Name: Mdina and Valletta on full-day private tour
SKU: 41803
Price: 10 USD
Availability: InStock

Duration: 8h

Activity Level: Moderate

Experience: Adventure, Historical, Nature

Language: English

Photo permit included

Tour by public transport

Canal Boat tour included

Train tickets included

Suitable for little children

Wheelchair accessible tour

Museum ticket included

Light snack included

Lunch included

Transportation included

Walking Tour

Overview

Valletta is the capital of Malta, a World Heritage site which is almost an open air museum. Valletta has welcomed emperors, heads of state, artists and poets and is now the permanent seat of the Maltese government. The grid of narrow streets boasts some of Europe's finest art works, churches and palaces.

Valletta is full of intriguing historical sites; there are many votive statues, niches, fountains and coats of arms high up on parapets. Narrow side streets are full of tiny quaint shops and cafés. The magnificent fortress city grew on the arid rock of Mount Sceberras peninsula, which rises steeply from two deep harbours, Marsamxett and Grand Harbour. Started in 1566, Valletta was completed, with its impressive bastions, forts and cathedral, in the astonishingly short time of 15 years. Ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the Knights of St John, it is one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.

What's included

English-speaking guide
Pick-up and drop-off
Transportation

Food and drinks
Entrance fees
Personal expenses

Pick-up and drop-off at the port of Valletta
Comfortable walking shoes required
Sun cream and bottled water are recommended to be taken

Highlights

Malta

Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast. It's a nation known for historic sites related to a succession of rulers including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British. It has numerous fortresses, megalithic temples and the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, a subterranean complex of halls and burial chambers dating to circa 4000 B.C.

Mdina

Mdina, also known by its titles Città Vecchia or Città Notabile, is a fortified city in the Northern Region of Malta which served as the island's capital from antiquity to the medieval period. The city is still confined within its walls, and has a population of just under 300, but it is contiguous with the town of Rabat, which takes its name from the Arabic word for suburb, and has a population of over 11,000 (as of March 2014). The city was founded as Maleth in around the 8th century BC by Phoenician settlers, and was later renamed Melite by the Romans. Mdina remained the centre of the Maltese nobility and religious authorities (and property continues to largely be passed down from families and from generation to generation), but it never regained its pre-1530 importance, giving rise to the popular nickname the "Silent City" by both locals and visitors. Mdina is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and it is now one of the main tourist attractions in Malta.

St Paul’s Catacombs

St. Paul's Catacombs are some of the most prominent features of Malta’s early Christianity archaeology. The archaeological clearing of the site has revealed an extensive system of underground galleries and tombs dating from the third to the eighth centuries CE. The site was first fully investigated in 1894 by Dr. Antonio Annetto Caruana. It is now managed by Heritage Malta. There are over 30 hypogea in the entire St. Paul's and St. Agatha's complex, over 20 of which are open to the public.

The Grandmaster's Palace

The Grandmaster's Palace, officially known as The Palace, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was built between the 16th and 18th centuries as the palace of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John, who ruled Malta, and was also known as the Magisterial Palace. It eventually became the Governor's Palace, and it currently houses the Office of the President of Malta. Parts of the building, namely the Palace State Rooms and the Palace Armoury, are open to the public as a museum run by Heritage Malta.

Upper Barrakka Gardens

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. Along with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, they offer a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour. The gardens are located on the upper tier of St. Peter & Paul Bastion, which was built in the 1560s

Valletta

Valletta (or Il-Belt) is the tiny capital of the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. The walled city was established in the 1500s on a peninsula by the Knights of St. John, a Roman Catholic order. It’s known for museums, palaces and grand churches. Baroque landmarks include St. John’s Co-Cathedral, whose opulent interior is home to the Caravaggio masterpiece "The Beheading of Saint John."

Itinerary

09:00

Your guide will meet with you at Valletta port and will then lead you to the Capital City of Valletta. Here you will be able to see the bustling streets and the architectural buildings of this unique city.

The tour continues with a visit to the Barraca Gardens which are located in an elevated position overlooking the Grand Harbour and the three cities, the panoramic views from here are superb. St John’s Cathedral is your next stop where you will have the opportunity to admire the Baroque architecture as well as the superb works of art. From here the tour continues on to visit the Grand Master’s Palace. This Magisterial Palace was the official residence of the Grand Master of the Order. Today it is home to the President of Malta as well as the Maltese Parliament. After visiting Valletta the tour travels inland to sample the old Capital City of Mdina which is in the centre of the island. Free time will be allocated here to enjoy lunch.

Following lunch a short stroll around the narrow winding streets will then lead to the area of St Paul’s Catacombs and Grotto. Mdina is a walled city that was strategically built on high ground. The view from the bastions across the many miles of countryside is truly amazing.

There will be plenty of time to explore Mdina. This tour will conclude with a scenic drive back to the port of Valletta.

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Mdina and Valletta on full-day private tour