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This page provides the visitor with
an overview of amenities in Birgu (Vittoriosa), ranging from restaurants and
wine bars to the Local Council and even one of the largest outdoor markets
on the island.
The development of the Marina waterfront has been accompanied by investment in a number of restaurants mainly in the Old Treasury Buildings. One can eat outdoors (as well as indoors), and admire the marina as well as the sea view. The Two and a half lemon restaurant serves very good food... if you're prepared to wait patiently for it. There are other very good restaurants along the Marina including 'Riviera della Marina', Sottovento' (mainly lighter meals) and 'Tate' (a good vegetarian choice). On a higher level (also along the Marina), and accessible by stairs or life is Don Berto. The main courses here are very good though the desserts seem to come off a confectionery shelf. However other parts of Birgu are also enjoying this flourishing of places to eat. Slightly off the beaten track, Taverna Sugu serves excellent food cooked by a dedicated chef owner (albeit, on one occasion an unreliable connection when it came to credit card validation). As far as traditional Maltese cuisine, in the author's opinion, it's the best in Birgu and amongst the best on the island.
There are various wine bars elsewhere typically in the late medieval streets of Birgu, for example: Del Borgo, il-Forn and l'Angolo di Vino. Depending on the day of the week, time of day, and time of year they can be quite busy. Each tends to have its own style. Il-Forn provides both indoors seating and a courtyard full of artworks, and a genuine 'oven' (hence the name). On the other hand, the 'ambience' of Del-Borgo is much more like that of a wine-cellar with vaulted stone arches, and it has the most classical ambience, as well as reasonably priced good food. A more recent addition to Birgu's repertoire of wine bars is 'Lupanara' which is more expensive than the average Birgu wine bar.
dCentre ('Blue
Doors') is at the bottom end of
Main Gate Street (just before the Main Square).and is a 'Café-Dine-Wine'
(it serves lovely desserts / confectionery). In
fact, as regards snacks (rather than necessarily haute cuisine) there are about four establishments in or very close to 'Misrah ir-Rebha' (Victory Square) a good central location to see the world go by while enjoying a light snack, but without a view of the sea. The Cafe du Brazil - built on the old site of the Church of St Agatha, and subsequently St Nicholas ) had a major overhaul in 2007. If you don't mind spelling mistakes in the menu, and an anthropomorphically challenged midget knight outside the door, the food is wholesome. If you do there are other
similar snack bars, a few metres away on either side. A long standing
(about 80 years old) establishment for snacks is the Cafe Riche in Paul Boffa Street, just outside the fortifications of old Birgu - very close to the main bus stop and to the outdoor market mentioned below. The Olde City Pub in St Lawrence Street provides 'pastizzi' and other snacks.
Please refer to the companion
directory page for links to the above and other establishments.
Birgu Local Council has its office in the 'Couvre Porte' area, leading onto a ravelin which is part of the main complex of fortifications guarding access to Birgu on the landward side. The office sells some of the booklets and media described on a companion page in this website, as well as providing various services and advisory functions for residents and visitors. The offices should be moving to the Auberge D'Angleterre which is more centrally situated.
There is a small public library in Birgu. It is situated in Triq il-Majjistral (Mistral Street), in a historic building which had been the Auberge d'Angleterre during the mid sixteenth century. An image of a plaque on the library wall is shown alongside - commemorating also the residence nearby of Sir Oliver Starkey who was the Turcopilier (light cavalry commander).
The building is unique in a sense since, although in Birgu it is a relic of an English Knight Hospitaller 'headquarters', there is no comparable building in Valletta. Thankfully it was spared the ravages of the Second World War. The architecture of the building is typical of its time and therefore it is well worth visiting briefly.
The library is modestly stocked, with a reference section as well as books which can be borrowed (if you have the right card). The librarian is very helpful.
Although Birgu is proud to proclaim itself a city, its retail facilities are more in keeping with those of a small to medium sized Maltese village. This is part of Birgu's charm - long may it last.
There are at least a dozen shops (grocers or 'general stores') in which one can find staple food of some description. Do not expect a range of choice to rival Fortnum and Mason! The shops tend to be family-run; turnover in the shops is low, and opening hours sometimes erratic and unpredictable. However they provide the basics in a friendly environment and deserve the custom that they get.
