As cities go, Valletta is one of Europe’s most famous. Built over 500 years ago it is often described as a city ‘built by gentlemen, for gentlemen’ and is, of course, a World Heritage Site signifying its cultural importance. When you walk into the city you are confronted with an explosion of activity, colour, noise and confusion. Wayne Fisher writes
Apart from being Malta’s capital, Valletta is also the commercial and political centre and is filled with hundreds of shops as well as a vast daily market. For the more discerning visitor there is plenty of history and culture to get your teeth stuck into.
Valletta is teeming with museums, galleries, palaces and other places of extreme interest - most of which are very much worth visiting, especially The Great Siege attraction, which is adjacent to Café Premier in Pjazza Reġina. But, it is the people who make Valletta a truly beautiful place to visit.
Whether you are walking down the main road – Republic Street – or off down one of the many, many side streets, you will find a wide variety of people each with a story to tell. Don’t limit yourself to the beaten track either. Under the fortifications and around the bastions there are plenty of interesting little places to look at, bars to sit in and while away the time and, of course, people to chat to.
Most of these you can find in the many Café’s and bars that are dotted around Valletta.
Café Premier is arguably the oldest Café in Valletta, with some saying that is was originally established in 1803, just after the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, when Malta was under British Rule.
During the past couple of hundred years, Café Premier has had its up and downs, being successful one month and then closed the next. The café’s most successful period to date, was during the 1950s and 1960s, when Valletta was teeming with foreign armed forces and the island was still recovering from the fallout of World War II.
During this era, Café Premier was the only place to be seen in Valletta and Pjazza Reġina would be filled with Foreigners and locals every single night, to enjoy the music by the many brilliant musicians who performed at Café Premier.
When the British left the island and Malta became Independent on 21 September 1964, Valletta started to go through a change and Café Premier’s rule as the leading Café in Malta started to waver. The ups and downs of Café Premier continued over the next few decades, until the establishment was taken over by its current owners, who have restored Café Premier to its former glory and who are determined to bring back the good times Café Premier and also to Valletta.
For too long Valletta has been quiet and sleepy in the evening, but now Café Premier, which is affectionately now known as “Premier” is forging ahead and is bringing life back in to this wonderful capital city.
Every Wednesday evening through summer, people can hear music from Pjazza Regina all the way across in Sliema. George Curmi, Il-Puse, and his band are performing live at Premier until September. Tickets are at €29.95, this includes a lavish buffet and a great table where guests can enjoy the delicious cuisine and the fantastic music. The Pjazza also acts as a great dancefloor for later in the night, when every week all the guests are to be found showing off their dance moves in this beautiful venue.
Then on Friday evenings, the style of music changes and guests who visit Premier can listen to performances from some of the leading musicians in Malta, with the likes of Red Electrick, Airport Impressions, Eve Ransom and Glasshouse to name a few.
The Friday evenings at Premier run all year and are a fantastic way to start your weekend off with a bang.
Call Premier on 2124 7300 or 9924 7300 or email [email protected] to find out more about the upcoming events or to make a booking.
You can also follow Premier on Facebook and keep up-to-date with everything online.
Be a part of the ‘Valletta Revival’ and come to Premier this summer.
Drink, Dine & Dance in the glorious Pjazza Regina...all under the watchful eye of Queen Victoria...