others - south of malta
MUSEUMS THE XAROLLA WINDMILL
Location : St. Andrea Street, Zurrieq.
Opening Time : Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 0800 hours to 1200 hours.
Description : The Xarolla windmill was built in 1724 under the patronage of Grandmaster Manoel de Vilhena. In 1992, it was restored to its original working order and is now the only functioning windmill on the islands.
Admission :
Location : St. Andrea Street, Zurrieq.
Opening Time : Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 0800 hours to 1200 hours.
Description : The Xarolla windmill was built in 1724 under the patronage of Grandmaster Manoel de Vilhena. In 1992, it was restored to its original working order and is now the only functioning windmill on the islands.
Admission :
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES HAGAR QIM TEMPLES
Location : Hagar Qim Street, Qrendi.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : Hagar Qim temple was excavated for the first time in 1839. The megalithic temples dates from what is known as the Ggantija phase around 3,400 B.C. and are estimated to be one thousand years older than the pyramids at Giza. The temples are built of globigerina limestone rock, some towering six metres (20ft) high, and weighing around 20 tonnes. The complex is an impressive maze of corridors, chambers, niches and altars, all carved out of stone using flint. On the morning of the summer solstice, sunlight passes through a hole known as the ‘oracle hole’ and fills the apse of the temple. Lately, the temples have been covered with a bubble-like cover to protect them from the elements.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 9; students and senior citizens € 6.50 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 4.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
MNAJDRA TEMPLES
Location : Hagar Qim Street, Qrendi.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : This is another megalithic temple of about the end of the third milennium B.C. which stands at about 800m to the west of Hagar Qim. Whereas Hagar Qim is on the top of the rocky plateau, Mnajdra is built close to the edge of the promontory facing the blue sea and the islet of Filfla. The third temple at Mnajdra is perhaps the finest surviving temple in Malta.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 9; students and senior citizens € 6.50 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 4.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
THE HAL SAFLIENI HYPOGEUM
Location : Burial Street, Paola.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : Hal Saflieni Hypogeum is a subterranean structure excavated around 3,600 B.C and consists of a system of caves, passages and cubicles cut into the stone, similar to the interiors of megalithic temples. It is the only prehistoric underground temple in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage. To ensure its conservation, the site’s microclimate is strictly regulated. For this reason, the site is open to a maximum of 80 visitors each day.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 20; Students and senior citizens € 15 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 12.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
TARXIEN TEMPLES
Location : Neolithic Temples Street, Tarxien.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : The Tarxien Temples consist of four principal megalithic structures. A small Temple at the eastern end of the site was the first to be built around 3,600 B.C., the South and East Temples were then built in the Tarxien Phase around 3,000 B.C., while the Central Temple was the last to be constructed around 2,500 B.C. The South Temple is renowned for its highly finished carvings, which include domestic animals carved in relief and various spiral designs.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 6; Students and senior citizens € 4.50 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 3.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
GHAR DALAM CAVE AND MUSEUM
Location : Zejtun Road, B’Bugia.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : Ghar Dalam cave is 144 metres deep and is a depository of semi-fossilised animal remains and extinct species such as dwarf elephants, hippopotami, deer and foxes. Around 10,000 years ago, with the rising of the sea-level and/or the sinking of the land Malta was separated from the land mass and these animals were separated from the land mass and these animals were marooned.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 5; Students and senior citizens € 3.50 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 2.50.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
Location : Hagar Qim Street, Qrendi.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : Hagar Qim temple was excavated for the first time in 1839. The megalithic temples dates from what is known as the Ggantija phase around 3,400 B.C. and are estimated to be one thousand years older than the pyramids at Giza. The temples are built of globigerina limestone rock, some towering six metres (20ft) high, and weighing around 20 tonnes. The complex is an impressive maze of corridors, chambers, niches and altars, all carved out of stone using flint. On the morning of the summer solstice, sunlight passes through a hole known as the ‘oracle hole’ and fills the apse of the temple. Lately, the temples have been covered with a bubble-like cover to protect them from the elements.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 9; students and senior citizens € 6.50 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 4.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
MNAJDRA TEMPLES
Location : Hagar Qim Street, Qrendi.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : This is another megalithic temple of about the end of the third milennium B.C. which stands at about 800m to the west of Hagar Qim. Whereas Hagar Qim is on the top of the rocky plateau, Mnajdra is built close to the edge of the promontory facing the blue sea and the islet of Filfla. The third temple at Mnajdra is perhaps the finest surviving temple in Malta.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 9; students and senior citizens € 6.50 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 4.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
THE HAL SAFLIENI HYPOGEUM
Location : Burial Street, Paola.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : Hal Saflieni Hypogeum is a subterranean structure excavated around 3,600 B.C and consists of a system of caves, passages and cubicles cut into the stone, similar to the interiors of megalithic temples. It is the only prehistoric underground temple in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage. To ensure its conservation, the site’s microclimate is strictly regulated. For this reason, the site is open to a maximum of 80 visitors each day.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 20; Students and senior citizens € 15 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 12.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
TARXIEN TEMPLES
Location : Neolithic Temples Street, Tarxien.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : The Tarxien Temples consist of four principal megalithic structures. A small Temple at the eastern end of the site was the first to be built around 3,600 B.C., the South and East Temples were then built in the Tarxien Phase around 3,000 B.C., while the Central Temple was the last to be constructed around 2,500 B.C. The South Temple is renowned for its highly finished carvings, which include domestic animals carved in relief and various spiral designs.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 6; Students and senior citizens € 4.50 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 3.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
GHAR DALAM CAVE AND MUSEUM
Location : Zejtun Road, B’Bugia.