One fairly typical example of a small grocer shop is the Malaya store (image alongside). It can be found on the left in Triq il-Mina l-Kbira (Main Gate Street) soon after old Birgu entering via the Main Gate and close to the band club associated with the feast and patron saint of the Dominican Church of the Annunciation. The visitor may well wonder what prompted the choice of name. The name 'Malaya' is not haphazard but has good historical, and probably economic reasons. It is named after the Royal Navy 'fifteen inch' battleship Malaya, one of five 'super-dreadnought' sister ships of the Queen Elizabeth Class. Malaya's history started in the First World War (including the Battle of Jutland) and ended just after the Second World War during which she served in the Mediterranean attacking the Italian enemy and escorting Malta convoys. There were once two or three establishments bearing Malaya's name and at that time the most notable (and profitable) was the bar which was frequented by British sailors (including some from the eponymous ship). Now only the grocery remains.
As one walks in the direction of Misrah ir-Rebha (Victory Square) on one's right shortly before the Inquisitor's palace, there is Chetwyn's confectionery. On the same (Main Gate) Street, other shops include a stationery on the left and a pharmacy with physicians' consulting rooms on the right.
Birgu also has some stationery shops, a couple of souvenir shops, clothes shops, houseware and ironmongery shops, three butchers' shops (the one in Hilda Tabone Street being the most hygienic in this author's opinion), a pharmacy (jn Main Gate Street), a few hairdressers and some other establishments such as a DVD rental shop.
The bakery in Triq ic-Centinarju tal-Parrocca ( a minute's walk from the square ) is open from around 5am to 3pm. It sells excellent Maltese bread freshly baked on the premises (before your eyes) as well as confectionery and ice cream ( not manufactured on the premises! ).
Small concerns such as these tend not to have a presence in cyberspace, but links to some which do are listed in a companion page.
There are no daily outdoor markets, but there are two or three which function regularly:
The main one is a large outdoor market / 'flea market ' called 'il-Monti' every Tuesday morning just outside the fortified walls of old Birgu. The hustle and bustle is evident in the image below and to the right. The streets alongside and in between the old and newer lines of fortifications are closed to motor vehicle traffic and hundreds of hawkers' stalls are set up early in the morning. Goods sold range from clothing, to housewares, foodstuffs, plants and many more items besides. By 11.00 am some of the vendors begin to pack up, though others stay open for longer.
The
photo alongside shows il-Monti - Incidentally the fortified Notre Dame de
Grace gate in
the background of the market is young by Birgu's standards as it is part of the outer defences
of the Three Cities constructed in the 18th century. It leads on to Zabbar.
There is also a "boot sale", held at il-Fortini on the outskirts of old Birgu starting early every Sunday morning until noon (or earlier) - one can find 'antiques' (usually bric-a-brac) and odd artefacts in this market.
The following establishments in Birgu (Vittoriosa) had been stated as participating in "Fair pricing Agreements in Retailing" (FAIR):
Antoine Borg , Barbara Store, Barocco Store , Cassar Bakery ,
De La Salle Bookshop & Clothes Shop ,
Flumish Petshop , Fortini Kiosk , Franka Lira Bazaar , Freddie’s Salon ,
Hanut Tal-Laham (Mario Mifsud) , Highlight Stationery ,
Limelite Confectionery , Malaya Store ,
Mary Green Grocer , Mifsud Garage Ltd , Mix Appeal ,
Old City Marine Supplies , Old City Pub , Old Tommy’s Confectionery ,
Parascandalo , Pjazzetta Self Service , Popular Store ,
Quattro Stagioni , Rita Green Grocer , Rock Gate Bar ,
Sala Dumnika Bar , Seasons of Style , Shelton , Sottovento Pizzeria ,
St Lawrence Discount Store , Step In Bazaar/DVD Rentals ,
The 3 Gates Gift Gallery , Tommy Self Service , & Vittoriosa Pharmacy.
Check the accompanying Links Page for the minority of the above that have a website.
I have yet to see a florist in Birgu and remain bemused by websites which claim to deliver from florists in the centre of Birgu.
