Mdina, Mdina, there’s no city quite like Mdina… A. Luzon
Mdina (pronounced “em-DEE-na”) is without a doubt the jewel in Malta’s crown. It’s an ancient and beautiful city with more than two thousand years of history. No one stays indifferent to the sight of its walls, its alleyways and its palaces, and it’s no surprise that quite a few films, and even some episodes of “Game of Thrones,” were filmed here.
To help you get to know this enchanting city, I put together a walking route that will reveal its secrets. Since travelers travel on their stomachs, I’ve also added a few restaurant recommendations nearby that aren’t bad at all. And finally, if you happen to feel like staying there, I have a recommendation for that too. So, in short, by the end of this article you’ll have everything you need.
So, let’s get going!
The history of Mdina
I believe the first step before you start exploring is to get to know a little of the destination’s history. That’s why I wrote a summary for you, which you can read in the post Mdina and Rabat (Malta): thousands of years of history in one short article.
A walking route through Mdina
Now that we’ve covered a bit of Mdina’s history, it’s time to start exploring. But to do that, you first need to get to Mdina. You can do it very cheaply (under 2 euros a ticket) by public transportation. That trip will take you about an hour, though.
If you’d rather get to Mdina faster, I highly recommend renting a car (my clear recommendation is through the Expedia site, which usually offers the best prices). Alternatively, you can use Bolt (a service similar to Uber that operates in Malta), and it will cost you around 20 euros or even less. Both options will get you to Mdina from Valletta or Sliema in about 20 to 25 minutes.
If you arrive in Mdina via Bolt, ask the driver to take you to the main gate, where our tour will begin (if you arrived with a rental car, you’ll need to find parking in nearby Rabat).
Mdina’s main gate and the Grand Master’s Palace
We’ll enter through the main gate, which was built by the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, Manoel de Vilhena (1663-1736). It’s a beautiful Baroque gate, and you can see his coat of arms carved on it. Pass through the gate and you’ll reach a square with quite a few interesting things to see.
Tower of the Standard
The tower is on your left (assuming your back is to the gate), and today it houses Mdina’s tourist office. The tower was built in the early 16th century and was used to warn the local population about pirates who used to raid Malta, kidnap farmers and sell them into slavery. How did it work? Whenever a lookout soldier spotted an approaching pirate ship, he would light a bonfire. The bonfire would be seen from other towers around Malta, and that’s how the warning was passed along.
Vilhena’s Palace
On your right you’ll find the palace built in 1730 by Manoel de Vilhena, Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, who also built the gate you walked through. They say about de Vilhena that he wasn’t chosen to be a prince, he was born to be one, and indeed his palace is grand enough to house actual princes. Sharp-eyed readers will notice a French influence in the design (the palace really does resemble a grand Parisian townhouse, the kind you’d find in the Marais).
Today the palace houses Mdina’s Natural History Museum, which contains quite a few fossils, butterflies, birds and the like. The subject interests me a bit less, so I haven’t actually been inside myself. But if you do go in, on your way to the ticket office you’ll find a TV screen showing clips from films shot in Mdina (including Game of Thrones, of course), and in my opinion, that alone is worth the visit.
The Mdina Dungeon
Right next to the entrance of the Natural History Museum is the entrance to the Mdina Dungeon. This is a 15th-century prison that presents Malta’s history through the types of torture and punishment that were common in each era. After a visit here, you’ll realize there’s nothing like torture and the death penalty to bring out humanity’s creativity.
Despite the fairly grim displays, I’d recommend considering a visit (if you’re not traveling with small children, of course), not just because the price is reasonable for everyone (just a few euros), but because of the knowledge the place adds about the history of Mdina in particular, and Malta in general.
St. Agatha’s Chapel and Casa Inguanez
Keep going straight, and at the intersection turn left, then right onto Triq Villegaignon. There you’ll find the chapel dedicated to St. Agatha. The original church was built around 1410, but it was rebuilt in 1694 following the earthquake that struck a year earlier. The church was built by the famous Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafà (1638-1703), who also built Mdina’s cathedral along with a long list of other churches across Malta.
