The big sights in Malta
The places most first-time visitors come for.
St John's Co-Cathedral
A historic church in Valletta that also works as a museum, with paintings by Caravaggio and Mattia Preti and a floor of marble tombstones.
Upper Barrakka Gardens
A public garden near Castille Place with wide views over the Grand Harbour towards the Three Cities. It began in 1661 as a private garden of the Italian Knights and opened to the public in 1824.
Grand Master's Palace
The palace built by the Knights of St John in Valletta, later the British Governor's Palace and today the seat of the Office of the President. Heritage Malta runs it as a museum with State Rooms and an Armoury.
Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum
A star-shaped 16th-century fort at the tip of the Valletta peninsula, housing the National War Museum. The museum covers Malta's military history from the Bronze Age to modern times, with a strong Second World War section.
National Museum of Archaeology
Malta's main archaeology museum, showing finds from the Neolithic period to the early Phoenician period. It is housed in the Auberge de Provence, a Baroque building dating from 1571.
MUŻA
Malta's national community art museum, in the Auberge d'Italie in Valletta. Its galleries run in time order from early art to contemporary work.
Fort St Angelo
A large fortress at the tip of the Birgu peninsula overlooking the Grand Harbour. It began as a medieval castle, was rebuilt by the Order of St John and played a central part in the Great Siege of 1565.
Inquisitor's Palace
A historic palace in Birgu that was the seat of the Inquisition in Malta for more than two centuries. It is now both a historic house museum and the national museum of ethnography.
The Three Cities
Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua: three fortified harbour towns facing Valletta across the Grand Harbour. The Knights of St John settled here first, so their buildings are older than Valletta's.
Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum
An underground prehistoric burial complex cut into the rock on three levels. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex
Better known as the Tarxien Temples: a Neolithic site with four megalithic structures, known for its carved stone decoration. It was later reused in the Bronze Age for cremation burials.
Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra
Two megalithic temple sites more than 5,000 years old on the south coast, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They sit about 500 metres apart, under protective shelters, with a shared visitor centre.
Għar Dalam
A cave and small museum holding the fossil bones of Ice Age animals such as dwarf elephants and hippopotami. Heritage Malta describes it as Malta's oldest prehistoric site.
Blue Grotto
A sea cave, the largest in a group of caverns in the cliffs on the south coast, known for the vivid colours of its water. The caves are reached by boat from Wied iż-Żurrieq.
Marsaxlokk
A fishing village on Malta's second-largest natural harbour, where the brightly painted traditional luzzu boats are moored. It is known for its fish restaurants.
Mdina
Malta's old capital, a small walled city of narrow streets and palaces that mixes medieval and Baroque buildings. It is nicknamed the Silent City.
St Paul's Catacombs
A large complex of underground tombs and passages used for burials in Punic, Roman and Byzantine times. It holds the earliest and largest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta.
Domvs Romana
A museum built over the remains of a wealthy Roman town house, with fine mosaic floors and marble statues of Emperor Claudius and his family.
Mosta Rotunda
Mosta's parish basilica, also called the Mosta Dome: a round church with one of the largest unsupported domes in the world. A wartime bomb came through the dome in the Second World War without exploding, and a replica is on show.
San Anton Gardens
Formal gardens laid out by Grand Master Antoine de Paule around his summer residence, San Anton Palace. They have mature trees, fountains, ponds and flower beds.
Malta National Aquarium
An aquarium at Qawra Point with more than 50 tanks, including a large main tank with a walk-through tunnel. The zones are themed around Malta's coast and history.
Popeye Village
The original film set built at Anchor Bay for the 1980 Popeye film, now run as a family attraction with entertainment, boat rides and small museums.
Malta Aviation Museum
A volunteer-run, non-profit museum at Ta' Qali that collects and restores aircraft linked to Malta's aviation history, from static displays to aircraft restored to flying condition.
Ta' Qali Crafts Village
A group of craft workshops and shops on a former RAF wartime airfield. Visitors can watch glassblowing and filigree work and buy Maltese crafts such as glass, jewellery and lace.
The big sights in Gozo and Comino
Ċittadella
A small fortified hilltop city above Victoria, lived in since prehistoric times and visible from much of Gozo. Inside are the Baroque cathedral, the law courts, the bishop's palace and several museums.
Ġgantija Archaeological Park
The Ġgantija Temples: a Late Neolithic temple complex of two structures on the Xagħra plateau. Visitors enter through an interpretation centre showing finds from the period.
Ta' Kola Windmill
A windmill from the Knights' period, built in 1787 and one of the few left on the islands. It is now a museum showing the milling machinery, the original grinding stones and the miller's living quarters.
Ta' Pinu Basilica
A Catholic Marian shrine and minor basilica in open countryside, with a church completed in 1932. Opposite is Ta' Għammar Hill, with 14 marble statues of the Stations of the Cross.
Dwejra
A stretch of dramatic coast with the Inland Sea, a lagoon joined to the open sea by a tunnel that boats pass through, and Fungus Rock, a small islet. The Azure Window arch collapsed in 2017 and its remains are now a dive site.
Xwejni salt pans
Shallow pans cut into the coastal limestone where seawater evaporates to leave sea salt, a tradition still practised. They run for about three kilometres along the north coast west of Marsalforn.
