Mdina & The Highlights Of Malta (Full Day Including Lunch)

This tour is ideal for those guests who want to visit and experience some of Malta’s most interesting highlights in just one day. Carefully designed to make your day truly memorable, we start by visiting the ancient mediaeval city of Mdina, renowned for its opulent palaces and fortifications, mediaeval and baroque architecture, and ancient heritage. This majestic city, also known as Città Vecchia (the Old City) or Città Notabile (the Noble City), is unquestionably one of the island's most evocative destinations.

Serving as the island's capital city from antiquity until the mediaeval period, Mdina is truly an enchanting city! A stroll through its narrow streets, which have not changed much in the last 1000 years, is a must for anyone visiting the Maltese islands. It is undoubtedly one of Europe’s finest examples of an ancient walled/fortified city. Explore this historic city with an experienced local guide and delve into the rich past of the city as you explore its mediaeval streets. Take a journey back in time, admiring the magnificent palazzos and churches in the city’s unique mix of mediaeval and baroque styles, as well as the spectacular panoramas from the high bastion walls.

Leaving Mdina through the ‘Greeks Gate’ we proceed towards St. Cataldus Catacombs, located in Rabat, on the outskirts of Mdina. These catacombs hold one of the best examples of an agape table, a circular platform hewn out of the rock used for early Christian funerary rituals. Dating from the late 2nd to the 3rd centuries, these small catacombs were originally a Punic burial shaft. The graves in the catacombs are beautiful examples of canopied tombs, while many other graves are hewn in the rocks. This site represents some of the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta.

We then proceed to Dingli Cliffs, located off the village of Dingli on Malta’s western coast, at around 253 metres above sea level. These cliffs represent the highest point of the Maltese Islands. The cliffs propose a majestic sight; the views overlooking the terraced fields underneath and the panorama of the vast open seas with the uninhabited small island of Filfla as its backdrop are truly breath-taking! Given their impressive height, the cliffs can be considered natural forts since no attacker can approach the island from the west. Perched on the edge, marking the highest point on the Maltese islands, is a gorgeous, tiny chapel built in 1646, dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene.

After lunch, we will visit the San Anton Botanical Gardens, located in the village of Attard. These beautiful gardens were built in the early 17th century by Grand Master Antoine de Paule to complement his summer residence, San Anton Palace, which is located at the perimeter of the gardens and which today serves as the residence of the Maltese President.

Open to the public since 1882, the gardens have several pathways surrounded by fountains and ponds that are inhabited by families of ducks, swans, peacocks, peahens, and turtles and encompass a large variety of trees and flowers from around the world, including a variety of palm trees, cypress, jacarandas, araucarias, and other exotic plants, some of them over three centuries old.

Our next stop is at the town of Ta’ Qali, where we will visit the Ta’ Qali Artisan Village. Located in a former British Royal Air Forces wartime airfield and restored as a local artisan’s hub, here you can admire the local craftsmen forming elaborate glass art pieces using the ancient glassblowing technique, intricately assembling original silver and filigree jewellery, and much more. With a vast selection of genuine goods made by local artisans and craftsmen, such as paintings, traditional Maltese lace, gold, silver, and filigree jewellery, leather goods, furniture, ceramics, and ornamental glass, this is the perfect place to pick up some truly genuine locally made mementos that will remind you of your visit to Malta (no obligation to buy).

We end our tour with a visit to the Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta or the Mosta Dome, a Roman Catholic parish church and minor basilica located in the city of Mosta. It was built between 1833 and the 1860's to neoclassical designs. The design of the present church is based on the Pantheon in Rome. The church is renowned for having the third-largest unsupported dome in the world and is also Malta's largest church.

The church narrowly avoided destruction during World War II when, on April 9, 1942, the German Luftwaffe dropped a bomb on the church. The bomb pierced the dome and entered the church but failed to explode, thus sparing the lives of more than 300 people who were attending the early evening mass. This event was interpreted by the locals as a miracle.

Lunch is included during this tour.

During the whole tour, our knowledgeable and experienced guides will provide you with riveting information and enhance your experience through narration and engaging storytelling.