Upper Barrakka Lift

Valletta is the antique city with marvelous landscapes and it is a real pleasure to contemplate the views of its antique buildings and marvelous sea panorama. The lift of Barrakka Garden that is almost 60 m high provides the habitants and the guests of the city the opportunity to enjoy fascinating views of antique fortifications and Mediterranean seascapes. Besides, it is the quickest way to get to the city from The Great Harbour.

The authors of the lift are the group of architects from the bureau Architecture Project. It was opened in the year 2012 and since that had become a popular tourist spot of Valletta. But it is not the first big lift of Valletta: its predecessor was constructed in 1905. The lift linking The Great Harbour with the city was built by the company having been in charge of coordination the work of city tram service. The original lift comprised two cabins with the capacity of 12 passengers each. It had been existed up to its closure in 1973. The construction was abandoned and dismantled in 1983. In 2010 the authority decided that the building of a new lift is necessary for attracting tourists to the city and its construction started. It lasted for two years up to the inauguration of the lift on the 15th of December 2012.

The renewed lift connects The Great Harbor and the centre of the city allowing the tourists to get from the coast to the Upper Barrakka garden in less than half a minute. The ticket to the lift can be combined with one to a ferry crossing The Great Harbour. The capacity of the cabin is 21 passengers and it is possible to transfer 800 people per hour. Also there is a stairs near the lift, so, it is possible to get to the garden on foot.

The architects engaged into the building of the lift were concerned about the comfort of passengers a lot. The lift is surrounded with metal aluminum network and grate protecting passengers from sunlight and allowing them to fully enjoy the marvelous views of antique Maltese capital and the Mediterranean.