Malta’s capital city has had a colourful history, and its storied walls are overflowing with tales of heroism and heartbreak from across the centuries.

Four of Valletta’s most intriguing museums

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The Grandmaster’s Palace

<h2>The Grandmaster’s Palace</h2>
<p>Few places chart Malta’s modern history like the Grandmaster’s Palace, a city-block-sized pile whose unadorned exterior belies lushly furnished, fresco-painted interiors. Built by the Knights of St. John in the 16th century, it now houses the office of the President of Malta. Its five magnificent staterooms, two courtyards and comprehensive armoury are a time capsule for the country’s last few centuries. The Throne Room is the most dazzling; lined with golden damask overlaid by frescos of the Great Siege of 1565. Admire Grand Master Wignacourt’s black and gold parading armour, and don’t miss the Teintures des Indes, a series of French Gobelins tapestries, which are said to be the only surviving complete set in the world.</p>


National Museum of Archaeology

<h2>National Museum of Archaeology</h2>
<p>Two floors don’t seem enough space to cover Malta’s 7000-year history, but it’s a good place to start. This museum on the capital’s busiest thoroughfare, Republic Street, is an artifact-by-artifact guide to Malta’s human residents, from the Neolithic through to the Phoenicians. Expect to see evidence of some of the islands’ first settlers such as tools, figures, amphorae and even terracotta sarcophagi. The museum’s crown jewel is the ‘Sleeping Lady’, a 5,000-year-old clay statuette uncovered in the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum which demonstrates an impressive level of artisanship for the time.</p>
<p> </p>


Fort St. Elmo and the National War Museum

<h2>Fort St. Elmo and the National War Museum</h2>
<p>Malta’s strategic position in the Mediterranean means it’s suffered a lot of warfare, and the various battles have left their mark across the islands. The National War Museum sits inside the weathered walls of Fort St. Elmo, a much bombarded location during the Great Siege. Seven sections cover 7,000 years of wartime history, from the Bronze Age through the Order of St. John and the Ottomans to World War Two and up to Malta’s integration into the EU. The fort’s position on the Sciberras peninsula also offers superb views over Valletta’s two harbours and the sparkling, open ocean.</p>


MUZA - National Museum of Art

<h2>MUZA - National Museum of Art</h2>
<p>Far from the snoozy paintings-lining-a-corridor set up, MUZA encourages visitors to own their own gallery experience here, engaging as little or as much as they like while exploring the museum’s collections. Works are centered around four themes: Mediterranean, Europe, Empire or The Artist, and aim to showcase Maltese and European stories. Films and interactive experiences – including making your own art – are part and parcel of this community focused space, whose highlights include The Tempest by Claude-Joseph Vernet.</p>


Special mentions

<h2>Special mentions</h2>
<p><b>The Currency Museum</b> - Located in the foyer of the Central Bank of Malta, this modest exhibition of Maltese coins and banknotes from across the years – as well as currencies from Malta’s trading partners – is quite enlightening.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Mysterium Fidei Monastery</b> - This 400-year-old monastery only opened its doors to the public two years ago, and its beautiful cloisters and gardens – as well as its vaulted rooms and burial places – provide a fascinating insight into the lives of the Augustinian nuns who once lived here.<br />
<br />
<b>The Lascaris War Rooms</b> - Enter Britain’s secret World War Two operations HQ nearly 50-metres beneath the Upper Barrakka Gardens in an underground warren of tunnels, filled with in-situ artifacts from Europe’s biggest modern-day conflict.</p>


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Malta’s capital city has had a colourful history, and its storied walls are overflowing with tales of heroism and heartbreak from across the centuries. 


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Pride of Britain award pictured at Sheer Rock resort in Antigua during a cruise on board Britannia. 
Client : P&O Cruises.
Picture date: Tuesday November 26, 2024.
Photograph by Christopher Ison ©
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IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING IMAGE LICENCING FOR THIS PHOTOGRAPH: This image is supplied to the client under the terms previously agree. No sales are permitted unless expressly agreed in writing by the photographer. Image licence is for below the line only. No out of home use without acquiring an extended image licence.

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20251020 Copyright James RobinsonFree for editorial use image, please credit: James RobinsonAlexis Warr, Pride of Britain Awards 2025, Grosvenor House, LondonIf you require a higher resolution image, have any other photographic enquiries or are in any way unsure of your right to publish this image please contact James Robinson on Hello@James-Robinson.co.uk

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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 08: A general view ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match between Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday at St Mary's Stadium on November 08, 2025 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images)

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Wiston Estate sparkling . Bottle
March 10, 2015
Photo Caption: 
Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, officially named P&O Cruises new flagship Britannia in a glittering ceremony in which a bottle of British Wiston Estate Brut NV was broken against the hull of the 143,000 tons cruise ship.
Upholding its celebration of all things British, P&O Cruises selected sparkling wine from the Wiston Estate Winery in Sussex. A nebuchadnezzar of the Brut NV was used for the bottle smash moment itself while thousands of bottles of Brut NV and Ros, Vintage 2011 will be enjoyed during the various inaugural events that are scheduled to take place around the launch.Ê

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P&O Cruises three year shirt sleeve sponsorship deal launch on board Britannia in Southampton.
Client: P&O Cruises.
Picture date: Friday August 2, 2024.
Photograph by Christopher Ison ©
07544044177
chris@christopherison.com
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IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING IMAGE LICENCING FOR THIS PHOTOGRAPH: This image is supplied to the client under the terms previously agree. No sales are permitted unless expressly agreed in writing by the photographer. Image licence is for below the line only. No out of home use without acquiring an extended image licence.

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Four of Valletta’s most intriguing museums

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