See

Fort St. Elmo

National War Museum

Built at the tip of the peninsula by the knights after the Dragut Raid of 1551. During the Great Siege of 1565 the Turks made the mistake of choosing to first take this fort, for which they had planned a week. Instead, the knights and soldiers present fought desperately for a month, buying essential time. The knights in the fort knew they were fighting to the death, and so rather than being taken off the ramparts when wounded, knights would fight on seated in chairs until they couldn't even lift their arms anymore. Today, the fort houses the National War Museum and the Police Academy. The National War Museum is mainly focussed on World Wars 1 and 2, but covers the period from the Bronze Age onwards.

Hours: Apr-Sep: daily 09:00-18:00; Oct-Mar: daily 09:00-17:00
Price: €10
Website: heritagemalta.org (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Valletta, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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The Malta Experience
Despite not being cheap, visitors who have any interest in culture or history and who haven't exhaustively read up on the country before coming here would do well by starting their visit to Malta by going here, as it is an excellent introduction to the country. It gives an impression of major events that shaped the country, but as it's only 45 min long and meant for first-time visitors, don't expect a dry scholarly treatment of the subject.
Shows hourly; Mon-Fri 11:00-16:00, Sat Sun 11:00-14:00Adult €20, student with ID €15.50, child 5 - 11 years old €9
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The Sacra Infermeria
Mediterranean Conference Centre
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The Casa Rocca Piccola
A Maltese noble family house on Triq ir-Republika, a few hundred metres past the Grand Master's Palace on the right-hand side. Very enjoyable.
Eat
Nenu the Artisan Baker
Bakery famous for its ftira (traditional Maltese ring-formed bread). Also serves Maltese dishes and desserts.
Tue-Sat 11:45-15:30 and 18:00-23:30, Sun 11:45-16:00ftira €12, mains €14-18