Malta Classic Car Collection

Gozo

　　Housed in purpose-built 3000-sq-metre premises, the Malta Classic Car Collection is a tribute to Carol Galea's love of cars. The privately owned collection of mint-condition vehicles (cars and motorbikes) includes plenty of 1950s and '60s British- and Italian-made classics, plus vintage jukeboxes and memorabilia from these eras to get you...

Bridge Bar

Gozo

　　The Bridge Bar is a weekly event, with brightly coloured cushions all over a junction of steps in the eastern part of Valletta. There are views, live jazz from 8.30pm to midnight and the feel of an impromptu party. ...

Fort St Angelo

Gozo

　　The Knights took over this medieval fort in 1530 and strengthened it, and Fort St Angelo served as the residence of the Grand Master of the Order until 1571 and was the headquarters of la Valette during the Great Siege. In the 17th century the talented engineer Don Carlos Grunenberg...

Wied il-Għasri

Gozo

　　A 5km hike west along the coast from Marsalforn is the narrow, cliff-bound inlet of Wied il-Għasri. Here a staircase cut into the rock leads down to a tiny shingle beach at the head of the inlet. It's a gorgeously picturesque place and there is good swimming and snorkelling when...

Lascaris War Rooms

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　　A mechanically ventilated underground tunnel complex that lies 40m beneath the Upper Barrakka Gardens, this housed Britain's top-secret command in Malta during WWII and remained in use until 1977. Lovingly restored in 2009, the rooms are laid out as they would have been, staffed by waxwork figures, and provide a...

Inland Sea

Gozo

　　The Inland Sea is a cliff-bound lagoon connected to the open sea by a tunnel that runs for 100m through the headland of Dwejra Point. The tunnel is big enough for small boats to sail through in calm weather, and the Inland Sea has been used as a fishermen's haven...

Salt Pans

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　　Walk or drive west along the promenade, past the tiny sand beaches at Qbajjar Bay and the more scenic Xwieni Bay, until you reach a rocky shore. This wild and extraordinary landscape has been carved into a patchwork of salt pans. There's usually a small stall selling salt from the...

Blue Hole

Gozo

　　The Blue Hole is a vertical chimney running down into the limestone, about 10m in diameter and 25m deep, that connects with the open sea through an underwater arch about 8m down. Understandably, it's a very popular dive site and the snorkelling is also excellent. While diving, the underwater remains...

Dwejra Bay & Dwejra Point

Gozo

　　The collapsed cavern of Dwejra Bay has been invaded by the sea, and is guarded by the brooding bulk of Fungus Rock. A path below Dwejra (Qawra) Tower leads to a flight of stairs cut into the rock, leading down to a little slipway on the edge of the bay....

Esplora

Gozo

　　Cosmology, plate tectonics, wave action and other aspects of the natural world are explored at this new science centre housed in and around the historic Villa Bighi. With more than 200 interactive exhibits and outside playgrounds, it's an excellent destination for children. There are superb views from the manicured gardens...

Valletta Contemporary

Gozo

　　Emblematic of Valletta's cultural development during the city's 2018 stint as a European Capital of Culture is this modern gallery with an ever-changing roster of exhibitions and installations from local and international artists. As the first opening on largely abandoned Triq il-Levant ('East St'), it promises to be a catalyst...

Ġgantija Temples

Gozo

　　Perched on the crest of the hill to the south of Xagħra, the awe-inspiring megalithic Ġgantija Temples command soaring views over most of southern Gozo. As the name implies (ġgantija – dje-gant-ee-ya – means 'giantess'), these are the largest of the megalithic temples found on the Maltese Islands – the...

St Paul's Cathedral

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　　The cathedral is said to be built on the site of the villa belonging to Publius, the Roman governor of Malta who welcomed St Paul in AD 60. 　　The original Norman church was destroyed by an earthquake, and the restrained baroque edifice you see today was built between 1697 and...

Għar Dalam Cave & Museum

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　　The reason to head to Birżebbuġa is to see the Għar Dalam Cave & Museum, 500m north on the main road from Valletta. Għar Dalam (aar-da-lam; the name means 'cave of darkness') is a 145m-long cave in the Lower Coralline Limestone. It has yielded a magnificent harvest of fossil bones...

Ħaġar Qim & Mnajdra

Gozo

　　The megalithic temples of Ħaġar Qim (adge-ar eem; 'standing stones') and Mnajdra (mm-nigh-dra) are the best preserved and most evocative of Malta's prehistoric sites, with an unparalleled location atop sea cliffs. Permanent tentlike canopies have been erected over the temples to protect them from the elements. 　　There's an informative hands-on...

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum

Gozo

　　The Hypogeum (from the Greek, meaning 'underground') is a subterranean necropolis, discovered during building work in 1902. To visit is to step into a mysterious and silent world. Its halls, chambers and passages, immaculately hewn out of the rock, cover some 500 sq metres; it is thought to date from...

Saluting Battery

Valletta

　　The Saluting Battery is where a cannon once fired salutes to visiting naval vessels. The battery has been restored, and a cannon is fired Monday through Saturday at noon and 4pm with great ceremony – it's well worth making time to see this, and children will enjoy it. Try to...

Parliament Building

Valletta

　　Renzo Piano's breathtaking Parliament Building was completed in 2014. Its design includes two massive volumes of stone that look suspended in air, but are supported by stilts. The blocks have been machine-cut to lighten their appearance, while reducing solar radiation and letting in daylight. Covering the rooftop are 600 sq...

City Gate

Valletta

　　The Renzo Piano–designed City Gate forms part of the architect's dramatic and harmonious development. It echoes the dimensions of the original 1633 entrance, rather than the 1960s gate that it replaced, allowing passers-by to have the sensation of crossing a real bridge, and giving them views of the ditch and...

Fort St Elmo & National War Museum

Valletta

　　Guarding Marsamxett and Grand Harbours is Fort St Elmo, named after the patron saint of mariners. The fort was built by the Knights in 1552 in just four months to guard the harbours on either side of the Sceberras Peninsula, and bore the brunt of Turkish arms during 1565's Great...

Upper Barrakka Gardens

Valletta

　　These colonnaded gardens perched high above Grand Harbour were created in the late 16th century as a relaxing haven for the Knights from the nearby Auberge d'Italie. They provide a shady retreat from the bustle of the city, and the balcony has one of the best views in Malta. 　　The...

National Museum of Archaeology

Valletta

　　The National Museum of Archaeology is housed in the impressive Auberge de Provence. Exhibits include delicate stone tools dating from 5200 BC, Phoenician amulets and an amazing temple model from Ta' Haġrat – a prehistoric architectural maquette. More impressive still are the beautifully modelled prehistoric figurines that were found locally....

Grand Master's Palace

Valletta

　　The stern exterior of the 16th-century Grand Master's Palace conceals a sumptuous interior. This was once the residence of the Grand Masters of the Knights of St John. From Malta's independence until 2015 the building was the seat of Malta's parliament, before it moved into the new Parliament Building. The...

St John's Co-Cathedral

Valletta

　　St John's Co-Cathedral, Malta's most impressive church, was designed by the architect Gerolamo Cassar. It was built between 1573 and 1578, taking over from the Church of St Lawrence in Vittoriosa as the place where the Knights would gather for communal worship. The interior was revamped in the 17th century...