Spread out before you is our favourite of Valletta’s three main gardens, the Upper Barrakka Gardens. Perched at the highest point of the city’s bastions, this peaceful spot was first created in 1661. Back then,it wasoff-limits to the public, and reserved exclusively for the Knights of the Order of St John, who would come here to unwind or train. The site gradually opened up to the Maltese people after the end of French occupation in 1800. Today, visitors get to enjoy both the lush greenery and the sweeping views from the famous balcony. It’s one of the most iconic sights in Valletta, with the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities perfectly framed as if in a living postcard. Don’t be alarmed by the cannons of the Saluting Battery. While they’re fired every day at noon by members of the Malta Heritage Society, they’re purely decorative the rest of the time.