The trip, in order
Follow the route day by day. Times and prices can change, so check official information before you travel.
Co-cathedral and palace
Valletta
- 1
St John's Co-Cathedral
St John's Co-Cathedral provides a focused way to understand the religious, artistic and political culture of the Knights of St John. Its restrained exterior gives little indication of the richly worked interior, where chapels, carved stone, marble funerary monuments and major paintings were assembled for the Order’s conventual church. Its value lies in the combination of surviving fabric, setting and interpretation, which places the site within the wider history of Malta and the central Mediterranean. Allowing time to examine the details rather than treating it as a brief photo stop gives context that is difficult to gain from the exterior or landscape alone.
- Duration
- 90 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current admission information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
- 2
Grandmaster's Palace
Grandmaster's Palace provides a focused way to understand the institutional history of the Knights, British administration and the Maltese state. State rooms, courtyards and armour collections show how a building created for the head of the Order became a centre of government across successive political eras. Its value lies in the combination of surviving fabric, setting and interpretation, which places the site within the wider history of Malta and the central Mediterranean. Allowing time to examine the details rather than treating it as a brief photo stop gives context that is difficult to gain from the exterior or landscape alone.
- Duration
- 90 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current admission information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
- 3
Upper Barrakka Gardens
Upper Barrakka Gardens provides a focused way to understand the relationship between Valletta’s bastions and the Grand Harbour. Terraces set on the city’s defensive edge give a clear reading of the harbour, the Three Cities and the fortified shoreline, while monuments and arcades add a civic layer to the military setting. Its value lies in the combination of surviving fabric, setting and interpretation, which places the site within the wider history of Malta and the central Mediterranean. Allowing time to examine the details rather than treating it as a brief photo stop gives context that is difficult to gain from the exterior or landscape alone.
- Duration
- 45 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current access information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
Grand Harbour fortifications
Birgu
- 1
Fort St Angelo
Fort St Angelo provides a focused way to understand the long defensive history of the Grand Harbour from a commanding point in Birgu. Layered fortifications, internal courtyards and harbour-facing bastions show how one strategic promontory was repeatedly adapted by medieval rulers, the Knights and British forces. Its value lies in the combination of surviving fabric, setting and interpretation, which places the site within the wider history of Malta and the central Mediterranean. Allowing time to examine the details rather than treating it as a brief photo stop gives context that is difficult to gain from the exterior or landscape alone.
- Duration
- 90 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current admission information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
- 2
Inquisitor's Palace
Inquisitor's Palace provides a focused way to understand the workings of the Roman Inquisition and domestic life in early modern Malta. Courtrooms, prison spaces, living quarters and service rooms survive within a building that combines institutional power with the practical routines of a large residence. Its value lies in the combination of surviving fabric, setting and interpretation, which places the site within the wider history of Malta and the central Mediterranean. Allowing time to examine the details rather than treating it as a brief photo stop gives context that is difficult to gain from the exterior or landscape alone.
- Duration
- 75 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current admission information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
Old capital and underground history
Mdina and Rabat
- 1
Mdina Gate
Mdina Gate provides a focused way to understand the ceremonial entrance and Baroque remodelling of Malta’s old fortified capital. The gate creates a clear transition from the outer ditch into Mdina’s quiet street network, and its sculpted façade gives a concise introduction to the city’s eighteenth-century rebuilding. Its value lies in the combination of surviving fabric, setting and interpretation, which places the site within the wider history of Malta and the central Mediterranean. Allowing time to examine the details rather than treating it as a brief photo stop gives context that is difficult to gain from the exterior or landscape alone.
- Duration
- 30 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current access information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
- 2
St Paul's Cathedral, Mdina
St Paul's Cathedral, Mdina provides a focused way to understand the ecclesiastical history of Mdina and Maltese Baroque architecture. The cathedral’s dome, façade and richly furnished interior anchor the city’s main square, while its artworks and monuments reflect the long-standing role of Mdina as a religious centre. Its value lies in the combination of surviving fabric, setting and interpretation, which places the site within the wider history of Malta and the central Mediterranean. Allowing time to examine the details rather than treating it as a brief photo stop gives context that is difficult to gain from the exterior or landscape alone.
- Duration
- 60 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current access information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
- 3
St Paul's Catacombs
St Paul's Catacombs provides a focused way to understand late Roman burial practice and the growth of early Christian communities on Malta. A network of rock-cut hypogea, corridors and burial chambers preserves different tomb forms and ritual spaces on a scale that makes the archaeology of ancient Melite unusually legible. Its value lies in the combination of surviving fabric, setting and interpretation, which places the site within the wider history of Malta and the central Mediterranean. Allowing time to examine the details rather than treating it as a brief photo stop gives context that is difficult to gain from the exterior or landscape alone.
- Duration
- 75 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current admission information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.