Traveleriences
The dome and bell towers of St Paul's Cathedral rising over the walls of Mdina

Mdina & Rabat, Malta

Ideal: 1 dayBest: Mar–Jun · Sep–NovPrice: Moderate
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In 60 seconds

Mdina & Rabat in 60 seconds

Before Valletta, Malta was ruled from Mdina, a walled city on a ridge in the middle of the island, and it has hardly changed since the nobles stayed behind when the Knights moved to the coast. Through the baroque Main Gate the streets narrow and bend, between palazzi and convents, to the cathedral rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693 and the bastions, where the whole island spreads out below. Few cars are allowed in, and it is easy to see why it is called the Silent City, especially at dusk. Rabat, outside the walls, is a working town over a warren of early Christian catacombs, with a Roman villa's mosaics by the gate. The Dingli Cliffs are a short ride away for the sunset.

MedievalViews

Best for

  • History
  • Architecture

Known for

  • Silent City
  • St Paul's Cathedral
  • St Paul's Catacombs
  • Bastion views

Skip if

You can only come at midday in summer — the lanes fill with tour groups and the stone holds the heat.

Your match

Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Mdina & Rabat fits them. Choose interests

See

Must experience

The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.

St Paul's Cathedral

Baroque cathedral of the old capital

Lorenzo Gafà's rebuilding after the 1693 earthquake, with a museum across the square.

MdinaCathedral

Mdina bastions

Ramparts over the whole island

From Bastion Square you can see across Malta to the sea and Valletta's dome.

MdinaView

St Paul's Catacombs

Underground cemeteries of Roman Malta

Tunnels and tombs with agape tables cut into the rock.

RabatArchaeology

Dingli Cliffs

Malta's high sea cliffs

A clifftop path with nothing between you and the open sea.

DingliSunsetView

Orientation

Neighbourhoods

How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.

Mdina

Inside the walls

Palazzi, convents and almost no traffic.

Rabat

The town outside the gate

Everyday Malta: a market, pastizzerias and churches.

Stay

Where to stay

Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.

Mdina

Very expensive

A handful of palazzo hotels

Have the Silent City to yourself after dark.

Romantic

Rabat

Moderate

Guesthouses and apartments

A short walk to the gate.

Value

Practical

Know before you go

Getting in
Buses from Valletta stop outside the Main Gate.
Best time
Early morning or evening; dusk is when Mdina earns its name.
Dress code
Cover shoulders and knees in the cathedral and churches.
Taste locally
Pastizzi in Rabat, ftira and imqaret.

Plan this trip — useful links

Heritage Malta (opens in a new tab)

Context

History in 5 minutes

Enough to make what you are looking at legible.

  1. 1530

    The Knights arrive; Mdina's nobles stay on as the Knights base themselves by the harbours.

  2. 1693

    An earthquake brings down the cathedral, rebuilt in baroque by Lorenzo Gafà.

Further out

Nearby escapes

Worth a day if you have one to spare.

Valletta & the Three Cities

The capital

Valletta & the Three Cities has its own guide.

30 min by busHistory

Mellieħa & Comino

Beaches in the north

Mellieħa & Comino has its own guide.

30 min by carBeaches