Ramla Bay and Tal-Mixta Cave
Ramla is a wide, undeveloped beach of reddish sand backed by protected dunes. Tal-Mixta is a natural cave on the Nadur side that looks down over the bay.
Xlendi
A former fishing village turned seaside resort around a small sand-and-pebble bay, with swimming, snorkelling, dive centres, cliff walks and waterfront restaurants. Xlendi Tower, built in 1650, stands at the mouth of the bay.
Xewkija Rotunda
The Rotunda of St John the Baptist: a very large circular parish church, the biggest in Gozo, with a huge dome carried on eight columns. It also holds a sculpture museum.
Blue Lagoon
A shallow turquoise lagoon with pale sand on Comino, the island's main draw. Visitor numbers are managed through a free time-slot booking system run by the Malta Tourism Authority.
Which are the most visited?
- Heritage Malta describes the Grand Master's Palace as the most visited site in its portfolio. Heritage Malta
- In the first six months of 2023, Heritage Malta's five most visited sites were, in order: Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, Fort St Elmo, St Paul's Catacombs and Mnajdra. Heritage Malta press release, 16 August 2023
These are the official figures we could confirm. We do not rank the rest.
Quiet spots to walk, picnic or watch birds
For when you have seen the big ones, or would rather skip the crowds. Each one links to the body that looks after it.
Santa Marija Tower
A square Knights-era watchtower with four corner turrets, built in 1618 as part of the chain of towers guarding the channel between Gozo and Malta. It is looked after by the heritage organisation Din l-Art Ħelwa.
Wied il-Mielaħ Window
A natural limestone sea arch at the seaward end of the Wied il-Mielaħ valley. It became better known after the Azure Window fell in 2017.
Ta' Ċenċ cliffs
The highest cliffs in Gozo, on a plateau beside Sannat that also overlooks the Ħanżira valley, a steep-sided gorge.
Mġarr ix-Xini
A narrow, sheltered inlet with a small bay used for swimming and diving. A Knights-era watchtower from 1661 guards the entrance and is linked to the bay by a path.
Wied il-Għasri
A deep, winding gorge between high cliffs that ends in a small secluded pebble inlet. It is used for country walks, cycling, swimming and diving.
Sanap Cliffs
A quiet stretch of high sea cliffs on Gozo's south coast, valued for open views and for sunrise and sunset.
Buskett Gardens
Malta's largest wooded area, mostly trees planted under the Knights of St John and the British. A short marked path runs through the woodland, and Visit Malta calls it a good picnic spot.
Dingli Cliffs
High sea cliffs with small terraced fields below and views towards the islet of Filfla. The cliffs run beyond Dingli village towards Fawwara and Għar Lapsi.
Victoria Lines
A British-era line of fortifications running along the Great Fault across Malta. Mosta Local Council says its stretch is well preserved, and the section by the public garden near Targa Gap can be followed with ease.
Majjistral Nature and History Park
Malta's first natural national park, on the north-west coast from Golden Bay northwards. People walk and hike there, mainly from October to April, join guided walks and watch birds.
Għajn Tuffieħa trail and Il-Qarraba
A walking trail of one to three hours around Għajn Tuffieħa, past the Il-Qarraba headland that separates the bay from Ġnejna.
Xemxija Heritage Trail
A heritage trail at Xemxija where you can stroll from Xemxija towards Golden Sands, past remains of the Roman period, restored early medieval farms and a planted forest on the ridge.
Chadwick Lakes
Wied il-Qlejgħa: a valley with a chain of 19th-century dams built to hold rainwater, popular with Maltese families after heavy rain. A trail of more than two kilometres with information panels gives an easy walk along the valley floor.
Salina Nature Reserve and Kennedy Grove
A protected area of saline marshland and historic salt pans. Visitors can walk through parts of it, watch birds from a hide at Kennedy Grove and visit the Salt Museum.
Ta' Qali National Park
A wide open recreational area in the centre of Malta on a former wartime airfield. Visit Malta notes that many Maltese consider it an ideal place for a picnic and for weekend afternoons.
Il-Maqluba
A large, round, deep hollow in the ground beside the small chapel of St Matthew, with trees growing inside. A staircase leads down to a viewing point over it.
Xrobb l-Għaġin Nature Park
A nature park covering a peninsula at Marsaxlokk, with walking routes, guided walks and views of the Delimara peninsula. It can be reached on foot or by bicycle from Marsaxlokk, Żejtun or St Thomas Bay.
Għadira Nature Reserve
A seven-hectare reserve of brackish lake and saltmarsh that attracts many migrating birds. Visitors watch and photograph birds from hides, with volunteers on hand to help newcomers.
Simar Nature Reserve
A wetland reserve at Xemxija in a valley of farmland. Visitors come for birdwatching, wildlife and nature photography.
Red Tower
St Agatha's Tower: a square 17th-century Knights' tower with corner turrets on the crest of the Marfa Ridge. It overlooks Għadira Bay and has wide views across the channel to Comino and Gozo.
Wied il-Għasel
A valley that Mosta Local Council calls a relatively natural haven despite the building around it, with wayside chapels including St Paul the Hermit.
Pembroke garigue
A 97-hectare protected area on the northern coast with rocky steppe and low garigue. Nature Trust Malta and other organisations occasionally hold guided walks there.
Rock-climbing spots are not listed yet: we could not confirm them from an official page, and we do not list what we cannot source.