Mdina and Dingli
19th April 2026
On our last day in Malta we took the bus to the hill-top walled city of Mdina. This was the site of Malta’s first capital, founded in the 8th century by the Phoenicians. However, it was the Arabs who surrounded it with the defensive wall you see today after they conquered Malta in 870. Mdina became less important after the foundation of Valletta and is today inhabited by fewer than 300 people. It must be like living in a very busy museum!
Through the gate we admired the carving above it and the buildings of Pjazza San Publiju.
Then we wandered down past a couple of palaces (Palazza Gatto Morina houses a café which made a convenient coffee stop) to Pjazza San Pawl, home of the Cathedral. There was a service on so we could only look through the door, although that was enough to see that it was as ornate as many of the other churches we had visited.
Down the picturesque Triq Villegaigon we went –
– as far as Bastion Square where we could climb a portion of the walls for great views.
Retracing our steps to the main gate we climbed another small section of wall for final views over Pjazza San Publiju, and a close up of the gate carving, before leaving again via the stone bridge over the moat which was turned into a garden in 2015.
The more modern town next to Mdina, Rabat, sounded interesting too but rather than explore it we decided to continue further by bus to the coast at Dingli. The driver was very concerned that we were on the wrong bus and kept telling us Valletta was the other way!
We got off near the parish church and walked to Dingli cliffs where the tiny 17th century chapel of St Mary Magdalene perches on the edge. There was also a suitable café for lunch!
We walked along the cliffs for a short time but after our week in Gozo they didn’t seem that interesting, and it was quite hazy.
We wended our way back to the bus stop. John’s attention was grabbed by the strange cycling sculpture, whereas I was drawn to the statue of a man reading a book. He is Francis Ebejer (1925-1993), regarded as one of the most influential writers in Maltese history.
It was a good call getting the bus to Dingli, because when it got back to Mdina / Rabat the queues were enormous and we would probably have had to stand all the way to Valletta. My sprained ankle was still a problem so I was glad to avoid that, and it meant that I still had some energy for a final Valletta wander. We visited a little bit of the north coast which we hadn’t previously walked along, near where the ferry goes across to Sliema.
Finally, we spotted some entertaining signs – and, yes, the one at Gunpost did entice us in for a drink.
The next day we flew home having had a wonderful week-and-a-half in Malta. Would I recommend it? Yes! Would I go back? Yes to that too, although I probably wouldn’t spend a whole week in Gozo again because we explored it fairly thoroughly this time. However, I feel there is much more to see on the main island itself, both in Valletta and beyond. Another year!
So many churches! Nice that the bus driver was concerned for the tourists going the “wrong” way. It is always good to get off the beaten path. I have learnt a lot about Malta thru your posts.
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So many BIG churches! I suppose at one time they would have been filled. The bus driver was very kind – clearly not a lot of tourists get the bus from Mdina to Dingli. There were quite a lot of people there but I suspect they had mostly driven.
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The cycle sculpture certainly is curious. Thank you for the illustrations from the trip. I have a friend who went to Malta and he wasn’t able to give me a good picture of what it was like at all, so I am grateful for yours.
Mdina and Dingli? A comedy duo, a fashionable eating place, new signings for Rangers? I am sure that I have heard of them before. 🙂
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Thank you, I’m glad to have illuminated Malta for you. Mdina and Dingli – the new Morecombe and Wise I think!
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It does look a wonderful place to visit. So much to see and so much history.
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It was wonderful. The history is so complicated that I never quite got my head round it. Seems Malta has belonged to almost everyone at some point!
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Definitely a great holiday in Malta… I’d be looking for commission rates from the Maltese Government as you must have inspired all your readers to visit this amazing place. Thanks.
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Maybe i should contact the Tourist Board 😉!
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Ok, Anabel, you’ve convinced me that Malta is worth visiting. John looks like he had a splendid time away, with so many views to capture. It looks stunning, with plenty of history to take in.
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It definitely is worth visiting! I think we’ll be back.
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I think that will be a good idea. Especially has you never got to see everything while there. Big bonus is the short distance travel. Lucky duck 🙂
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Yes, it’s not too far for us yet takes us into a completely different world.
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Another lovely wander with you. We did explore Rabat and it is very much worth doing when you go back. I agree with you that making Valletta the base is a good idea as all the buses go from there, or at least used to.
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Thanks Jude. Glad you confirm that Rabat is worth visiting – I’m sure there will be a next time. The buses still all go from Valletta and it seems if you don’t get on at the beginning of the route you haven’t much chance of a seat! A very good reason to stay in Valletta.
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You seem to have got a lot out of this holiday (and thanks for sharing it too!) which can’t always have been easy with that injured ankle. Well done!
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We did! The ankle was only a minor hindrance, though I might have complained about it a bit. Or a lot. You’d need to ask John!
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You were entitled to, I think! Hope it’s much better now.
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It is, thanks.
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Love those covered balconies on your first cafe, Anabel, and yes, I’d have been joining you at the Gunpost. Got to get to heaven somehow! You stayed in Valetta, Anabel? I’m definitely tempted for next year xx
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Yes, we stayed in Valletta for four nights – still lots of things we wanted to do. I would definitely recommend it.
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Looks like a great way to spend your final day on the island. I rather liked Mdina, even though it did feel more like a museum than a town, as you point out. I love the Gunpost sign 😆
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I liked it too but it was very busy and we had to keep dodging tour groups, presumably from the cruise ships, so I was glad to get out to the quieter coast.
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Mdina is quite the place to call home. The Gunpost sign would have had me too, can’t argue with that sort of logic!
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No, the Gunpost absolutely deserved our custom!
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It looks like a good last day of your holiday Anabel. I’ve never seen clear plastic? chairs in a church before but I suppose photography-wise it helps the view where banks of solid chairs would spoil it somewhat. Back in the late 70s I had a penfriend who lived in Rabat, we wrote for several years before life got in the way. The Gunpost sign made me laugh, it reminds me of the Irish logic saying which I posted on my blog several years ago. So are you going to heaven or did you stay sober? 😀
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I assume the chairs were clear plastic – because they are easy to move out of the way maybe? I think we were part way between sober and heaven – we only had one beer! But I’m sure we had wine later with dinner so that must count 😀.
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