Hastings Gardens

Garden

Garden · Valletta, Malta 35.8972°N 14.5083°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Hastings Gardens

Time needed

30 minutes

Cost

FreeNo ticket needed

Effort

Steps upRenzo Piano stairs

Access

At City GateShort walk from the buses

Guide

Not neededGo on your own

Entry

Is Hastings Gardens free to visit?

Yes. Entry to Hastings Gardens is free and needs no ticket. The garden is open daily and sits on the bastions just inside City Gate, a short walk from the main bus terminal.

Hours

What are the opening hours of Hastings Gardens?

Hastings Gardens opens every day from about 07:00. Closing time changes through the year, from dusk in some seasons to as late as 22:00, so a visit in daylight is the safe choice.

Lord Hastings

Who was Lord Hastings in Valletta?

Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Marquess of Hastings, was British Governor of Malta from 1824 to 1826. He died at sea in 1827 and lies in the neoclassical tomb at the centre of the garden.

Climb the stairs just inside City Gate and you are on top of Valletta's western walls, in a small garden looking across the water to Sliema and Manoel Island.

What makes it special

From the parapet, the key viewpoints overlook Marsamxett Harbour, with Msida Creek also in sight. Floriana is in view as well, and so is City Gate.

The garden sits on top of St John's Bastion and St Michael's Bastion, part of the defences on the city's western flank. It is a small public garden, laid out on two terraced levels that stretch across both bastions.

The neoclassical monument in the middle is the garden's centrepiece. Designed by Adriano De Vina, it is the tomb of Lord Hastings, a British governor of Malta. He lies buried inside it, and the garden around it was laid out as a lasting tribute to him.

Visiting

Walk in through City Gate and climb the stairs designed by Renzo Piano, which start just inside it. They bring you out on top of the walls at the eastern end of the garden.

From there, follow the garden west along the bastions, with benches to rest on along the way. The tomb stands roughly halfway along, a natural place to stop and take in the harbour.

This is the spot in Valletta for walking along the old city walls. A separate gate at the far west end gives you another way in or out, so the walk does not have to end where it began.