Malta is ringed with watchtowers and most people assume they are all sealed up. They are not.
Ten of them are looked after by Din l-Art Ħelwa, the national heritage trust. They open to visitors for a couple of euro, and some of them for nothing.
The catch is that volunteers open them, so the hours are short and they do not look like museum hours.
Once you see the pattern it is easy. Nearly all of them open on the first Sunday of the month, whatever else they do the rest of the time. That single fact turns a scattered list into a plan.
How to spend a first Sunday
Start in the north. Wignacourt Tower at St Paul’s Bay is the oldest coastal watchtower still standing in Malta.
It was finished on the feast of St Paul in 1610. The Grand Master who ordered it paid for it out of his own pocket.
It costs two euro. The White Tower out on l-Aħrax is another two fifty and opens the same day.
Then take the ridge above Mellieħa to the Red Tower. It does not follow the first Sunday pattern.
It opens almost daily, from ten to four in winter and ten to five in summer. You can visit when the first Sunday does not suit.
It also has the best view of the three.
The ones that keep their own hours
Xutu Tower stands directly above the Blue Grotto landing at Wied iż-Żurrieq. It opens daily from ten to noon, and until two on a Friday.
It pairs with a boat trip rather than competing with one. Dwejra Tower on the west coast of Gozo opens on weekdays from nine until two.
Bear that in mind if you are in Gozo for a weekend.
Torri Mamo at Marsaskala is the odd one out and the more interesting building for it. It is a fortified country house rather than a coastal lookout. It opens on first Sundays and otherwise by appointment.
Comino has one of each
Santa Marija Battery in Comino is an open site. There is no gate, no ticket and nobody to ask.
It sits a short walk from the Blue Lagoon and stays empty while the bay behind you fills. The tower above it is closed for restoration at the moment, so treat that one as a view.
Check before you commit to a drive
Din l-Art Ħelwa says its opening hours depend on whether a volunteer is available. It asks people to check its pages before travelling.
The warning is fair, and worth respecting. If you are crossing the island just to see a tower, check first.
If it is a stop on a walk you were doing anyway, take the chance and see what you find.
We keep the hours and the entry fees for all ten on one page.
The towers are run by Din l-Art Ħelwa and opened by volunteers, so hours move. Check the tower’s own page on dinlarthelwa.org before you set out.
