Top 5 Valletta Museums To Visit

Valletta, the capital city of Malta, is a World Heritage site and many, tourists and locals alike, describe it as one big museum. The city is brimming with history, Baroque architecture and monumental buildings. Every quaint street will tell you an interesting story.

Apart from providing the same hustle and bustle of most cities, but in a miniature style, Valletta is your ideal location if you love exploring museums and learning more about the country you visited. Here are the top Valletta museums that will definitely leave you in awe of the tiny island of Malta.

Located in Misrah San Gorg, The Palace Armoury is an arms collection housed at the Grandmaster’s Palace. It was the main armoury of the Knights of St John – a unique brotherhood of resolute warrior monks. The museum holds a unique display of suits of armour that was owned by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt and Jean de La Valette.

The other interesting aspect that can be found at this museum is a varied selection of firearms that were used for both military and sporting purposes. There is also a selection of artillery pieces that was originally used for battle with fortifications.

After you visit the Armoury, head over to The Palace State Rooms. The State Rooms are characterised by beautiful tapestries and magnificent works of art. The highlights of these rooms include the Tapestry Chamber, the ceiling paintings in the corridors, the Ambassadors’ Hall and the Great Siege Frescoes by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio.

Our suggestion would be to always look up when visiting these State Rooms. There is always something beautiful to see!

Located in Republic Street, the National Museum of Archaeology is one of the most popular Valletta museums. It is a museum showcasing a number of artefacts from the Neolithic up to the Phoenician period. The museum takes us through the journey of 7,000 years of history and it gives us an insight into the lost civilisation of temple builders, and their successors and the artefacts that they left behind.

One of the highlights of this museum is the exquisite 5,000-year-old statuette of the ‘Sleeping Lady’ and the mysterious ‘fat statues’ unearthed from the Neolithic temples.

Malta 5D is a multilingual, historical and cultural attraction which is enhanced by special effects and modern technology. It has been intelligently created to suit all ages and attract a diverse audience. This purpose built 5D auditorium, is situated in central Valletta, in Old Bakery Street corner to South Street.

Malta 5D takes you on an enchanting voyage beyond time to discover and feel the thrilling events that shaped Malta’s history. Throughout the film, the audience is captivated by the aerial views which delve into the past and present episodes. Together with the Maltese Falcon, spectators soar over the archipelago and dive into open seas, twist and turn around narrow quaint streets and hold their breath against on-coming attacks of spears and bombs!

Malta 5D is a memorable adventure to witness the evidence of the first human settlement, the victorious era of the Knights of St John and Malta’s heroic approach during World War II.

Fort St. Elmo is a star-shaped fort built by the Order of St. John at the tip of the peninsula, on which Valletta is also built, to save guard the two main harbours of Malta – the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. The fort had a major role during the Great Siege of 1565 and also during World War II.

Apart from exploring the fort and experience breath-taking views, one can also visit the National War Museum located within the fort. The National War Museum explains the military history of the Maltese Islands, from the prehistoric period up to modern history. The museum focuses on major historic events that occurred throughout Maltese history, especially the Great Siege of 1565 and World War II.