WHAT TO SEE & DO IN MDINA, MALTA

This was my second trip to Malta and my second visit to the Mdina. On my first visit, my goal was to just explore every street and alley. I took a ton of pictures and had lunch at this cute little sandwich shop.

This second visit was different.  This time my niece was in my travel group and she had specific places she wanted to photograph including the famous blue door and filming locations from Game of Thrones.  

Another friend in the group had eaten at the Fontanella Tea Garden on our last visit to the Mdina and had bragged on the wonderful food and decadent cakes so it was a given that we would be having lunch there.

   

If you missed my post about my first visit to the Mdina, you can see it HERE. I went over the history of the Mdina and what makes it such a unique place to visit so I won't go over it again in this post.

In this post I want to focus on what you should see and do.

********  TO SEE ********

#1 MDINA CITY GATE
First on the list is the Mdina City Gate where you will enter the walled city. You will walk across an bridge that was over an actual moat but the moat is now dry.

Game of Thrones fans may recognize it from the first season.

#2 PIAZZA MESQUITA
My niece Ashley is a huge Game of Thrones fan and was excited to see the Piazza Mesquita.  

The Piazza Mesquita  is where Littlefinger's brothel was located in Game of Thrones.  It was here where Catelyn Stark hides out during her time in King's Landing and Ned Stark comes to find her.  

Below is a scene from the show.

#3 THE INSTAGRAMABLE BLUE DOOR
When searching Instagram for Malta images, this pictures of the blue door in the Mdina shows up over and over. Just #mdina and you will see what I am talking about. 

I had taken a photo of it on my last visit but I didn't get a photo of myself by the door so that was high on the list this visit.

This door is so famous that you can do a Google search for "blue door Mdina" and it will give you a map showing you exactly were it is located.  

#4 Mdina City Walls 
If  you eat at the Fontanella Tea Garden, you will get to enjoy this view while you eat.  If not, make your way to the back of the city and climb the steps to peek over the wall.

#5 VISIT THE CATHEDRALS

The Mdina was the capital of Malta until 1530 and the main cathedral at the time would have been St Paul's Cathedral built in the 12th century. It was rebuilt in the Baroque style in the late 17th century which is how it stands today.

St Paul's Cathedral

While St Paul's Cathedral is pretty easy to find, as you explore many of the streets and alleys, you will run across more chapels.

St Roque's Church 

St Peter in Chains

Chapel of Saint Agatha

           ********TO DO********

#7 FONTANELLA TEA GARDEN 

I was super excited about having lunch at the Fontanella Tea Garden. It sits atop the city walls with sweeping views of Malta. It serves delicious home made cakes, sandwiches, pizzas, and salads.

Here is a link to their website so you can check out the menu and hours of operation. The prices were very reasonable.   https://fontanellateagarden.com/

There were five people in our group and we each ordered a different entree and dessert so we sample a variety as much as possible.  I can say that everything was delicious.  

Just to give you an idea, here are some of your dessert choices.

The chicken salad was amazing!

And so was the pizza.

#8 Walk around Mdina’s city streets
Strolling the maze of city streets was so much fun.  You don't have to worry about getting lost since the entire city is walled.  

Some visitors will tell you to follow a map and explore the city while others will tell you to put away the map and just get lost within the charming alleyways.  I did a combination of locating a couple of the places I didn't want to miss and wandering aimlessly with no plan.

#9 THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

I have never visited the National Museum of Natural History other than the courtyard and entrance area. I love the architecture of the building but have always been too excited to explore the city to take time out for a museum tour.

The Museum is situated within the Vilhena Palace, including display areas that cover various topics such as Maltese Geology and Palaeontology, exotic mammals, marine fauna, insects, shells and birds and other topics like human evolution.

#10 ADMIRE THE ARCHITECTURE 

The architecture of the city is a mix of Norm and Barouque including several palaces, most of which serve as private homes.

Bastion Square

Near the Mdina Cathedral is an unusual Neo-Gothic style house.

  

# 11 DOORS, DOORS, & MORE DOORS

While you are admiring the architecture, be sure to notice the doors. They come in a variety if sizes, shapes, and colors. Many of them have unique door knockers in a multitude of shapes such as lions or dolphins.

I'm not sure how my door obsession started but I can pinpoint when it started and promise you that it is still alive and well today.   

The realization of my door obsession appeared after my first visit to Europe.  When I started looking at my photos, especially the ones from Tunisia, I had a ton of door photos.  

#12 GET A LITTLE NOSY 

This one probably should not be on the list but it's my favorite thing about traveling.  Though I do enjoy seeing all of the touristy things, I want to peek into the lives of people who are lucky enough to live in these amazing locations.

For example, this gate just screams secret garden.  How can you walk by and not take a peek inside?

                        

There are other sites to explore other than the ones I mentioned above.  

Below is a list of places that I personally have not visited but would like to explore on my next visit.  

I linked the website to each place so you can explore the place before traveling to see if it may interest you.


THE MDINA EXPERIENCE

This is a one-hour long film made by the tourism board which details Mdina’s diverse history. Think of it like a museum exhibit in film form. You can find The Mdina Experience in the same square as the Game of Thrones location, Pjazza Triq Mesquita. WEBSITE

CATACOMBS

St Agatha's Catacombs - this is basically a chapel where it’s believed St Agatha, a patron saint of Malta, prayed. Taking the guided tour inside gives you an opportunity to learn about the various paintings and grave markings. WEBSITE

St Paul's Catacombs

A series of dark and narrow paths through ancient tombs. It is adjacant to Mdina, in the neighbouring village of Rabat. Part of our group went to see the Catacombs while some explored more of the Mdina. It was only a short walk from the Mdina. WEBSITE

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA

The Knights of Malta is a unique series of expertly captured scenes from the original tales of the life and times of the Crusader Knights. Discover how in 1530, Grand Master L’Isle Adam entered the Gates of the fortified city of Mdina. Bringing the past to life with a creative achievement produced by special effects, dramatic lighting that depicts the energy of those who lived, fought and died in bygone centuries. Truly an extraordinary experience, exciting for all ages. WEBSITE

MDINA DUNGEONS

The Mdina Dungeons are located beneath the Magisterial Vilhena Palace just inside the main entrance gate to Mdina, at the first turning on the right. 

Here in these series of secret underground passageways, chambers and cells a number of events, and the often mysterious circumstances surrounding them, have been recreated to portray events from the dark side of Maltese history.  WEBSITE

PALAZOO FALSON: MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS AND ANTIQUITIES

Former home of Capt Olof Frederick Gollcher, the son of a prosperous shipping merchant of Swedish descent. Gollcher was an artist, scholar and philanthropist, but also a discerning collector of objets d’art and historical objects. Palazzo Falson was not only his home, but also a setting for his works of art and antiques. Here he spent many happy years constantly adding to and rearranging his collections. After Gollcher’s death in 1962, the house and its contents eventually passed into the hands of The Captain O. F. Gollcher OBE Art and Archaeological Foundation.  WEBSITE

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