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Vittoriosa and Valletta Full Day Second World War Tour
1 day
Full Day
Instant confirmation
About this activity
This is the only tour available in Malta which is dedicated to Malta’s British history. During the tour you will hear why the British came to Malta, what happened and why they left.
The tour will begin in Vittoriosa where you will see the fortifications which date back to the times of the Knights and were later used by the British for their defensive purpose. You will visit the maze like, underground Air Raid shelters and relive the conditions of what has been referred to as the Second Great Siege of Malta. These subterranean bomb shelters were excavated in the solid rock and were extended as the war progressed.
After a short walk of Vittoriosa you will be driven to Valletta by bus. You will walk to the upper Barrakka Garden which enjoys a spectacular view of the Grand Harbour (the largest natural harbor of the Mediterranean Sea), which was a British military base and the main reason why Malta came under fire as soon as Mussolini declared war on the Allied forces.
“The declaration of war has already been consigned to the ambassadors of Great Britain and France.” Benito Mussolini 1940
A walk around the streets of Valletta will take you by the Palace which was used by Napoleon Bonaparte, the second world war Victory (Soup) Kitchen, Queen Victoria’s statue and the ruins of the Royal Opera House which was destroyed at the peak of the bombings in Malta.
“This is not the end. It is not the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Winston Churchill 1942
After some free time for a lunch break you will walk to the lower level of Valletta to the Malta War Museum. The museum itself is situated at Fort St. Elmo, an original defensive system built by the Knights which also was modified to serve the British military purpose. Among the numerous exhibits are the fuselage of one of the legendary Gloster Gladiators and well as the E-boat (human torpedo).
“Without Malta the Axis will end by losing control of North Africa.” Field Marshal Erwin Rommel 1941
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The tour will begin in Vittoriosa where you will see the fortifications which date back to the times of the Knights and were later used by the British for their defensive purpose. You will visit the maze like, underground Air Raid shelters and relive the conditions of what has been referred to as the Second Great Siege of Malta. These subterranean bomb shelters were excavated in the solid rock and were extended as the war progressed.
After a short walk of Vittoriosa you will be driven to Valletta by bus. You will walk to the upper Barrakka Garden which enjoys a spectacular view of the Grand Harbour (the largest natural harbor of the Mediterranean Sea), which was a British military base and the main reason why Malta came under fire as soon as Mussolini declared war on the Allied forces.
“The declaration of war has already been consigned to the ambassadors of Great Britain and France.” Benito Mussolini 1940
A walk around the streets of Valletta will take you by the Palace which was used by Napoleon Bonaparte, the second world war Victory (Soup) Kitchen, Queen Victoria’s statue and the ruins of the Royal Opera House which was destroyed at the peak of the bombings in Malta.
“This is not the end. It is not the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Winston Churchill 1942
After some free time for a lunch break you will walk to the lower level of Valletta to the Malta War Museum. The museum itself is situated at Fort St. Elmo, an original defensive system built by the Knights which also was modified to serve the British military purpose. Among the numerous exhibits are the fuselage of one of the legendary Gloster Gladiators and well as the E-boat (human torpedo).
“Without Malta the Axis will end by losing control of North Africa.” Field Marshal Erwin Rommel 1941
Included
- Local taxes
- Live commentary on board
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Entry/Admission - Fort St Elmo - National War Museum
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
80%
Reviews
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Our tour consisted of 5 things, and I'll rate each of these items separately. 1 Pickup at Cirkewwa Ferry 2 Malta-at War Museum 3 Walk through Historic Valetta 4 National War Museum at St Elmo 5 Drop Off 1 The pickup was a bit chaotic, as no one showed up to pick us up. We tried to call the main number provided by the website, but no one answered the phone. We had to call Viator direclty, and after about 15 minutes of trying Viator was able to contact the operator and arranged to have someone pick us up. We were about an hour late. The bus driver claimed he witnessed an accident and had to wait to file a police report. Of course, there is no way for us to verify this. Interestingly, the operator called several of his/her colleagues at the Ferry Terminal to check that we were real people waiting for them. 2 This part of the tour was fantastic. We had an excellent guide who took us through the museum, including the old WW2 bunkers. He told us some excellent stories about the life in the bunkers, and life in Malta during WW2. Highly recommended. 3 The walk about Historic Malta was interesting, but not really relevant about WW2. We took about an hour lunch break separately, which was nice, but ate up a lot of time that was really unnecessary. 4 This was museum was quite fascinating, and very interesting. However, we were left to our own devices to wander through the museum. Other than the admission to get in, I'm not sure what the value add of the tour was. 5 The tour was kind enough to drive us across the island during rush hour to drop us off back at Cirkewwa Ferry Terminal. Overall, I don't think the tour was good value for money, given that we paid 150 GBP for our family. However, the customer service after the pickup error was reasonable given the circumstances.