. Then we were told that we wouldn't get to take the historic boats due to the windy conditions, which was disappointing but understandable. However, no alternative was given. Instead we had to wait around for more mini vans to pick us up, and since it was such a large group that meant the van had to do multiple trips. When we left in the minivan, we overheard her doing the counting, get it wrong and just say, "Oh well, I probably miscounted the people on the tour," without double checking. Finally we were in the second city after receiving no information in English on the first one other than that the lanes were narrow and that there was an Italian language church there. Only two small pieces of information. We gave our guide a chance to really start the tour in the second city. (It was also the final city, despite the name of the tour). In the second city, the guide passed the first point saying it was too windy to talk there. I thought that would surely give information at the next point, but she didn't. And then again minimal information: "this is a medieval gate". We noticed she passed by the WWII underground shelters with no information. She mentioned a defensive wall. But that was it. At that point, we lost all confidence in this tour and guide. As a courtesy, we let her know that we were leaving the tour; we doubt she would have noticed otherwise. She got argumentative with us saying that we needed "patience and an imagination" for this tour. I pointed out that it had already been more than one hour of the three hour tour time. I guess you do need imagination because she wasn't providing information. I think probably there could be other better guides on this tour, but you will still get a large group and won't be able to hear the guide up the windy street and around the corner especially in the high winds. So I don't see this format ever being a good thing. Also in the large group, you lose the atmosphere and tranquility of the cities. When we walked on our own around Vittorioso, it was so beautiful and peaceful. We were able to visit the museums and churches and learn the history from the guides inside these historic places. Plus there were a lot of audio guides and information boards. We visited the Inquisitor's Palace, WWII underground shelters, saw the 500 year old hat and sword of de Vallette and much more. The guides who work in these venues are much more knowledgeable about the cities. You don't need this tour. Avoid at all costs!
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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