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Valletta Waterfront and Grand Harbour (Il-Port il-Kbir) are two of the most notable landmarks for people arriving at Maltese island directly from Mediterranean, they welcome millions of cruise passengers every year with a quantity of excellent services.
Valletta Waterfront, also known as Pinto's Wharf, is a very versatile center, a multi-purpose area and one of the most frequented meeting points of Valletta due to its extraordinary offer including high quality entertainment, a complete mix of retail, dining, leisure experiences and shopping, festivities and outdoor themed events all year round and much more...a dream destination become increasingly popular over the years for tourists and locals. Its origins date back to the 18th century, when was commissioned by the Knights of St. John's Grand Master Manuel Pinto de Fonseca as a simple pier and place where merchants used to unload their wares, once renovated, the old warehouses of this Baroque masterpiece were replaced with a leisure complex for locals and million cruise passengers as well as a famous cruise and ferry terminal also providing efficient and affordable transport services within the Grand Harbour and neighbouring areas; Valletta Waterfront is certainly worth a visit, whether we're looking for luxurious restaurants, events or simply a moment for a walk along the promenade, Valletta Waterfront has it all, either day or night a simple stroll while admiring all breathtaking panoramic views around, including a lovely view of Senglea (o L-Isla), can turn into a marvelous experience!
Also known as Isla, this stunning city, one of the heaviest fortified cities of Malta, belongs to Three Cities (or Cottonera Lines) also including Cospicua (Bormla) and Vittoriosa (Birgu), rightly claimed to be the cradle of Maltese history. Although its smaller dimensions, it boasts a rich historic heritage, many buildings and massive bastions and fortifications, which give spectacular views on the Grand Harbour, were built during the age of the Knights of St. John, Senglea is also nicknamed "Civitas Invicta" as unconquered during the Ottoman invasion at the Great Siege of 1565, however it was mostly destroyed by bombings during the WWII and suffered heavy losses including rare architectural masterpieces dating back to its first construction in the 16th century; originally a small island later partially connected to the mainland for strategic reasons by the Knights Hospitaller (the Maltese name "Isla" derives from the Italian "isola", island) it protrudes with its oldest part into the Grand Harbour and is still enclosed by massive fortifications guarding the harbour and the opposite side where the capital Valletta (Il-Belt Valletta) is located as they did a longtime ago.
There are a variety of activities and events taking place in Senglea throughout the year as well as tourist attractions all worth a visit, most of them still a reminder of its glorious past, through a simple stroll it is possible to reach them, just a few words to mention the most important must-sees: the look-out garden (Gnien il-Gardjola) and the stone vedette where one can enjoy a blend of history and the Mediterranean, a variety of architectural buildings in British style, Senglea Point with its magnificent views of Valletta and Grand Harbour, narrow streets still holding a number of ancient buildings, religious treasures such as the miraculous statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer (Ir-Redentur ta `l-Isla) situated in the Basilica dedicated to The Birth of the Virgin Mary or the statue Madonna of the Middle (il-Madonna Tan-Nofs), originally placed in the main road as a sign of gratitude to the Virgin for protecting Senglea from the 1813 plague; moreover a stroll along the nearby Vittoriosa's promenade will offer magnificent views of Senglea, among the most beautiful in the world. We can't forget to mention the famous boatyard, enlarged and developed by British, it has become increasingly important over the years for its role in the economic growth of the city, it sees thousands of cruise passengers embarking and disembarking every day and offers all types of services and works to make more comfortable the stay of the big cruise ships, a real attraction for tourists and locals.
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Kenta Maru is a chilled whole tuna transport cargo vessel registered in Japan. Later put into containers and shipped from Malta via the Freeport facility at Marsaxlokk.
Most of the ships shown on marine traffic anchored off the NE coast are waiting for orders. It is like having your truck parked until there is an order for you to deliver. Again it is a boom for an Island that is situated in the middle of a busy merchant route. It was very useful for the British when they had an empire.
Good morning Margaret and thank you for confirming ! Just seen something different...law enforcement vessel Sabah quickly passed by this cam but I didn't realize I wasn't signed in so I didn't manage to take a pic. Disappointed :(
Good morning Ann, yes, according to Marine Traffic it certainly looks like Kenta Maru.
Does anyone know what ship this is that we can see the tip of? It looks like it might be cargo ship Kenta Maru.
This cam would welcome the removal of the unsightly oil rigs after what seems to be a very long refit. The Tourism minister please note.
As you said Ann very quite for cruise ships till the end of this year. Other than MSC Grandiosa each week the only other ships I can see coming in before April are Spirit of Discovery on 28th January, Boudicca on 10th March, Marco Polo on 16th March, Marella Celebration on 21st March and then Oceana on 2nd April to start her summer season again.
Hi Carol, thank you very much for the recommendation. I will most certainly have a look at them when it's daylight. Sorry I missed AidaStella...love those ships !
Hi Ann. I do like the other vessels, but Teneriffe as Margaret knows as well has lots of visits from the cruise ships. Only today visiting were Sea Cloud ll and Aida Stella. Madeira and Lanzarote are also popular. Have a wander around Santa Cruz de Teneriffe ;) lovely harbour and great weather at the moment.
Margaret, only 3 more ships left to come in this cruise season according to my schedule, other than La Belle and Grandiosa. Sad but as I was saying to Carol, we'll just have to get used to looking at other vessels now, some of which can be quite interesting !
JCC, thank you very much for that interesting info. Just had to take pics of her as she was so little and cute compared to the usual big and bulky tankers.
Carol, you're welcome. I enjoy seeing the other vessels too, especially if they're not your typical-looking ship. I guess we'll have to enjoy those even more now that cruise ship season ends in a week :(
JCC, thank you for that, when you look at the marine traffic site you can see the enormous number of ships that pass near to Malta, but I've never really thought about them re-fuelling etc.
Ignore me Carol, I see that it's moved - I hadn't looked for a while as it was annoying me!
Hi Carol, are you viewing Tenerife on the moving camera (where we could see the steel structure) or do you have another?
Morning Margaret, Ann and my friends;) Looking forward to photo's of the ones I missed too. Pleased we have the bridge cams. Pacific showing a nice view. Canaries have a good selection of the cruise ships we have been used to seeing all summer. I do like seeing the other vessels too Ann, thank you.