Mdina, Rabat & Mosta Shore Excursion from Valletta

This Valletta shore excursion visits three historic towns near the center of Malta: Mdina, Rabat and Mosta. You'll take short walking tours of each, plus an interior visit to St. Paul's Catacombs.

After meeting your private licensed guide, you drive to Mosta. At the heart of this small town stands the Rotunda, a basilica dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Its dome is modeled on the Pantheon in Rome and is among the largest unsupported domes in Europe. On April 9, 1942, a German bomb pierced the dome during Mass and skidded across the floor without exploding, missing a congregation of roughly 300 people.

From Mosta you continue to Rabat, home to St. Paul's Catacombs. These underground burial chambers date to the 3rd and 4th centuries AD and were used by early Christian and Jewish communities. Carved directly into the rock, some chambers include round stone tables where families gathered for a farewell meal honoring the dead.

Finally you cross the moat into Mdina, the walled medieval city that served as Malta's capital before Valletta was built. Wandering its narrow, winding streets past Baroque limestone facades and carved wooden balconies, you'll pass the city's Baroque cathedral and climb to the bastions for panoramic views over the Maltese countryside. Small horse drawn carriages still clatter through the quiet lanes, and photographers will find no shortage of material.