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Offered languages
- English
- English
Malta’s ancient capital has been watching over the island since the Bronze Age. On this self-guided audio tour, you’ll trace Mdina’s layered history, beginning with its Roman origins, to Arab fortification, and medieval noble rule. You’ll also explore the surrounding suburb of Rabat and the remarkable underground burial complex of St Paul’s Catacombs, where rotating stone doors and mysterious carved dining tables raise questions that archaeologists are still working to answer. The tour starts at Mdina’s Main Gate, where Baroque stonework and centuries-old coats of arms set the tone for what lies inside. As you cross through the Greek Gate into Rabat, you’ll discover how this suburb was once part of Roman Melite, a prosperous city far larger than anything visible today. The tour ends at St Paul’s Catacombs.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
This tour starts at Main entrance to Mdina. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
Tour ends at Howard Gardens Mdina.
Itinerary
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Mdina Main Gate - Baroque gateway (Pass by)
Pass through Mdina's magnificent Baroque entrance, framed by carved coats of arms and honey-coloured limestone that has greeted visitors for centuries. This is the threshold between the modern world and a walled city that has barely changed since the medieval era.
Admission ticket free -
Vilhena Palace (Pass by)
Admire this grand Baroque palace built by Grand Master Vilhena in the early 1700s, its imposing facade dominating the square just inside the city gate. Fans of Game of Thrones will recognise it instantly, it doubled as the Red Keep's entrance in the show's first season.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Marvel at Mdina's most iconic landmark, a Baroque masterpiece rebuilt after the devastating 1693 earthquake that reshaped the city's skyline almost overnight. Step inside to find richly painted ceilings, a striking silver altar, and a history that stretches back to the earliest days of Christianity in Malta.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Walk past one of Mdina's finest noble residences, its ornate doorway and carved stone facade telling the story of a family that shaped the island's aristocratic history. Like many of Mdina's palazzos, it remains a private home, its grandeur glimpsed only from the street.
Admission ticket free -
Palazzo Santa Sofia (Pass by)
Stroll past the oldest surviving building in Mdina, a medieval palazzo that dates back to the 1200s and still stands almost exactly as it was built. Notice the distinctive Siculo-Norman stonework on the upper floor — a rare survival from an era when Arab and Norman influences shaped every corner of Malta.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Explore one of Mdina's most rewarding interiors, a medieval palazzo packed with an extraordinary private collection of art, armour, jewellery, and curiosities accumulated over centuries. Look out for the ten-hour clock, a relic of Napoleon's failed experiment to decimalise time itself.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Enjoy one of the finest views in all of Malta from Mdina's bastions, where the island stretches out before you toward the sea in every direction. On a clear day, pick out the unmistakable dome of the Mosta Rotunda, where a WWII bomb fell through during a packed Mass and failed to explode.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Pause in this quiet, atmospheric square at the heart of Mdina, framed by noble palaces and ancient stone that has changed little over the centuries. Visitors with a sharp eye will recognise it as a filming location from Game of Thrones, where several key scenes from the first season were shot.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Visit the grand parish church of Rabat, built above the grotto where St Paul is said to have sheltered after his shipwreck on Malta in 60 AD. Descend into the grotto itself to stand in the cave that has been a site of Christian pilgrimage for nearly two thousand years.
Admission ticket free -
St Paul's Catacombs (Pass by)
Descend into one of Malta's most fascinating underground worlds, a vast early Christian burial complex carved from the rock with rotating stone doors and mysterious carved tables that still puzzle archaeologists today. Wander through the tunnels and imagine the community that gathered here in secret, centuries before Christianity became the island's faith.
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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