The fortress captial city Valletta on the Sciberras peninsula, divides Marsamxett Harbour from the larger parallel natural harbour, Grand Harbour. The use of Grand harbour dates back to prehistoric times to circa 3700 BC. The Grand Harbour has been described as Malta's greatest geographic asset. Grand Harbour is bounded to the north Saint Elmo Point and the bastions of Valletta, and is bounded to the south by Ricasoli Point and the Three Cities of Cospicua, Vittoriosa, and Senglea. Fort Saint Angelo in Vittoriosa was the base for the Order of Saint John for 268 years, from 1530 to 1798. The area was the scene of much of the fighting in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565 when the Ottomans attempted to eject the Order of St. John but were ultimately defeated. The area was heavily bombed during the Second Siege of Malta during World War II, as the docks and military installations around the port became targets, causing a large number of civilian casualties.

The harbour cruise starts from Sliema. You can either stay on board for the 90 minute cruise back to Sliema or (weather permitting) hop-off at the Esplora Interactive Science Centre in Kalkara to visit the science centre and the Three Cities and then hop-on later from Esplora at 11:40, 13:40 or 15:55 to return to Sliema. Esplora Interactive Science Centre is a fun, recreational and educational interactive space for visitors of all ages. Over 200 indoor and outdoor interactive science exhibits make science fun. An exciting Activity Centre allows visitors to experience hands-on workshops and entertaining science shows. Esplora’s stunning Planetarium includes a Colour space 4K theatre showing full-dome shows and live presenter-led visualizations of astronomy and other sciences. Visitors are encouraged to explore, think and imagine as they immerse themselves in a positive and exciting interactive experience.