Discover Mdina 2026

Since only residents are permitted to drive within the city walls, an unusual quiet reigns in the narrow lanes, earning Mdina its nickname Silent City, especially striking on an evening walk without the tourist crowds.

According to tradition, the Baroque cathedral stands on the site where the Roman governor Publius received the shipwrecked Apostle Paul, and impresses inside with an elaborately painted vaulted ceiling and an attached cathedral museum.

The imposing defensive walls, dating from Norman and later Baroque times, encircle the entire old town and offer sweeping views over the Maltese landscape to the coast from several viewpoints, especially striking at sunset from Bastion Square.

Traditional horse-drawn carriages, known as karrozzini, offer a leisurely way to explore the labyrinthine medieval lanes with their honey-colored limestone facades and hidden courtyards, passing noble palaces from Norman and Aragonese times.

The old capital lies in the center of the island, about 15 kilometers west of Valletta, and is reachable by public bus in about 40 minutes or by car in about 25 minutes.

Since only residents are permitted to drive within the city walls, an unusual quiet reigns in the narrow lanes, earning Mdina its nickname Silent City, especially striking on an evening walk without the tourist crowds.

According to tradition, the Baroque cathedral stands on the site where the Roman governor Publius received the shipwrecked Apostle Paul, and impresses inside with an elaborately painted vaulted ceiling and an attached cathedral museum.

The imposing defensive walls, dating from Norman and later Baroque times, encircle the entire old town and offer sweeping views over the Maltese landscape to the coast from several viewpoints, especially striking at sunset from Bastion Square.