The trip, in order
Follow the route day by day. Times and prices can change, so check official information before you travel.
Knights and national collections
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
National Museum of Archaeology
National Museum of Archaeology provides a focused way to understand Malta’s prehistoric sequence before visiting the megalithic sites themselves. Objects from the Neolithic and Temple Period provide scale, chronology and human detail to monuments that can otherwise appear abstract, including carved figures and decorated stone from several major sites. 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.
Birgu fortifications and maritime history
Grand Harbour
- 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.
- 3
Malta Maritime Museum
Malta Maritime Museum provides a focused way to understand Malta’s relationship with seafaring, naval power and the Grand Harbour. Ship models, maritime artefacts and the former naval bakery building connect everyday harbour work with centuries of trade, warfare and shipbuilding around the islands. 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.
Medieval, Roman and early Christian layers
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 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.
- 3
Domvs Romana
Domvs Romana provides a focused way to understand the domestic culture of Roman Malta through an excavated townhouse and its mosaics. The museum preserves floor decoration, sculpture and household material beside the remains of a Roman residence, offering a more intimate counterpart to Malta’s monumental prehistoric archaeology. 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 admission information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
Prehistoric Malta
South
- 1
Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum
Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum provides a focused way to understand Malta’s prehistoric ritual and burial traditions in a purpose-cut underground complex. Chambers, passages and architectural forms carved directly into limestone create an experience unlike the open-air temples, while painted surfaces and carefully shaped spaces reveal sophisticated prehistoric workmanship. 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.
- 2
Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex
Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex provides a focused way to understand the architectural complexity and carved decoration of Malta’s Temple Period. Closely grouped megalithic structures allow comparison of curved temple plans, monumental stone blocks and carved motifs at one site, making changes in prehistoric construction easier to read. 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.
- 3
Ħaġar Qim
Ħaġar Qim provides a focused way to understand Malta’s megalithic architecture in a dramatic limestone landscape above the sea. The temple’s massive blocks, curved chambers and carved details are easier to appreciate because the complex remains spatially coherent, while the surrounding plateau gives strong context for its prehistoric 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
- 75 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current admission information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
Coastal Malta
North-west
- 1
Golden Bay
Golden Bay provides a focused way to understand the broader sandy-bay landscape of Malta’s north-western coast. The beach sits beneath cultivated slopes and limestone headlands, offering a useful contrast to the island’s rocky inlets and cliff walks and making the coastal geography easy to understand at ground level. 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 access information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
- 2
Għajn Tuffieħa
Għajn Tuffieħa provides a focused way to understand a more enclosed north-western bay framed by steep slopes and a prominent ridge. The approach and surrounding high ground give good visual context for Malta’s coastal geomorphology, while the bay itself shows the relationship between sandy shore, clay slopes and limestone headlands. 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 access information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
- 3
Saint Agatha's Tower
Saint Agatha's Tower provides a focused way to understand the seventeenth-century coastal watch system and the strategic geography of northern Malta. The red-painted tower stands on high ground with sightlines towards Comino and Gozo, making its defensive purpose immediately understandable while providing a compact example of Hospitaller military architecture. 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.
Citadel, temples and Ta’ Pinu
Gozo
- 1
Cittadella, Gozo
Cittadella, Gozo provides a focused way to understand Gozo’s long history from a fortified hilltop that remained the island’s principal defensive centre. Bastions, narrow lanes, cathedral buildings, museums and archaeological traces are concentrated within a small enclosure, while the ramparts provide a broad reading of Gozo’s villages and agricultural interior. 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
- 120 minutes suggested
- Price
- Check current admission information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
- 2
Ġgantija Archaeological Park
Ġgantija Archaeological Park provides a focused way to understand some of the earliest surviving monumental stone architecture in the Maltese islands. Two closely linked temples preserve massive external walls, curved internal spaces and carefully placed megaliths, making the engineering scale of the Neolithic Temple Period particularly clear. 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.
- 3
Ta' Pinu Basilica
Ta' Pinu Basilica provides a focused way to understand Gozo’s modern pilgrimage tradition in a rural setting west of Victoria. The large stone basilica rises above open fields and contains devotional art, ex-votos and architectural detail that show how a nineteenth-century local cult developed into a national religious landmark. 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 admission information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
Lagoon and watchtower
Comino
- 1
Blue Lagoon, Comino
Blue Lagoon, Comino provides a focused way to understand Comino’s shallow channel and limestone seascape between the main island and Cominotto. Clear water, pale rock and the enclosed shape of the channel make the lagoon visually distinctive, while walking a short distance from the landing areas reveals the more open and arid character of Comino beyond the waterfront. 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 access information
- Start time
- Choose a start time that suits your day.
- 2
Santa Marija Tower, Comino
Santa Marija Tower, Comino provides a focused way to understand Comino’s strategic role in the seventeenth-century coastal defence network. The square tower stands alone on high ground above the island’s low limestone terrain, so its purpose as a lookout and strongpoint can be understood directly in relation to the channels between Malta and Gozo. 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.