Underground Valletta

📢 Is-siti u l-mużewijiet kollha ta' Heritage Malta se jkunu magħluqin fil-Ġimgħa l-Kbira, it-18 ta' April. ✝️

Filwaqt li nixtiqulkom il-paċi f’qalbkom, f’dan iż-żmien ta' riflessjoni u gratitudni, ninsabu ħerqana biex nerġgħu nilqgħukom fil-ħinijiet tal-ftuħ normali tagħna. 🤩

📢 Kindly note that all Heritage Malta museums and sites will be closed on Good Friday, 18th April. ✝️

Whilst wishing you a heart full of peace, in this time of reflection and gratitude, we look forward to welcoming you again during our regular hours. 🤩

The Auberge d'Auvergne was partially destroyed by enemy air raids during World War 2, In 1965 the Auberge and surrounding buildings were entirely demolished in order to make way for the present day Law Courts. The entrances that had led to Underground Valletta were either destroyed or blocked up too. You can now view some of the archaeology that emerged during 1965 excavations at the National Museum of Archaeology: Fare Convito: The Archaeology of Banqueting in Hospitaller Malta. An exhibition for all the senses!

A Christ-like image emerges from the rock-face at the entrance into Underground Valletta.

A positive review of the Heritage Malta Official Guide to Underground Valletta. Thank you Malta Underground for your comprehensive overview and comments.

★★★★½ [Book Review] *The [HM] Official Guide to Underground Valletta* by Marcia Grima [text] | Heritage Malta 2023 | 80pp, col. ill., €12/hc or €9/sc | reviewed by Malta Underground
• This latest instalment in HM's growing series of guides showcases a fascinating [accessible] attraction beneath the capital: a soaring knights-era twin water cistern and part of an extensive WW2 air-raid shelter network. • Richly illustrated with many rarely seen photos, historic maps and underground site plans, the guide touches on numerous related aspects, embedding this subterranean site within Mount Sceberras [Valletta peninsula] and key periods in history. • There are glimpses at the different qualities of limestone bedrock, at the siege-accelerated design of the new capital, the early 1600s Wignacourt Aqueduct lifeline, private cisterns, significant British-era improvements to sewerage, pivotal war details, the rapid construction of and challenging life in shelters, food rations, and much more. • The reader is reminded of a time when Valletta's population ballooned to almost 18,000 [compared to less than a third today], opening our eyes further to the intricacies of the city's numerous, fascinating layers beneath our feet. • Due to the book's comparatively slim format [standard within the series], many topics are sketched out only briefly, making the book particularly suited as an intro to first-time visitors of the site and the island, while inspiring readers to seek out further titles on the subject. Furthermore, the inclusion of largely unseen images, the glimpses at wartime pencil graffiti, the unique saltwater[!] fountain above, and further insights make this an engaging browse for any underground enthusiast. • Recommended. • See also www.heritagemalta.org

Attention! As of Monday 17th July, tours to Underground Valletta will be departing from MUZA, Malta Community Art Museum in Merchant Street. For more information on times and booking kindly visit

Underground Valletta - Heritage Malta Descend into the fascinating depths of Valletta, built first as a fortress … Continued

Discover some of Valletta's secrets in this guidebook to Underground Valletta. What lies beneath Valletta's streets? Why did every house have to have its own well in the time of the Order? How did people survive underground during the Second World War? Packed with photos, plans and maps this guidebook tells a story of the interplay between nature and human needs, resourceful city planning and of human resilience in the face of an enemy set on 'wiping Malta of the map'.