02/09/2026
Mdina is the old fortified capital of Malta and one of the most atmospheric places in the Mediterranean — a small walled city crowning a hill in the centre of the island, its honey-coloured palaces and churches enclosed within massive bastions. Settled for more than three thousand years, it was fortified by the Phoenicians, developed by the Romans and given both its street plan and its name (from the Arabic medina) under Arab rule. For centuries it was the island’s capital and the seat of its nobility, until the Knights of St John shifted power to the harbour and founded Valletta in the 16th century. Left behind, Mdina slipped into a dignified quiet that earned it the nickname the “Silent City” — a hush it keeps to this day, with cars largely banned inside the walls.
What to See
Entering through the grand Baroque Mdina Gate — familiar to many as a gate of King’s Landing in Game of Thrones — you step into a maze of narrow, shady lanes lined with medieval and Baroque palaces, quiet squares and old churches. The centrepiece is St Paul’s Cathedral, a magnificent Baroque church said to stand where the Roman governor Publius met the shipwrecked St Paul; its adjoining museum holds a fine art collection. Aristocratic residences such as the medieval Palazzo Falson can be visited, along with small museums including the atmospheric Mdina Dungeons. Best of all is simply wandering the streets and pausing at Bastion Square, where the city walls open onto a tremendous panorama across the fields and villages of Malta all the way to Valletta and the sea. The city is especially magical in the evening, when the day-trippers leave and the lamplit lanes truly fall silent.
How to Get There and Practical Information
Mdina sits in the centre of Malta, on a hill next to its ancient suburb of Rabat, about a 30-minute drive from Valletta and easily reached by public bus from the capital, Sliema and other towns. Cars are not allowed inside the walls (and largely not even for residents), so visitors leave vehicles in the car parks outside and enter on foot through the city gates. There is no charge to enter and explore Mdina itself, which is free to wander at any hour, while the cathedral, palaces and museums each charge their own admission. Allow a couple of hours, more if you visit the museums, and try to come early or stay into the evening to experience the “Silent City” at its most evocative — combining it easily with neighbouring Rabat and its Roman catacombs.
Weather in location: Mdina fortified city, Malta
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Forecast data: MET Norway
