The Saluting Battery sits in the bastions directly below the Upper Barrakka Gardens, commanding the Grand Harbour entrance. A noon cannon is fired here every day, a tradition maintained for over two centuries since the British naval period. The battery has been restored to working condition with period artillery, and the cannon fire at noon draws a small crowd daily — you can watch from the gardens above or, better, from the battery itself.
Guided tours of the battery are offered morning and afternoon and include a history of the fortifications and a demonstration of cannon-loading and firing. The position inside the bastion walls gives a close-up view of the construction that is impossible to appreciate from above. This is one of the most satisfying short visits in Valletta.