If you're looking for beaches, then Birgu is not the place for you. Sewage and other pollution in the Grand Harbour generally is a problem, and all 'closed' harbour areas are officially 'non-bathing' areas.
It is (just) possible to swim in Kalkara
creek, the inlet on the East side of the Birgu promontory, but the sea water
here is polluted. However
the Government
announced plans in January 2008 to remove the tank cleaning
'farm' at Rinella (close to Fort Ricasoli) and to refurbish the (small) sandy beach in Kalkara creek. This
would clearly entail an overhaul of the surrounding sewerage system, the deposition of thousands of tons of sand,
as well as a design such that the sea does not wash it away again. Fingers crossed -
pigs may yet fly!
There is a short cut to the Kalkara water front from Birgu through the Gate of Auvergne which is a small tunnel within St James' Bastion just to the East of St James Cavalier (between it and the Post of Castille) thence over a bridge crossing the ditch (moat), and then down several steps - while carefully dodging the business cards of irresponsible dog walkers.
Moreover if one walks through Kalkara it is also possible to swim in the very small sandy bay of Rinella, and a swimmers' zone has been officially designated here. This beach is about 25 minutes on foot from Birgu. Unfortunately this tiny stretch of sand is still closely overshadowed by the 'tank cleaning farm' but if this were to be removed as proposed, the beach would be less vulnerable to pollution from this source at least. The image alongside shows swimmers in July 2008 during a bus and taxi strike.
Birgu is apparently too small to have a branch of any bank, or even an ATM yet (but an application has been made for one at 'Xatt ir-Risq' i.e. close to the Marina).
Bormla (Cospicua) the adjacent youngest one of 'The Three Cities', has branches of the following two banks:
HSBC: 50 Triq il-Pellegrinagg BML 1580 (Tel: 23802380), is the closest bank to Birgu if one walks along the main waterfront (the one facing Isla / Senglea ) in the direction of Bormla (Cospicua) past the old 'Number One Dock'.
Bank of Valletta: 53, Gavino Gulia Square, CSP 02 (Tel: 21312020) is not much further on - in the heart of Bormla.
Birgu does not have a main post office, but it has sub-post office facilities at 'Step In' located in the main square i.e. Victory Square (Misraħ Ir-Rebħa).
The following information about locations of the respective facilities has been obtained from the Maltapost.com website:
| Identification Code |
Access Point Type |
Address |
| L152 | Letterboxes | Triq Il-Mina il-Kbira - (Main Gate Street) |
| 165 | Letterboxes | Triq San Filippu - (St.Philip Street) |
| L153 | Letterboxes | Misraħ Ir-Rebħa - (Victory Square) |
| L166 | Letterboxes | Triq San Lawrenz - (St. Lawrence Street) |
| L167 | Letterboxes | Triq San Dwardu - (St. Edward Street) |
| S07 | Sub Post Offices | Step In - Misraħ Ir-Rebħa - (Victory Square) |
| BRG 1022 00 | Stamp Vendors | Hi-lights Stationery - 51 Triq Il-Mina L-Kbira - (Main Gate Street) |
| BRG 1300 00 | Stamp Vendors | Step-In - Misrah Ir-Rebħa - (Victory Square) |
Buses are now run by Arriva
(since 3rd July 2011)
Arriva Bus routes 2, 3 and 3N (night service to St Julians) serve Birgu, though strangely the official Birgu destination / origin bus number 2 no longer stops / departs from what was the Birgu bus terminus but the 'through' buses do stop there. From Valletta these buses can be caught from stand 14.
Local route 121 (map and timetable) also runs close to Birgu.
Route 213 (every 90 minutes) operates to Mater Dei hospital and the University.
A family run taxi firm (doubling up as an ironmongery) operates from the centre of Birgu
Water taxi services are available from the Marina entrance:
The traditional 'dghajsa' service is the more expensive 'A&S' water taxi service. In 2010, 5 Euros per head was being charged for the short trip across the harbour to Valletta but discounts could be had if a group was prepared to haggle.
A more recent and economic modern alternative is Malta Water Taxis
Birgu is not well endowed with WiFi but some establishments such as Del Borgo provide this. The Council also offers this facility to the public close to their premises. Check the Links Page to 'find' WiFi