Just outside the city gate of Valletta lies the Hastings public garden. From here majestic views over Sliema, Floriana, and Manoel Island unfold. The name of the garden comes from the Marquis of Hastings, who was a governor of Malta. He died in 1827 and is buried in the garden.

This is an international cultural centre designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Centro Niemeyer is his first work in Spain and it is well visited by relevant personalities of the cultural world such as Nobel prize-winner Woyle Soyinka and famous actors like Kevin Spacey and Brad Pitt. Woody Allen has also included bits of it in his first film in Spain, Vicky Cristina Barcelona from 2008.

One thing is very clear on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road: "the journey is the reward". It is not about arriving at the top, it's about experiencing the pass road with all its views, places for a stop, display boards and information points. Various huts and restaurants along the road are waiting for your visit. At the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Höhe you have a unique view, which is dominated by the Grossglockner and the Pasterze, Austria's largest glacier. The hiking trails into the Gamsgrube amidst the special conservation area of the High Tauern National Park affords unique views and sightings of rare alpine animals, such as the majestic ibex and marmots.

Across the Grand Harbour, to the south of Valletta, are the historic fortified towns of Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea, commonly referred to as the three cities of Cottonera. If you only have time for one of them, Vittoriosa is the one most worth a visit. Here you'll find Fort St Angelo, the Inquisitor's Palace, and the Vittoriosa waterfront, which was refurbished in the early 2000s to once again reach up to its former glory.