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday: 0900 hours to 1700 hours (Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday).
Description : Ghar Dalam cave is 144 metres deep and is a depository of semi-fossilised animal remains and extinct species such as dwarf elephants, hippopotami, deer and foxes. Around 10,000 years ago, with the rising of the sea-level and/or the sinking of the land Malta was separated from the land mass and these animals were separated from the land mass and these animals were marooned.
Admission : Adults (18 - 59 years): € 5; Students and senior citizens € 3.50 whilst children 6 yrs to 11 yrs € 2.50.
Website : www.heritagemalta.org
CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS SITES SANTA MARIJA CHURCH, BIR MIFTUH
Location : Bir Miftuh, Gudja
Opening Time : First Sunday of the month from 0930 hours to 1200 hours and by appointment.
Description : Gudja also has a famous 500 year-old chapel of Bir Miftu? (which means "open well"). Bir Miftuh was already established as a parish prior to 1436 and so it is one of the first twelve parishes of the Maltese Islands. This chapel was built in around 1430 and is one of the best preserved examples of a fifteenth-century parish church in Malta. It has some interesting frescoes, the Chapel is free standing and shows a growing confidence in the handling of stone structures. It has a plain rectangular plan and measures about eleven by fourteen metres. The Chapel is an ideal setting for the Bir Miftuh International Music Festival held regularly in the summer since 1997.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/22/55/
CHAPEL OF THE ANNUNCIATION
Location : Hal Millieri limits of Zurrieq
Opening Time : First Sunday of the month from 0900 hours to 1200 hours.
Description : This chapel is situated in the old village of Casal Millieri, which lies between Zurrieq, Qrendi, Mqabba and Kirkop. This village was first documented in 1419 and its origins date back to Roman and possibly pre-historic times. The chapel was consecrated in around 1480 on the site of an earlier chapel built in the thirteenth century, and is a typical example of a Maltese medieval church. To enter the chapel one has to descend three steps. The chapel is like a longish box, about 21 feet by 12 feet, and built on four pointed arches. The chapel of the annunciation contains eleven frescoes painted on the walls between the arches and on the inside of the facade .The two frescoes on each side of the altar show St Leonard of Bitonto on the right and St Nicholas of Bari on the Left.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/40/55/
CHAPEL OF ST. ROQUE
Location : Main Street, Zebbug.
Opening Time : First Sunday of the month and by appointment.
Description : The Chapel is a simple architectural structure roofed with stone slabs on three arches which divide it into four bays. It measures eight metres long and seven metres wide and has no side openings. It possesses a single arched belfry which still has a small bell. The painting of St. Roque above the main altar is an early seventeenth century work by an unknown artist and was restored in 1989. St. Roque is considered to be the protector of those suffering from the plague and other chapels dedicated to this saint were built in Valletta, Balzan and Birkirkara. According to tradition St Roque was himself infected by the plague but was cured by a dog licking his sores.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/39/55/
Location : Bir Miftuh, Gudja
Opening Time : First Sunday of the month from 0930 hours to 1200 hours and by appointment.
