Malta 2025 Mdina

The walled city of Mdina is a 40 minute bus* ride from Valletta, and less than 10 minutes walking from one end to the other - perfect!

Mdina was the capital of Malta until 1530, when Birgu became the capital. Valletta has been the capital since 1571.

We arrived about noon, wandered a bit, had lunch, wandered some more, then came home. It sounds tame, doesn't it? But! Everywhere you looked, there were amazing buildings, cute winding streets, and... celebratory cannons booming away!

Today is a public holiday in Malta, the Feast of Saint Joseph!**

Mdina Gate

Mdina Gate, leaving

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See more photos in the Mdina album.

*A word to the wise; bus riding is a young man's sport! While we started from the bus terminus, practically guaranteeing a seat, the return was a hot mess! We waited at the nearest stop (for what seemed ages), then decided it was worth it to move to a different stop (not really very far away). We queried the driver, who said that the stop we needed was across the street 🙄, where (naturally) there was a sizeable crowd. Anxiety ensued. I turned on data and downloaded Bolt (12€ to Valletta), but just then, our bus arrived! We had agreed to tap our (unlimited rides) card, check for seats, and get back off if there were none. Hey, whaddya know? There were two! Together! Not great seats, but seats!

** As we were leaving Valletta, we noticed that they were setting up for a parade (right past our apartment!); we saw the confetti when we came back...

PS - the neighboring town of Rabat is pronounced RA-bat. We had rabbit for lunch 😋☺️