Sliema sightseeing: plan your forts, bays and church stops
Sliema's sights spread along a waterfront rather than clustering in one square. The standout is Fort Manoel on Manoel Island, reached on foot from Gżira and facing Valletta across Marsamxett Harbour; allow 2-3 hours, and check with the operator before crossing, since openings have been occasional while restoration continues.
Much of the rest is free and outdoor: the Tower Road promenade carries Independence Garden and Sliema Point Battery, while Fort Tigné sits at the tip of Tigné Point, built by the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 1795. Interior access at Fort Tigné is restricted and needs permission, so come for the walls and harbour views.
Between the seafront walks, Sliema's churches give short pauses. Stella Maris Church on Triq il-Kbira holds a decorated Baroque nave, and Sacro Cuor on Triq San Trofimu is quiet mid-morning on a weekday. Holy Trinity is a working Anglican chaplaincy rather than a sightseeing stop, so check service times.
| Place | Time to allow | Cost | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Manoel, Manoel Island | 2-3 hours | – | Manoel Island, Marsamxett Harbour |
| Sliema Creek | half a day | – | Sliema waterfront |
| Fort Tigné, Sliema | 60 minutes | Free | Tigné Point, Sliema |
| Sliema Point Battery | 20-30 minutes | Free | Tower Road, Sliema peninsula |
| Stella Maris Church, Sliema | 20-30 minutes | free entry | Triq il-Kbira, Sliema |
| Balluta Buildings | 20-30 minutes | Free | Balluta Bay, St Julian's |
| Independence Garden, Sliema | 20-30 minutes | free entry | Tower Road, Sliema seafront |
| St Julian's Parish Church, Sliema | 15-20 minutes | free entry | St Julian's |
| Sacro Cuor Church, Sliema | 20-30 minutes | free entry | Triq San Trofimu, town centre |
| Spinola Palace, St Julian's | 15-20 minutes | Free | St Julian's hill, St Julian's |
| Jesus of Nazareth Church, Sliema | 10-20 minutes | – | Sliema seafront promenade, near St Anne's Square |
| Holy Trinity Church Sliema | half an hour, longer with a service | Free | Sliema |
Sliema attraction guides
Fort Manoel, Manoel Island: Visiting Guide for 2026
An eighteenth-century star fort on Manoel Island, reached on foot from Gżira and facing Valletta across Marsamxett Harbour. The sloping parade ground and bastion views repay the walk, but openings have been occasional, so check with the operator before crossing.
2-3 hours · Best for walkers wanting harbour fort views
Sliema Creek: A Visitor's Guide to Sliema's Harbour Inlet
An inlet best experienced either on foot along the 2 km promenade or from the Sliema–Valletta ferry, which crosses Marsamxett Harbour past Manoel Island and the Valletta bastions. Fares and sailing times are not published here, so confirm with the operator.
half a day · Best for ferry crossings and waterfront walks
Fort Tigné, Sliema: Visiting the Fort on Tigné Point
A low polygonal fort at the tip of Tigné Point, built by the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 1795. Entry is restricted and needs permission, so come for the walls, nearby Garden Battery and harbour views instead.
60 minutes · Free · Booking required · Best for walkers and harbour-view photographers
Sliema Point Battery: Visiting the Fort Sliema Site
A British artillery battery built between 1872 and 1876 at the tip of the Sliema peninsula, now occupied by the Il-Fortizza restaurant. Come for the walk out and the water on both sides, not for a fort interior to tour.
20-30 minutes · Free · Book ahead · Best for seafront walkers and view seekers
Stella Maris Church, Sliema: Visiting the Parish Church
Sliema's oldest parish church, on the main street through town, holds a decorated Baroque nave that is quiet between services. Look-ins are shaped by the published Mass times rather than set visitor hours, so time your stop away from a service.
20-30 minutes · free entry · Best for walkers on Triq il-Kbira
Balluta Buildings: Malta's Art Nouveau Landmark
A 1928 Art Nouveau apartment block above Balluta Bay, best read from the waterfront below, where the three bays, central arches and paired windows show clearly. It is a private residence, so there is no interior to tour.
20-30 minutes · Free · Best for coastal walkers and architecture fans
Independence Garden, Sliema: What to See and How Long It Takes
A free seafront garden on the Tower Road promenade where you can rest on a bench, let children use the swings or buy a drink at the kiosk. It's small and upkeep is patchy, with a resident cat colony.
20-30 minutes · free entry · Best for promenade walkers and families
St Julian's Parish Church, Sliema: What to Know Before You Go
A working Catholic parish in the St Julian's area, best treated as a brief stop on the coastal walk from Sliema through Balluta and Spinola. Check Mass times first; the door may well be shut.
15-20 minutes · free entry · Best for promenade walkers, church visitors
Sacro Cuor Church, Sliema: Visiting the Sacred Heart Parish
A working parish church on Triq San Trofimu, set back from Sliema's seafront among the townhouses. There is no ticket and no fixed visiting hours, so you may find the doors shut; go mid-morning on a weekday and seek out the Chapel of Adoration.
20-30 minutes · free entry · Best for quiet short church visit
Spinola Palace, St Julian's: What You Can See From Outside
A baroque palace on St Julian's hill that you see from the street, not from inside — the building is closed to the public apart from a cellar restaurant. Come for the façade and clock, then walk down to Spinola Bay.
15-20 minutes · Free · Book ahead · Best for coastal walkers and baroque façade spotters
Jesus of Nazareth Church, Sliema: A Visitor's Guide
An active Roman Catholic parish church on Sliema's seafront promenade, worth a short pause for its carved stone facade facing the waterfront. Opening hours are not published, so the parish door notice decides access on the day.
10-20 minutes · Best for promenade walkers passing through
Holy Trinity Church Sliema: Visiting Sliema's Anglican Church
An Anglican chaplaincy in Sliema's built-up grid, useful if you want an English-language service within walking distance of the seafront. It is a working church, not a sightseeing attraction, so check the worship pages for current service times before you go.
half an hour, longer with a service · Free · Best for English-language Anglican worshippers
Free stops along the seafront
Independence Garden on the Tower Road promenade costs nothing to enter: benches, children's swings and a kiosk for drinks, with a resident cat colony and patchy upkeep. Sliema Point Battery, built between 1872 and 1876 and now home to the Il-Fortizza restaurant, is free to walk out to, and the water sits on both sides.
Stella Maris, Sacro Cuor and St Julian's Parish Church all have free entry; look-ins are shaped by Mass times, and doors may be shut. Fort Tigné is free to view from outside despite the restricted interior, while Balluta Buildings is read from the waterfront below as a private residence.
Where permission or a check comes first
Fort Tigné's interior is restricted and needs permission, so plan around the exterior walls and the Garden Battery. At Fort Manoel, openings have been occasional while restoration continues, so confirm with the operator before making the walk from Gżira. For Sliema Creek, fares and sailing times for the Valletta ferry are worth confirming with the operator before you rely on a crossing.