Manoel Island sits in Marsamxett Harbour just across a narrow channel from Sliema, connected by a short causeway. The island is dominated by Fort Manoel, an 18th-century Knights of Malta fortification that has been slowly deteriorating for decades but is now being restored. The surrounding area is a working marina and boatyard, with the slightly ramshackle charm that comes from a place that has not yet been fully gentrified.
Visiting Manoel Island is a pleasant short excursion from Sliema — the walk across the causeway, around the fort walls, and through the boatyard gives you a very different view of Malta than the polished tourist trail. The restoration project, when complete, will transform it further; for now it remains appealingly rough at the edges. The chapel of St Anthony of Padua inside the fort is one of the few accessible structures.