As cities go, Valletta is tiny. It measures less than 1 sq km (0.4 sq miles) and you can walk across its widest point in less than 20 minutes. Within that space, however, shady atmospheric alleyways link grand squares, and glorious baroque palazzi sit alongside bars and shopfronts that have hardly changed in over a century.

Set at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Valletta is one of the best preserved fortified cities in the world and one of the architectural showpieces of Europe. It was built by the Knights of St John immediately after the Great Siege of 1565, during which the vastly outnumbered knights turned back the might of the hitherto invincible Ottoman Empire and thus arguably saved Western Europe.

Riches poured into Malta from grateful courts across the continent and much of this went into constructing the new city. The Turks never returned but in 1942 Malta was at the centre of world events once more due to its strategic importance to the Allies. Once again it took a fearful pounding from a vastly superior force (this time the German Luftwaffe) but once again it held firm, and thus helped shape world events for a second time in its history.

You'll need good walking shoes and sturdy legs to explore, as there are hundreds of steps and the only real way to get around is on foot. The city occupies a promontory, is enclosed by mighty bastions and curtain walls, and boasts magnificent sea views.

In contrast to the tiny metropolis, Grand Harbour, home to the British Navy until 1979, is the biggest and arguably the most impressive harbour in all the Mediterranean.