Tigné Point, Sliema

Fort Tigné and two British gun batteries hold this headland, so you get restored fortifications with Valletta straight across the water and Malta's largest shopping mall behind them.

Waterfront, Sliema. Meridian Dispatch.

Best time

Late afternoonSunset hues over Valletta

Effort

Short walk10 min from central Sliema

Access

Ferry or on footVia Sliema Ferries

Ferry from Valletta

Is there a ferry from Valletta to Tigné Point?

Yes. The Sliema-Valletta ferry crosses Marsamxett Harbour to Sliema Ferries, about a 10-minute walk from the point. The ferry operator lists that from November to May, the service on Sundays and public holidays runs from 08:45 to 18:30, so check the timetable before planning a sunset crossing back.

Parking

Is there parking at Tigné Point?

Visitors report street parking and a dedicated car park close by. The Valletta ferry and the short walk in from central Sliema both avoid the need for a car.

Where to eat

What restaurants are at Tigné Point?

Cafés and restaurants ring Pjazza Tigné, and more line the foreshore at the end of the promenade. Visitors report that most open from morning until late evening, each to its own hours.

What makes it special

Tigné Point is the tip of the Sliema peninsula, a headland with Marsamxett Harbour on one side and the open Mediterranean on the other. Its south side faces Valletta directly across the water. The very tip still goes by the name Dragut Point.

Restored fortifications line the shore. Fort Tigné was built by the Order of St John in 1792 to strengthen the defence of the harbour and the capital.

The Garden Battery's British gun emplacements run along the coast between the fort and Cambridge Battery, its neighbour on the point.

Behind the waterfront stands The Point, the biggest shopping complex on the island, with residential apartments at the tip. Pjazza Tigné, an open square, sits beside the mall.

Visiting

From the Sliema Ferries landing, where the Valletta boat docks, follow the pedestrian belvedere along the south side of the point to the foreshore restaurants.

Then cut inland to Pjazza Tigné. The mall entrance, the cafés and the route towards the fort and the shoreline all lead off the square.

See the fort and battery edge while the light is good, then eat on the square as the day cools. To carry on, follow Sliema Front, the town's promenade, to St Julian's, about 40 minutes on foot.

Tips

For a swim, the development points to sea access off the headland at Tigné South. In summer, the beach clubs along the Qui-si-Sana shoreline, a short walk north, add pools and steps down to rocky shores.

Heading on to Qui-si-Sana, use the dual carriageway and tunnel from the Tigné seafront: they shorten the route along the peninsula's southern edge, by car or on foot.