Main Gate and other Mdina, Malta General Tips

Favorite Thing: This is the main gate into Mdina from Rabat. Busses and cars are not allowed into the city, so you will stop in Rabat and walk into Mdina - unless you take a Karrozzin like in this picture.
A bridge leads over a dry moat and up to the main gate, which was built during a "restoration program" in 1724 - see, restoration isn't a modern idea ;-)


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Favorite Thing: A look at the main gate from inside, seen from Pjazza San Publiju. Just to the left of this picture is the Magisterial Palace and the Mdina Dungeons "experience". The Magisterial Palace is now used as the Museum Of Natural History.


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Favorite Thing: This is the main street of Mdina and runs almost the length of the city. Most of the attractions (including an array of tempting, quaint, narrow streets) are off Villegaignon Street. The best way to see Mdina is to wander the length of this street and St. Paul Street which runs sort of parallel to it to the east.


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Favorite Thing: The Chapel Of St Agatha stands right in the corner of Villegaignon Street. You cannot enter, but you can look through the bars of the door into the chapel. St. Agatha is one of the three main saints of Malta and lived for a while in the catacombs below Rabat (which you can visit) before meeting a grisly death in Sicily. The chapel dates from 1694.


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Favorite Thing: Mdina is filled with narrow streets, often with arched entrances. This one is one of the most photographed.
The street plan was designed to confuse and restrict an attacking enemy,


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Favorite Thing: Decorative cornerpieces are a feature of much of Malta's older architecture, largely taking the form of relogious icons or shrines. This is probbaly the most exuberant one in Mdina, standing on Villegaignon Street just up from the square in front of the cathedral.


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Favorite Thing: It's great to come outside of the main tourist season - just look at these quiet, almost empty streets. Mdina has a special feeling when it's this quiet. In peak season they recommend you to come in the evening to experience the streets like this - in the daytime it's crammed full of visitors.


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Favorite Thing: Just as in Valletta there are some lovely balconies in Mdina too. These are some of my favourites, on Villegaignon Street just by the square of the Cathedral. They look lovely, and the view FROM them will be even better.


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Favorite Thing: Built in 1697 this is one of Malta's finest churches. It's towering dome (and the fact that Mdina is set on a hill) means that it can be seen for many miles around. The cathedral was built on the site where legend claims that St Paul converted the Roman governor of Malta to Christianity.
The interior is not to be missed, but unfortunately we did - they were setting up for some sort of event when we visited and the cathedral was closed.


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Favorite Thing: ... or Pjazza San Pawl as it's known. This is the square in front of the cathedral and is the heart of Mdina and its largest open space. When we were there they were setting it up for some sort of ourdoor event - putting down seating and placing banners on posts and walls. It looked very nice, but I have no idea what the event would be.


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