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Mdina & Rabat
The medieval 'Silent City' behind honey-coloured bastions, with catacombs in neighbouring Rabat.
Where to stay
Barely anyone stays in Mdina itself, which is part of the appeal. Around three hundred people live inside the walls.
- Inside Mdina — A handful of rooms in a walled city with almost no cars and almost no residents. Extraordinary at night, and expensive.
- Rabat — Immediately outside the gate, ordinary, affordable, and thirty seconds from everything Mdina has.
- Elsewhere on the island — Most visitors come for half a day from Sliema or Valletta, which is perfectly reasonable given the size of Malta.
What to see
Mdina was the capital until the Knights arrived and moved to the harbour. It has been quietly declining ever since, which is why it survives.
- Mdina Cathedral — Baroque, and built after an earthquake flattened the previous one.
- The bastion walls — The view runs across most of the island to the sea, and is best at sunset.
- The streets themselves — Narrow, high-walled and almost silent once the coaches leave. The gate and several lanes appeared as King's Landing in the first season of Game of Thrones.
- St Paul's Catacombs, Rabat — An extensive Roman-era burial complex under the streets, and the more interesting of the two towns for anyone who likes going underground.
- Domus Romana — A Roman townhouse with mosaic floors, between the two towns.
Getting there
- From Valletta — Around thirty minutes by bus, direct.
- From Sliema — Roughly forty minutes by bus, or twenty by car.
- Parking — Outside the walls only. No visitor traffic goes inside the gate.
How long to stay
- Two to three hours — Enough for the cathedral, the walls and a walk through the lanes.
- Half a day — Adds Rabat and the catacombs, which is the version worth doing.
- An evening — The best time to be there, and the reason a few people stay the night.
Worth knowing before you go
- Go early or after five. Between eleven and four the coaches arrive and the Silent City is anything but.
- The catacombs are cool and shaded, which makes them the right choice in the middle of a July afternoon.
- Almost no cars are allowed inside the walls, so the quiet is genuine rather than a marketing line.
- Rabat is a working town and eating there costs noticeably less than inside Mdina.
Plan your trip to Mdina & Rabat
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Mdina & Rabat: frequently asked questions
Is Mdina worth visiting?
Yes, and it is one of the best-preserved walled cities in the Mediterranean. Go early in the morning or in the evening, because the middle of the day is coach-tour hours and the Silent City is loud.
Can you stay in Mdina?
Yes, but only a handful of rooms exist inside the walls and they are expensive. Rabat, immediately outside the gate, is far cheaper and thirty seconds away.
How do you get to Mdina from Valletta?
A direct bus takes around thirty minutes. By car it is about twenty, and you park outside the walls.
Was Game of Thrones filmed in Mdina?
Yes. The Mdina Gate and several of the lanes were used as King's Landing in the first season.
What is there to do in Rabat?
St Paul's Catacombs, an extensive Roman burial complex under the streets, plus the Domus Romana and the Wignacourt Museum. It is also where you eat, because it costs less than Mdina.
How long do you need in Mdina?
Two to three hours for Mdina alone, half a day if you add Rabat and the catacombs.