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Full-Day Tour from Valletta: Explore Mosta, Mdina, Rabat, and Malta's Historical Highlights
3.4
28 Ratings
St. Paul's Bay
Embark on a full-day tour from Valletta and explore the historical highlights of Malta. Visit the medieval city of Mdina, discover ancient catacombs in Rabat, and marvel at Mosta’s majestic dome.
Embark on a full-day tour from Valletta and explore the historical highlights of Malta. Visit the medieval city of Mdina, discover ancient catacombs in Rabat, and marvel at Mosta’s majestic dome.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Mdina Old City - Visit the Silent City Mdina, which has defence bastions dating back back to the 9th Century.
- St. Paul’s Grotto - Before lunch you will be given free time to visit St. Paul’s Grotto. (Admission not included) After St Paul’s Grotto you will have lunch in a typical Maltese Restaurant.
- Ta’ Qali Crafts Village - Watch…
- Mdina Old City - Visit the Silent City Mdina, which has defence bastions dating back back to the 9th Century.
- St. Paul’s Grotto - Before lunch you will be given free time to visit St. Paul’s Grotto. (Admission not included) After St Paul’s Grotto you will have lunch in a typical Maltese Restaurant.
- Ta’ Qali Crafts Village - Watch local artisans at work, producing typical Maltese ware including glass, silver and filigree.
- Mosta Rotunda - Mosta to visit the famous Dome, considered to be the third largest in the world. (Admission not included)
- San Anton Gardens - Visit San Anton Garden, located near the Presidential Palace, which we can admire from outside
- Dingli Cliffs - Offering a spectacular view of the open sea and after lunch we proceed to San Anton Botanical Garden.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Driver/guide
- Lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Driver/guide
- Lunch
What's Not Included
- Drinks
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Drinks
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Additional Information
Today’s journey takes visitors to the heart of Malta, where the medieval fortified city of Mdina, the island’s former capital, stands. The narrow, winding streets, reminiscent of medieval times, lead to the impressive bastions that offer a breathtaking view of the island. Along the way, various architectural styles can be admired, including…
Today’s journey takes visitors to the heart of Malta, where the medieval fortified city of Mdina, the island’s former capital, stands. The narrow, winding streets, reminiscent of medieval times, lead to the impressive bastions that offer a breathtaking view of the island. Along the way, various architectural styles can be admired, including Siculo-Norman palaces and other baroque buildings of significant historical value.
Time seems to pause in this ‘silent city,’ a favorite among filmmakers. Exiting Mdina through the Greeks’ Gate, the tour stops at one of the early Christian Catacombs in Rabat before heading to the Dingli cliffs.
After lunch, the San Anton botanical gardens, located near the Presidential Palace, will be visited and admired from the outside. The tour also includes a visit to the crafts center at Ta’ Qali. To conclude the tour, prepare to be amazed by Mosta’s grand dome, one of the largest in Europe.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Infant meals not included
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Location
DoubleTree by Hilton Malta
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.4
(28 Ratings)
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Renata_m
Sep 24, 2025
Enjoyed the tour a lot.... - Enjoyed the tour a lot. Well guided and informative. I was expecting a rushed tour (read comments) but surprisingly, it was well paced.
Review provided by Viator
Jiller42001
Oct 6, 2024
great tour - great tour loved mdina and Rabat, short visit to Mosta only to the church. Just wish more free time than to listen to guide at each stop could have been shorter. Especially in Mdina
Review provided by Viator
Johngb3611qt
May 14, 2024
Highly recommend tour - Can't fault the tour what so ever and was greeted by Anna, who was absolutely brilliant and driver Paul just before 8.40 in Bugibba before picking up the rest of the group along the way. The history told and the places visited on the itinerary went into great detail and a 3 course lunch in a restaurant in Mdina. I would highly recommend this tour and hope you'll get Anna because she'll tell you everything 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
763jerryq
Mar 22, 2024
Great sights and lovely places to see - Would have liked to have spent more time in some of the sites. Did not enjoy being herded into the gift shops and would not do this tour again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ianjacobs
Jun 10, 2023
Disorganised Start, But an Enjoyable Day - Overall the tour was enjoyable. However, this was the negative part of it:- We were picked up on time in a mini bus, but the driver didn't say anything to anyone on the bus about what was happening (we assumed we this was the start of the tour). However, we finally were dropped off at Attard which appeared to be a central pick-up point for everyone going on a tour that day. Nobody seemed to know what was going on and we had to wait about half an hour before anyone said anything and were then taken to our coach.
