Let’s get this straight – walking around Valletta, Malta’s capital is pretty much like walking through a very big and very colorful open-air museum. The city was also chosen for the European Capital of Culture 2018 and I can totally understand why. So choosing only 3 best locations for photography is, let’s say, quite minimalist (and of course very subjective). But let’s give it a try!
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1. Triq Zekka Street
Triq Zekka is a long street finding its way from the west to the east through the entire Old Town of Valletta, Malta. It creates a nice effect as it starts on a hill in the western part, goes down in the middle and then rises again. The street creates a perfect leading line to the point of interest – the Dome of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a symbol of the city. That is really the cherry on top!
There is one tiny drawback – the street is relatively dark in comparison to the sky, so a good dynamic range or post-processing will be necessary (see my previous article, where I talked about Dynamic Range). My MacGyver-quality solution was a polarizer, which did surprisingly well and darkened the sky OK.
In the evening, you may get some really amazing sky in the background.
2. Parking lot in the northwest of the Old Town
Yes, that’s right. One of the best spots in Valletta for photography is a parking lot. I can assure you that not much is going on in terms of tourists and just look at that view! Perfect location for sunset.
As it might be a bit tricky to find, here’s the Google StreetView:
Plus, there is a restaurant called Giannini right there, which is supposed to be really good.
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3. Cute balconies – pretty much everywhere
Grab a ‘ftira’ (traditional, sandwich-like or pizza-like street food) and take a random stroll through the old town. Always look up – there are so many of these beautifully vintage colorful cool balconies around! From the photography equipment – having a wide lens with you is definitely a good idea, as there is usually not much space in the streets. And as usual – a tripod is useful if you want to keep your images noise-free.
Would you believe this one below is actually a bar in the southern part of the Old Town? It’s called Bridge Bar, it has quite a vibe, people often stand or sit outside enjoying their drinks and it seems to be on a bar bucket list (is there such thing?) of everyone visiting the city. Still – seriously cool location.
+1. Hotel room La Falconeria, Valletta
Alright, I realize, this one is not for everyone. Which is why I marked it as +1. But! If you’re lucky enough to get a room with a balcony at hotel La Falconeria, you won’t regret a penny.
I enjoyed sunrises from the room in particular. Normally, photographing a sunrise somewhere involves getting up really early, traveling and hiking in the dark and so on. Here, I only had to get out of my decadently comfortable bed, set up my tripod on the balcony and enjoy the luxurious view.
I also took this image below from inside of the room and included the window for framing my subject in the shot (the Dome of Our Lady of Mount Carmel). By the way, if you’d like to know more about framing, leading lines and other useful photography stuff, make sure you subscribe and get my free ebook. 🙂
One last tip. Unless you want to go for a swim, Malta is a year-round destination. It can get really hot in summer but winters are mild and moist. So don’t be afraid of going in winter. All my pictures were actually taken in January!
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Amazing photography! Make me feel a need to visit there now. I love cities with architecture like these.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I really enjoyed Valetta and its stunning architecture when I went 6 years ago. Great pics!
It really is a beautiful city! 🙂
All the pictures seems unreal!! I’ve not ever heard of this place so was great to dicover a new place for my travel list
Nice to hear that! Maybe you’ll visit it one day!
Lovely photos! Malta has been on my list for a while, and this post just makes me want to go even more 🙂 I had no idea there were so many balconies, it reminds me of Tbilisi a little
Thanks, Luda 🙂 Yeah the balconies are really everywhere and so cute!
Breathtaking photos! Makes me want to go book my ticket right away!
Thank you! Go for it! 😀
I always wanted to visit this place so badly! Now I can’t wait! All the spots are gorgeous, so many stunning views! I loved the balconies! This place is so magical and dreamy!
Yes, it’s such a colorful place, bursting with history, too!
I loooved the short time lapse video and got an amazing flavor Valletta. The place looks fabulous and so arty in its own way! The colors so vibrant would be an immediate mood up-lifter. While I love the pictures a lot, can you share some tips on making such a wonderful video 🙂 ?
Yes, Valletta is such a mood-booster, especially in winter! Time-lapse setting is available on many modern cameras, action cams and even smartphones. For the GIF, I used ezgif.com, it’s very simple. 🙂 I might be writing an article on this topic soon! Thanks for stopping by!
Wow your photos are gorgeous you are so talented! And that time lapse video is so cool!
Thank you so much, Nadia!
i love photographing architecture and ur visuals are stunning
Thanks so much! 🙂
Lovely spots, views are beautiful. And I really liked the timlapse at the start. What was it shot with? I consider punting some of timelapces to my blog, but my camera doesn’t do them well.
Thank you! I have a Canon 80D 🙂
You are a very talented photographer! May I ask what camera you are using? I am looking at upgrading mine!
Thank you so much (blush blush :D), I use a Canon 80D 🙂
I absolutely adore Malta on the whole, Valletta in particular! The architecture is incredible, I love all the balconies and the mix of histories going back through the centuries. I only got to spend one day in Valletta and it certainly was not enough, must go back!
Oh yes, really amazing place, I hope you’ll be able to come back one day! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Stunning photos! This is a great post for me as I’m planning on visiting Malta this year. Hope to take shots like these 🙂
I’m sure you’ll love the city! 🙂