Across from the church you’ll find Casa Inguanez. This is a 14th-century building, home to the Inguanez family, the oldest noble family in Mdina. In 1432, King Alfonso V of Aragon (r. 1416-1458) stayed here, and about 500 years later, King Alfonso XIII of Spain (r. 1886-1931) stopped here for a few days as well.
The Monastery of St. Peter
Right across from Casa Inguanez, you’ll find the Benedictine monastery named after St. Peter. This monastery was founded in 1418 and was renovated during the 17th century, when it took on its current form. It’s one of the strictest monasteries in Malta, and maybe in the entire Catholic world.
No man is allowed to enter here without the bishop’s permission, except for Mdina’s doctor. The nuns, for their part, are not permitted to leave the monastery grounds, either during their lives or after their death (they are buried on site). Despite all these conditions, there are currently about ten nuns who spend their days in prayer and embroidery in the monastery’s inner courtyard garden.
Right next to the monastery you’ll find its church, which holds works by Mattia Preti (1613-1699), an Italian artist famous for his work on the Co-Cathedral of St. John in Valletta.
One last thing before we move on: pay attention to the doors on this street. The door knockers here are simply beautiful.
The house of the Marquis of San Vincenzo Ferreri and Mdina’s “town hall”
Continue along Triq Villegaignon and on your right you’ll see a building called Casa Testaferrata (pay attention to its door knockers). The house belonged to the Marquis of San Vincenzo Ferreri, a title granted by King Philip V of Spain (r. 1700-1746) in 1716.
At the right-hand corner of the street (just before Triq San Pawl) stands the impressive Banca Giuratale building. This is where Mdina’s “Università” was based. Note that this wasn’t a university in the modern sense, but rather a kind of parliament that governed Malta before the Knights of St. John arrived.
In 1798, during the uprising against the French, the rebels decided to make this building their headquarters, and from here they sent a letter to Nelson asking England to come and help them against France (which kicked off the British occupation that lasted nearly 170 years).
St. Paul’s Square
Once you’re done admiring the door of the Banca Giuratale building, keep going a bit further and you’ll reach St. Paul’s Square, home to Mdina’s famous cathedral. In the past, the square used to be much smaller than it is today, but after the earthquake it was expanded so the cathedral could be shown off in its full glory.
I know you want to run ahead and go inside, but let me ask you to wait a little. We will go into the church, just a bit later. For now, let’s keep going on our walk along Triq Villegaignon.
Palazzo Santa Sofia and the Carmelite Church
As you continue down the street, look at the large, impressive building on your left. This is Palazzo Santa Sofia, the oldest building in Mdina (its ground floor dates to the 13th century).
Buildings like this one were built around inner courtyards, with the gate facing the street. Notice that all the streets in Mdina are narrow and meet each other at 90-degree angles. There are two reasons for this. First, the narrow streets were designed to deal with the scorching sun of the Maltese summer. The second reason is defensive. If an enemy managed to breach Mdina’s walls and get inside, it would be very hard for them to move around in large numbers through the streets, and while they tried, they’d be exposed to constant fire from the sides and from above.
Keep going and take a peek at the statue of the Madonna and the alley next to it. There’s no question it makes for a stunning photo op, as the picture below will show you:
Continue a bit further and step into the Carmelite Church, built in 1659. It’s a grand church with chapels and a beautiful ceiling.
The church also has historical significance, because this is where the uprising against the French began. The trigger for the revolt was the French attempt to loot the church’s sacred objects, and that was the final straw for the Maltese, who are devout Catholics (to this day, their churches are full during prayer hours, unlike churches in many other European countries).
Palazzo Falzon
After leaving the church, continue down the street until you reach Palazzo Falzon, built in 1495 by a Spanish admiral named Falzon. The palace once hosted the first Grand Master of the Knights to arrive in Malta, Philippe Villiers de L’Isle-Adam (1464-1534), and the museum inside holds quite a few interesting artworks, including medals and paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The palace itself is also beautiful, in my opinion, and is well worth a visit.
For more information and to buy tickets, check out this link.
