Worth a DetourGozo
About 14 miles away
A quieter island with temples older than Stonehenge, and Comino's bright Blue Lagoon close by.
Guide Coming Soon
Mdina
Malta's walled old capital on a hilltop: silent lanes of palaces, a baroque cathedral and views across the island.
- Open
- Always; the cathedral and museums keep their own hours
- Price
- Free to wander; paid for the cathedral and catacombs
- Time Needed
- Half a day
- Address
- Main Gate, MdinaDirections
- Getting There
- About 30 minutes by bus from the Valletta terminus.
Why Go
Mdina was Malta's capital until the Knights of St. John moved to the harbor in the 16th century, and its walls still enclose a hush of honey-colored palaces, convents and narrow streets, with views from the bastions. St. Paul's Cathedral was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1693. Just outside the gate, Rabat has the catacombs of St. Paul and St. Agatha.
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1–3 of 6
Worth a Detour
Must-SeeTaormina
Sicily
About 145 miles away
A Sicilian cliff town, with a Greek theater looking out at Etna.
Full Guide
Must-SeeValley of the Temples
Sicily
About 107 miles away
Some of the best-preserved Greek temples anywhere, at Agrigento in Sicily.
Guide Coming Soon
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