Almost everyone has fought over Malta at some point, and they all left something behind. Most of the big sites are run by Heritage Malta. If you plan to see more than three or four, the multi-site pass is cheaper than buying singles.
The Hypogeum and St John’s are worth booking in summer. The rest rarely are.
The museums worth paying for
St John’s Co-Cathedral
From the outside it looks like a barracks. Inside, the floor is a carpet of inlaid marble tombstones with knights buried underneath, and nearly every surface above it is carved, gilded or painted.
It has its own foundation rather than Heritage Malta, so it is ticketed separately from everything else here.
Where it fits in a day
The Caravaggio
The Beheading of St John the Baptist is the largest painting Caravaggio ever made and the only one he signed. He signed it in the blood running from the saint’s throat.
He painted it in Malta as a knight of the Order and fled the island not long afterwards. Give yourself time to stand in front of it rather than walking past.
More to see
What they cost, and what is shut
Most of these are run by Heritage Malta on one price list. The Grand Master’s Palace is €12. Fort St Elmo and Fort St Angelo are €10 each. St Paul’s Catacombs and the Domvs Romana are €6. Children of five and under go free everywhere and last admission is always half an hour before closing. The full list is here, including the sites that are closed or partly closed at the moment.
Fort St Elmo and the war rooms
Fort St Elmo guarded the mouth of both harbours through the Great Siege of 1565, then took a hammering again in the Second World War. The National War Museum inside covers both, including the George Cross given to the whole island.
The Lascaris War Rooms are the tunnels the defence of Malta was run from, and later the invasion of Sicily. In Gozo, the Cittadella above Victoria does the same job with a better view.
The Cittadella and Gozo
Village churches
Malta has more churches than there are days in the year. The ordinary parish ones are the ones that surprise people. Painted domes and marble that would be the main attraction in most countries sit in villages of a few thousand people.
They cost nothing and hardly anyone visits them. Cover your shoulders and knees, and do not wander in during mass.
Doing Malta cheaply
Also on the short list
Worth your time
- National Museum of Archaeology
- This is where the temple finds ended up, including the Sleeping Lady and the Venus of Malta. It is small. It makes far more sense of the temples if you go either just before or just after.
- Grandmaster’s Palace
- You walk through the state rooms and the armoury of the Knights, right in the middle of Valletta.
- Mdina and the Cathedral Museum
- This is the old walled capital. It goes quiet once the day trippers leave, so go in the evening.
- The Three Cities
- Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua sit across the water from Valletta. You get Fort St Angelo, the Inquisitor’s Palace and a fraction of the crowds.
- Domus Romana, Rabat
- A Roman townhouse still has its mosaics in place. It stands next door to the catacombs of St Paul and St Agatha.
Most churches want shoulders and knees covered and they do turn people away. St John’s also asks for flat shoes, because the floor is made of tombstones. Stiletto heels get stopped at the door and arguing will not help.
Opening hours, ticket prices and the multi-site pass are all set by Heritage Malta. St John’s Co-Cathedral is run by its own foundation and ticketed separately.