At noon and 16:00, Monday to Saturday, gunners in period uniform fire a cannon above the Grand Harbour, and your ticket puts you close to it, at the oldest saluting battery still in operation.
Fortress, Valletta. Meridian Dispatch.
At 12:00 and 16:00, Monday to Saturday, as of November 2026. A ticket includes viewing of both firings from the battery's platform, close to the guns.
Monday to Saturday, 09:30 to 17:30, as of November 2026. Last admission is at 17:00, an hour after the second firing of the day, and the last guided tour leaves at 16:05.
Yes. Wirt Artna, the trust that runs the site, offers guided tours in English every hour from 10:15 through the day, and the ticket covers them.
The Lascaris War Rooms, WWII command tunnels built under the battery and the gardens, which Wirt Artna runs too. A separate guided tour of the War H.Q. Tunnels starts from the battery, with tickets there or online.
By steps, which lead from the gardens down to the battery on the tier directly below. Battery Street, adjacent to the battery, gives a second way in.
Yes. The battery welcomes photographs in most areas of the site. Tripods and selfie sticks may not be used inside unless arrangements have been made in advance, so a handheld camera or phone needs no booking.
The Order of St John built the battery in 1566 on a lower tier of the fortifications, directly beneath Upper Barrakka Gardens and overlooking the Grand Harbour. A row of guns stands along it, placed to command the harbour entrance, and eight of them are working replicas.
The guns fire blank charges, and they also mark special occasions with ceremonial salutes. Ships in the harbour once set their clocks by the noon gun. The afternoon gun began as a signal, twenty minutes before sunset, that the city gates were closing for the night.
On the platform you see the saluting guns up close, a fully restored gunpowder magazine, a side-arm store and a collection of original muzzle-loading guns and ammunition.
The Malta Time-Gun Museum fills a sunken artillery battery from Valletta's original defences. It shows how cannon and time-balls signalled the time for navigation, and how artillery developed, through original cannon, uniforms, instruments and equipment used at the battery.
From City Gate, follow the signs along South Street to Castille Place, past the Auberge de Castille and into the gardens, then take the steps down into the battery. You can also walk in from Battery Street, the first right as you enter St Ursula Street.
Wirt Artna, a voluntary heritage trust, runs the site. The ticket covers a guided tour, an audio guide in several languages, the firings and entry to the Malta Time-Gun Museum.
Online is the cheapest way to buy, and tickets on site are card only. The firings draw large audiences, so buy in advance and be at the battery 15 minutes before the firing you want.
Take the tour first, then watch the firing from the platform and look round the magazine. Finish at the museum, under the Malta Stock Exchange Building on the right of the gardens entrance, by the horse cabs.
The gun is very loud at close range. If sudden noise troubles you, bring ear protection or stand a little further back.
You can watch the firing free from the terrace of Upper Barrakka Gardens above, though that viewing area can get crowded.
The bus station is a 5 to 10 minute walk away, so count that in when you time your arrival for a firing.
Stay in Valletta and two harbours are a short walk from your bed: the Barrakka Lift takes you down to the Grand Harbour for the ferry to the Three Cities, and on the other side of the city the Sliema ferry crosses Marsamxett.
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