Bastion Square
After visiting Palazzo Falzon, continue on and you’ll quickly reach Mdina’s Bastion Square, which offers a beautiful view (you can spot the massive dome of Mosta’s cathedral and get a great look at the sea). This is where Mdina’s Jewish synagogue once stood, before the Jews were expelled as part of the expulsion from Spain (Malta belonged to the Spanish crown at the time). A convent was built on the site of the synagogue in 1494, and later the convent became a private house with the French name Beaulieu.
And one last thing before we move on: at the corner of the Beaulieu building and Triq Villegaignon, there’s a gelateria that’s really not bad at all.
Fontanela and a Visit to the Mdina Cathedral and Its Museum
Continue along the walls and you’ll see Fontanela (Fontanela) on your left, a restaurant known for its cakes and for the lovely view from its terrace (the same view you saw from Bastion Square).
Continue straight down the alley to the end, then turn right and then left so you come out into Cathedral Square. This is the moment to visit the cathedral, but for that you’ll need to buy a ticket at the Cathedral Museum next door. Inside the museum you’ll find plenty of silver and gold liturgical objects (a bit like our own Judaica, but for Christians), along with historical documents and paintings. Personally, I wasn’t too impressed by this museum, but luckily the second floor had a rotating exhibition on the music of Malta that was excellent (the exhibition runs through July 2019).
The cathedral itself is a completely different story. It’s a beautiful church, second only to St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta. According to tradition, the cathedral was built on the spot where the palace of Publius once stood, which you can read about in the article on the history of Mdina. The church was built and destroyed several times, and the version you see today was built after the earthquake of 1693.
Inside the cathedral you’ll find countless treasures from the 18th and 19th centuries. Pay special attention to the beautiful tombstones below and the frescoes on the ceilings above.
Corte Capitanale
After visiting the cathedral and its museum, head down the alley next to the Cathedral Museum. Continue straight until you reach the square. Across from you, you’ll see a beautiful balcony belonging to the courthouse hall, part of the Palazzo Vilhena we saw at the start of the tour.
As you can see, on the right side is Justice, and on the left is Mercy, which according to the Torture Museum I mentioned earlier, never bothered to make it to the courthouses of Mdina.
Once you’re done admiring this beautiful balcony, continue down the street and then turn left. You’ve reached the main gate, and here our tour ends. I hope you enjoyed it!
Where can you stay in Mdina?
There’s just one hotel in the city of Mdina, but what a hotel! It’s a boutique hotel called The Xara Palace, part of the luxury hotel chain Relais & Chateaux. It’s a small, incredibly indulgent hotel set in a 17th-century palazzo, offering guests suites with antique furniture and a range of indulgences.
So if you feel like a truly one-of-a-kind experience in a truly one-of-a-kind city, feel free to check this link to see if there are rooms available during your time in Malta.
Guided tours in Mdina
It’s great fun to explore Mdina on your own, but if you’d like to get to know Mdina and its fascinating history in more depth, you should take an organized tour. Here are two recommended options:
Guided walking tour of Mdina
This is a two-hour walking tour that costs 15 euros (really not expensive). The tour will take you to Mdina’s most beautiful buildings (some of which aren’t on my route, simply for lack of space) and comes with plenty of juicy details about the city’s history.
Full-day tour of Mdina and central Malta
This is a full-day tour that includes Mdina, Rabat, the artisan village of Ta’ Qali, and more. The tour costs 50 euros per person, but it includes transportation and lunch, which makes the price a lot more reasonable.
Looking for more things to do in Malta?
As you’ve probably already discovered (and if not, you will soon), there’s so much to do in Malta that it’s hard to choose between all the attractions and activities. But don’t worry, I’ve done the work for you and gathered the best attractions and activities out there. You can find them in the article What to do in Malta?
Looking for a hotel in Malta?
Is the hotel in Mdina fully booked? Don’t worry! I’ve put together a few recommended hotels to help you avoid any unpleasant surprises. But before I give you my recommendations, there’s one important question to answer first: where in Malta should you stay? You can find the answer to that question, along with my hotel recommendations for Malta, in the article Where should you look for a hotel in Malta.
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