Once the tour got started, we thought the Tour Guide was very knowledgeable and we visited that we wouldn't necessarily have visited by ourselves. The lunch was very nice and substantial. However, the included drinks were either wine or tap water. In our opinion, there perhaps should have been a non-alcoholic alternative on offer. If anyone wanted anything else, it had to be paid for separately.
Review provided by Viator
946annelizabethd
Sep 25, 2025
Disappointed - I’m sorry to say I was disappointed with this tour. It felt rushed, with very little free time to explore individually. There were some stops that were not listed on the original itinerary and I’m sure a visit to St Paul’s catacombs was on the itinerary but we went to some other catacombs instead. Visiting St Paul’s catacombs was the reason I chose this trip. So for me it wasn’t what I expected. Not money well spent spent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judith_a
Nov 11, 2024
Huge group, little time, bit rushed, tourguide just wants to get it done - our guide Novka was late when she picked us up in Phoenician hotel. Then we stopped by for more pick ups. Our bus is quite full. We started with Anton gardens, Rabat, lunch, Mdina, Mosta church and some outlet shops. The guide was talking way too fast that it is hard to catch up. No one is smiling throughout the tour bec we feel her stress and she keeps on arguing with the driver. It's like she just wants to get the job done. At the last stop, i had to go to the toilet and i asked her so she pointed me to the cafe and direction to where she will go. But it was not clear and i kept in walking far and didnt find the bus. Had to walk back and thankfully bus passed by and i had to wave so badly else i miss the bus going home. Also, when you ask her about something, she sounds irritated. She's not happy with her job and not people-oriented. So, hopefully u get a better guide as the places are beautiful. Lunch was ok.
Review provided by Viator
Lynne_m
May 24, 2024
Our max 15 person tour, merged into a 45 person tour with no explanation. unwieldy - Sadly our tour was a very disappointing 'bait and switch' experience. Advertised as a max. 15 person group, we were merged into a 45 person tour about 1/2 hr into our trip with no explanation. When our tour guide arrived we were loaded into a large bus. And while Valentina was knowledgeable and engaging, we could only consistently hear her when we were on the bus, not at the locations. In addition we were rushed through Mosta Dome in approx. 10 minutes with no time to take photos. It seemed the tour's priority was sticking to the schedule and getting us to the next location. A 45 person group is ineffective and unwieldy. At a minimum, it warrants a portable microphone.
Review provided by Viator
Teresasr2596ql
Feb 14, 2024
Overload information - While the guide was very knowledgeable she spent a lot of time telling the group info. Maybe cut down the into smaller chunks. There wasn't enough time to do just the it all in.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Helle_k
Oct 27, 2025
Oversold trip - crazy driver - Lack of information about how many participants would be on the tour, and that the first stop was to get people onto the bus that was in their language. Total chaos and time wasting. Time was short everywhere so we didn't see the real clift. Craft village does not live up to the description. The garden was not woth the trip, at least not this time of the year. A big busload of people is too much for a guide. Only those closest could hear anything. The tour is oversold. The driver sat and shouted and screamed at the other drivers when he wasn't carrying on a shouting conversation with the guide. Both on the way out and home. We sat in front and were finally going crazy listening to it. He flirted inappropriately with us. Probably meant as a joke. After all, we are in our early 60s but it crossed all limits in the end and we are not sensitive. In the end we had to put him in his place. There are better ways to solve the problem of which bus to change to. If each bus had a clear number and the ticket clearly stated that at the first stop you should either stay seated or change to bus no... and vice versa on the way home. Far too many people got on and off the same buses. It's a wonder you don't lose anyone - And it takes a hell of a long time.
Review provided by Viator
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