Royal Beach Club Santorini
Plan your visit
Buses 50 to 53 and 56 run from Valletta to Rabat, a short walk from Mdina Gate. St Paul's Cathedral is closed to visitors on Sundays.
About this place
Mdina was Malta's capital long before Valletta existed, and it still feels like a place apart. Its walls crown a ridge in the middle of the island, and inside the lanes are narrow, shaded and almost empty of cars, since only residents and a few service vehicles may drive in. That quiet gives it its nickname, the Silent City.
You enter through Mdina Gate, a Baroque gateway built in 1724 that later stood in for King's Landing in Game of Thrones. Beyond it, palazzi and convents line the lanes to St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt by Lorenzo Gafà after the earthquake of 1693. Bastion Square, on the walls, looks out across the whole of Malta to the coast.
The town of Rabat spreads around the walls, with St Paul's Catacombs and the pastizzi bar Is-Serkin a short walk away. Inside Mdina, the cafés are the place to try a honey ring or a cannolo.
The best escape from Valletta's bustle. Wander without a plan, finish with the view from the walls, and stop for a honey ring before you leave.
Location
Find Mdina
Mdina sits on a ridge in the centre of Malta, west of Valletta, with the town of Rabat spread around its walls.
Coordinates: 35.8864° N · 14.4031° E
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