Staying in Birgu: A Beautiful Apartment on Malta’s Grand Harbour

The first time I visited Malta, I stayed in a wonderful apartment in Senglea. On my next visit, that apartment was already booked, so we decided to stay across the harbor in Birgu.

And I am so glad we did.

Birgu, also known as Vittoriosa, sits along Malta’s Grand Harbour, directly across the water from Senglea. From here, you can also take a traditional water taxi across the harbor to Valletta, making it a wonderful location for exploring Malta.

Our Apartment in Birgu

When we visited in 2019, we stayed in an apartment called Fantastic Grand Harbour Sea Views. 

The apartment was located right next to Fort St. Angelo, which meant we were almost completely surrounded by water. We had the harbor on one side, the historic fort nearby, and some of the most beautiful views I have ever had from a place we were staying.

To reach the apartment, we walked past the moat and into the garage, where we took the elevator upstairs.  

Once we stepped outside, we immediately understood just how special the location was.

We knew the apartment was on the waterfront when we booked it, but we were still stunned when we arrived and saw the harbor right outside our door.

There was plenty of room for our party of five, and our host had even left cookies, chips, and bread for us. There was a kitchen with plenty of dishes, although we did not cook any meals during our stay

The View I Could Not Get Enough Of

My friend Holly and I spent a lot of our time at the apartment sitting on a ledge overlooking the harbor.

Honestly, we could have stayed there for hours.

There was something about sitting there, watching the boats and looking across the water, that made it feel like we had stepped into another world.

It was also a wonderful place to take photographs. We took turns photographing each other with the harbor as our backdrop, and those are some of my favorite memories from the trip.

It was also a great place to take photos. Above is a photo of Ashley and you will see Holly below.

 That's me!

Stepping Outside

This was the view we had when we walked out of the apartment.

To the left was Fort St. Angelo, and across the harbor was Valletta.

Just outside the front door, steps led down toward the waterfront. A few people were even swimming in the harbor while we were there, although the water was much too cold for me!

For someone who loves taking pictures, it was hard to walk out the door without reaching for my camera.

One of My Favorite Places to Stay in Malta

Every evening, I would sit on the couch and stare out at the harbor.

There was something incredibly peaceful about it.

I have visited Malta more than once, and on my first trip I stayed in a lovely penthouse overlooking the harbor in Senglea. That was a beautiful experience, too. But there was something different about this little apartment in Birgu.

Maybe it was being right beside Fort St. Angelo.

Maybe it was the water practically outside our door.

Or maybe it was simply sitting on that couch at the end of the day, watching the harbor and realizing how lucky I was to be there.

Whatever it was, this stay remains one of my favorite lodging memories from Malta.

Update 2026: This was the apartment we stayed in during our 2019 visit. Availability can change, so be sure to check the current listing and dates when planning your trip.  Here is a link to the Airbnb (Fantastic Grand Harbour Sea Views)