Valletta

Yes — €15 for adults, €12 for seniors, free under 12. It's open Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 16:45 with last entry at 16:00, closed Sundays and public holidays. The fee includes the audio guide and access to the Oratory, where Caravaggio's Beheading of Saint John the Baptist hangs — it's the only painting he ever signed and one of the largest canvases he ever produced. The cathedral floor is paved with the marble tomb-slabs of 400 Knights. This is the single highest-payoff stop in Valletta. Go early; the Oratory gets crowded by 11am.

Yes, comfortably. Mdina — the fortified silent old capital, used as King's Landing in early Game of Thrones — is 13 km from Valletta. Bus routes 51, 52, and 53 leave from the main bus station at the Triton Fountain (a 10-minute uphill walk from City Gate) every 10–30 minutes; the ride is about 30 minutes and a single all-day ticket is €2.60. Plan roughly 45–50 minutes door-to-door each way. A taxi is faster (around 25 minutes) but expect €25–35 one-way. Allocate at least 90 minutes inside the walls — Mdina is small but the views over the island from the bastions are the point.

Yes. Malta sits at U.S. State Department Level 1 — exercise normal precautions, the same advisory level as Italy or Japan. Violent crime against tourists is rare; the most common issue is straightforward pickpocketing in crowded areas, especially around the bus station at Triton Fountain and the busier stretches of Republic Street during cruise rush. Standard rules apply — front pockets, bag across the chest, don't leave a phone on the café table. The fortifications make the city compact and well-lit; walking back to the lift after dinner is fine.

If you've already done St John's and the Upper Barrakka Gardens, yes. The Three Cities (Birgu, Senglea, Cospicua) sit directly across the Grand Harbour from Valletta — older than Valletta itself, less polished, more lived-in. The traditional dgħajsa water-taxis and the regular Valletta–Three Cities ferry both leave from Lascaris Wharf right next to the cruise terminal; the crossing is about 10 minutes. Birgu's waterfront and the Inquisitor's Palace are the targets. Skip it if it's your first call and you haven't seen the cathedral yet.

Malta is on the euro. Cards work everywhere that matters — the cathedral ticket office, restaurants, the lift turnstile, supermarkets. Buses accept contactless tap-to-pay. Carry €20–40 in small notes for the odd café in Mdina, the dgħajsa boatman who only takes cash, and tipping (10% is appreciated, not expected). ATMs cluster around Republic Street and the Waterfront — use bank-branded ones (BOV, HSBC Malta, APS) and decline dynamic currency conversion.