Description : Gudja also has a famous 500 year-old chapel of Bir Miftu? (which means "open well"). Bir Miftuh was already established as a parish prior to 1436 and so it is one of the first twelve parishes of the Maltese Islands. This chapel was built in around 1430 and is one of the best preserved examples of a fifteenth-century parish church in Malta. It has some interesting frescoes, the Chapel is free standing and shows a growing confidence in the handling of stone structures. It has a plain rectangular plan and measures about eleven by fourteen metres. The Chapel is an ideal setting for the Bir Miftuh International Music Festival held regularly in the summer since 1997.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/22/55/
CHAPEL OF THE ANNUNCIATION
Location : Hal Millieri limits of Zurrieq
Opening Time : First Sunday of the month from 0900 hours to 1200 hours.
Description : This chapel is situated in the old village of Casal Millieri, which lies between Zurrieq, Qrendi, Mqabba and Kirkop. This village was first documented in 1419 and its origins date back to Roman and possibly pre-historic times. The chapel was consecrated in around 1480 on the site of an earlier chapel built in the thirteenth century, and is a typical example of a Maltese medieval church. To enter the chapel one has to descend three steps. The chapel is like a longish box, about 21 feet by 12 feet, and built on four pointed arches. The chapel of the annunciation contains eleven frescoes painted on the walls between the arches and on the inside of the facade .The two frescoes on each side of the altar show St Leonard of Bitonto on the right and St Nicholas of Bari on the Left.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/40/55/
CHAPEL OF ST. ROQUE
Location : Main Street, Zebbug.
Opening Time : First Sunday of the month and by appointment.
Description : The Chapel is a simple architectural structure roofed with stone slabs on three arches which divide it into four bays. It measures eight metres long and seven metres wide and has no side openings. It possesses a single arched belfry which still has a small bell. The painting of St. Roque above the main altar is an early seventeenth century work by an unknown artist and was restored in 1989. St. Roque is considered to be the protector of those suffering from the plague and other chapels dedicated to this saint were built in Valletta, Balzan and Birkirkara. According to tradition St Roque was himself infected by the plague but was cured by a dog licking his sores.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/39/55/
GARDENS THE CHINESE GARDEN
Location : St. Lucia.
Opening Time : Daily from 0700 hours to 1800 hours.
Description : The Chinese Garden is situated on the outskirts of Santa Lu?ija and was laid out in the early 1990s. The garden also known as Serenity Garden holds bamboo shoots representing contemplation while the great hall represents community.
Admission : Free.
Website : N/A
THE MSIDA BASTION, GARDEN OF REST
Location : Floriana
Opening Time : Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and the first Sundays of the month, from 0930 hours to 1200 hours.
Description : This was the main Protestant cemetery in Malta for about fifty years from 1806. Records show that at least 528 people were buried here and it was more or less full in 1856. The most famous Maltese buried here was Mikiel Anton Vassalli, known as the father of the Maltese language, who died on 12 Jan 1829, aged about 64. He was not on good terms with the local Catholic Church and had translated the New Testament into Maltese against the wishes of the church. The cemetery lies in the bastion formerly known as St Philip’s Bastion, part of Floriani’s outer defence works commissioned by Grand Master Antoine de Paule in 1635.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/51/55/
Location : St. Lucia.
Opening Time : Daily from 0700 hours to 1800 hours.
Description : The Chinese Garden is situated on the outskirts of Santa Lu?ija and was laid out in the early 1990s. The garden also known as Serenity Garden holds bamboo shoots representing contemplation while the great hall represents community.
Admission : Free.
Website : N/A
THE MSIDA BASTION, GARDEN OF REST
Location : Floriana
Opening Time : Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and the first Sundays of the month, from 0930 hours to 1200 hours.
Description : This was the main Protestant cemetery in Malta for about fifty years from 1806. Records show that at least 528 people were buried here and it was more or less full in 1856. The most famous Maltese buried here was Mikiel Anton Vassalli, known as the father of the Maltese language, who died on 12 Jan 1829, aged about 64. He was not on good terms with the local Catholic Church and had translated the New Testament into Maltese against the wishes of the church. The cemetery lies in the bastion formerly known as St Philip’s Bastion, part of Floriani’s outer defence works commissioned by Grand Master Antoine de Paule in 1635.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/51/55/
BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES FORT RINELLA
Location : Kalkara
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday from 1000 hours to 1700 hours.
Description : Fort Rinella was built by British Royal Engineers between 1878 and 1886 and is equipped with a massive 100-ton gun as a coastal battery. The gun, still on show at Fort Rinella, has a barrel elmost 10 metres long. Victorian period re-enactments take place regularly on weekends at the Fort.
