Gardjola Gardens, Birgu

An eye and an ear carved into the Gardjola, a stone watchtower on the Grand Harbour, mark it as a lookout. Inside, you get a view over the Grand Harbour that takes in Valletta and Fort St Angelo.

Garden, Birgu. Meridian Dispatch.

Best time

SunsetGolden light on the water

Effort

Easy, small siteA brief stop

Access

Ferry, then walkFrom the Cospicua landing

Entry

Is Gardjola Gardens free to enter?

Yes. Visitor guides list entry to both the small garden and the Gardjola watchtower as free, with no ticket needed to step inside the tower for the harbour view.

From Valletta

How do you get to Gardjola Gardens from Valletta?

Cross the Grand Harbour by ferry from Valletta, landing at Cospicua. From there it is a walk on foot, either through the Senglea city gate and the town, or along the shore and up a staircase to the garden.

The carvings

What do the eye, ear and crane carvings on the Gardjola mean?

They are symbols of vigilance. The eye, the ear and the crane bird are carved into the stone of the Gardjola, the watchtower that stands in the gardens as a lookout over the Grand Harbour.

What makes it special

The Gardjola is a stone watchtower in the Three Cities, across the Grand Harbour from Valletta. It stands in the Gardjola Gardens and is the part of the visit that matters.

Look at the tower's stonework for three carvings: an eye, an ear and a crane, set on a lookout that faces the harbour.

Visitor guides say you can step inside the tower. From there you look out over the Grand Harbour, with Valletta, Fort St Angelo and, further off, Marsa in view.

The garden around the tower is a relaxing place to sit with the harbour in front of you. Take a few minutes there before or after the lookout.

Visiting

Take the ferry from Valletta to the Three Cities and get off at the Cospicua ferry landing, where the walk to the gardens starts. Two routes lead on from there.

The first passes through Senglea's city gate and on through the streets of the town. The second keeps to the water and finishes on a flight of stairs up to the garden.

Walk through the garden to the watchtower and step inside. The garden is small, so pair it with one route on the way in and the other on the way back.