Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum

Fort St Elmo guards the seaward tip of Valletta, where the peninsula meets the open Mediterranean. It was built to hold back an Ottoman fleet, and today it is a visitor site that combines a restored fortress with the National War Museum. For a UK reader planning a Valletta day, it is one of the best places to understand why the city exists at all, and the views over both harbours are a reward in themselves.

Heritage Malta looks after the site, and a single ticket covers the fort and the museum. Allow at least an hour and a half for a good look at both. For wider context on the city around it, see our Valletta guide.

A fort with a long fighting history

The position was recognised as a watch post long before the present walls: a permanent lookout at Santo Eramo appears in a militia roster of 1417. After a harsh Ottoman raid in 1551 and warnings of a coming siege, Grand Master De Homedes ordered a fort to be raised. The star shaped fort was built in 1552 by the military engineer Pietro Prato, under the supervision of Knight Fra Leone Strozzi, and by 1565 it also had a cavalier, a covertway, a terraille and a ravelin built in just a few months.

In 1565 Fort St Elmo took the brunt of the Ottoman assault on Malta. The small garrison resisted for a month before the fort fell on 23 June. Later centuries added barracks, a church and a lighthouse, and in 1689 the whole fort was absorbed into the fortifications of Valletta. Under British rule it was upgraded for new artillery, and on 11 June 1940 it suffered the first aerial bombardment of the islands. Our Knights of Malta guide tells the wider story of the Order that built it.

Inside the National War Museum

The museum is divided into seven sections and runs from the Bronze Age to Malta's accession to the European Union, covering 7,000 years of military history. Armour of the Order of St John and of the Ottoman Turks is on show, but the Second World War is the best represented conflict. Highlights include the Gloster Sea Gladiator N5520 Faith, Roosevelt's Jeep Husky and the George Cross, Malta's award for gallantry.

A separate War Memorial inside the museum holds a repository of the medals awarded for bravery and merit during the war effort. Outside, the fort grounds include two chapels dedicated to St Anne, with fine architecture, and visitors can see the cavalier roof, prison cells and part of the Abercrombie bastions, although those areas are reached by steps.

In Guardia and guided tours

On Sundays the fort stages the In Guardia show, scheduled from 11.00 am to 12.00 pm, in which costumed guards drill on the parade ground. Visitors who are not attending the show are admitted from noon on show days, and the site's In Guardia page lists the dates.

If you prefer a guide, a guided tour can be requested for the site. The fort also has a gift shop, food and drink, an indoor and outdoor seating area, lockers and a nappy changing facility, which helps when you are visiting with family.

Tickets, access and getting there

Adult tickets (18 and over) cost €10. Seniors aged 60 and over, youths aged 12 to 17, and concessions and students pay €7.50, children aged 6 to 11 pay €5.50, and infants aged 1 to 5 are free. Heritage Malta members and passport holders enter free.

Access is partial. Chair lifts are provided, an elevator serves the last part of the museum, and section 6 is reached by stairs only. Some areas may contain loud sounds or flashing lights that could disturb sensitive visitors, and photography is allowed without flash. The fort is on Mediterranean Street, Valletta, and the closest bus stop is a ten minute walk. Our Upper Barrakka Gardens page and guide to St John's Co-Cathedral suggest good stops nearby, and our hotels in Valletta page helps if you want to stay in the city. To explore more places like this, browse our directory of museums in Malta. To contact the site, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message on.