Admission : Adults: €8 and children (under 16yrs): €7.
Website : www.wirtartna.org/od_menu/FortRinella/tabid/257/Default.aspx
FORT RICASOLI
Location : Kalkara
Opening Time : N/A.
Description : Fort Ricasoli was built on the extreme point of an angular peninsular to defend the entrance to the Grand Harbour on the South. On this very site the Turks erected a battery which proved very effective during the Great Siege. The small fort was built in January 1629 to prevent the escape of slaves from the Grand Harbour. The present fort was constructed in 1670 through funds made available by Fra Giovanni Francesco Ricasoli. Recently, the fort hosted epic sets for Gladiator (1999), Julius Caesar (2002), Helen of Troy (2002), Troy (2003), Munich (2005) and Agora (2008).
Admission : N/A.
Website : N/A.
TORRI MAMO
Location : Marsaskala
Opening Time : Thursdays to Sundays from 0930 hours to 1200 hours.
Description : This fortified family home was built in 1657 in the form of a ST. Andrew’s cross – an unusual shape with no less than sixteen faces. Torri Mama was built at the start of the Grand Master De Redin’s reign at the time of increased awareness of Malta’s vulnerability to seaward attack. The tower is surrounded by a dry ditch where a 4th century Roman tomb was found.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/50/55/
Location : Kalkara
Opening Time : Monday to Sunday from 1000 hours to 1700 hours.
Description : Fort Rinella was built by British Royal Engineers between 1878 and 1886 and is equipped with a massive 100-ton gun as a coastal battery. The gun, still on show at Fort Rinella, has a barrel elmost 10 metres long. Victorian period re-enactments take place regularly on weekends at the Fort.
Admission : Adults: €8 and children (under 16yrs): €7.
Website : www.wirtartna.org/od_menu/FortRinella/tabid/257/Default.aspx
FORT RICASOLI
Location : Kalkara
Opening Time : N/A.
Description : Fort Ricasoli was built on the extreme point of an angular peninsular to defend the entrance to the Grand Harbour on the South. On this very site the Turks erected a battery which proved very effective during the Great Siege. The small fort was built in January 1629 to prevent the escape of slaves from the Grand Harbour. The present fort was constructed in 1670 through funds made available by Fra Giovanni Francesco Ricasoli. Recently, the fort hosted epic sets for Gladiator (1999), Julius Caesar (2002), Helen of Troy (2002), Troy (2003), Munich (2005) and Agora (2008).
Admission : N/A.
Website : N/A.
TORRI MAMO
Location : Marsaskala
Opening Time : Thursdays to Sundays from 0930 hours to 1200 hours.
Description : This fortified family home was built in 1657 in the form of a ST. Andrew’s cross – an unusual shape with no less than sixteen faces. Torri Mama was built at the start of the Grand Master De Redin’s reign at the time of increased awareness of Malta’s vulnerability to seaward attack. The tower is surrounded by a dry ditch where a 4th century Roman tomb was found.
Admission : Free but donation is appreciated.
Website : www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/50/55/
NATURAL ATTRACTIONS BLUE GROTTO
Location : Zurrieq.
Opening Time : Boats operate from 0900 hours to 1600 hours.
Description : The Blue Grotto is the most famous cave in Malta, with its deep waters displaying magnificent dazzling colours, ranging from turquoise to deep blue. Situated near the village of Zurrieq in the south west of Malta, the 43-metre (140-foot) high cave is hollowed out of the cliff rockface. The waters around the limestone caves and archways are said to be at their most impressive in the early morning when the sun’s rays glimmer through the opening to the grotto. The cave was given its English name by British soldiers who thought that its blue waters resembled the Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto) in Capri. To get to the grotto, visitors have to travel by boat.
Admission : Depends on boat trip.
Website : N/A.
Location : Zurrieq.
Opening Time : Boats operate from 0900 hours to 1600 hours.
Description : The Blue Grotto is the most famous cave in Malta, with its deep waters displaying magnificent dazzling colours, ranging from turquoise to deep blue. Situated near the village of Zurrieq in the south west of Malta, the 43-metre (140-foot) high cave is hollowed out of the cliff rockface. The waters around the limestone caves and archways are said to be at their most impressive in the early morning when the sun’s rays glimmer through the opening to the grotto. The cave was given its English name by British soldiers who thought that its blue waters resembled the Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto) in Capri. To get to the grotto, visitors have to travel by boat.
Admission : Depends on boat trip.
Website : N/A.