Malta Themed Tours

Malta Themed Tours turns a walk through Valletta, Mdina or Birgu into a piece of street theatre. Your guide arrives in period costume as a real person from Malta's archives, such as a corsair, a knight or a plague doctor, and tells the story in the first person at the places where it happened. It suits UK visitors who want more than dates and monuments from a day out, and residents who think they already know these streets.

Groups are small, the research is archive based, and the tone is lively rather than solemn. If you are building an itinerary, our things to do in Malta guide and the tour operators in Malta directory show how these walks fit alongside other days out.

Who runs it and how it began

The company was formed in 2018 under the name Real Malta Tours and rebranded as Malta Themed Tours after the Covid summers. It pioneered dramatised corsair tours in Malta in 2018. It is a Maltese business, licensed by the Malta Tourism Authority under number TRA/T39, and its guides are born and raised on the island.

The host is Giacomo Muscat, a licensed guide who grew up in Żabbar. He trained as an accountant and auditor before turning a long-standing interest in the history of Maltese corsairs into a career, and he now researches and leads the tours. He also makes corsair clothing and visits schools to talk to children about the subject.

The business has been recognised with two first place awards at the Malta Tourism Awards 2025, for Tourism Worker of the Year in the Tourist Guides category and in the Travel and Tourism Services category.

Valletta tours: sin, knights and plague

Valletta is the starting point for most first-time visitors, and several walks are set here. Sinful Secrets of Valletta, subtitled Blood, Booty and Courtesans, explores the era when piracy fed much of the island's population, with tales of knights, courtesans and nuns. Confessions of a Knight of Malta looks at the Order of St John, its hidden romances and the symbolism in the city's architecture, and pairs well with a visit to St John's Co-Cathedral.

A Valletta plague tour, set in 1593 and led by a plague physician, is listed as coming soon. Guests are invited to help work out what happened in a city of scheming knights, alleged witches and corrupt officials. Meeting points in the capital include the fountain in front of Auberge de Castille and the Upper Barrakka and Lower Barrakka gardens, so a walk through the Upper Barrakka Gardens fits naturally before or after. For background on the city itself, see our Valletta guide and the Knights of Malta history.

Mdina and the Great Siege in Birgu

Medieval Mayhem in Mdina follows the noble families who fought for power in the old capital, with civil war, sieges and scandal along the way. It also visits filming locations from the first series of Game of Thrones, so fans of the show get a bonus. Our Mdina guide covers the walled city, and hotels in Mdina and Rabat lists places to stay.

The 1565 Great Siege tour moves across the harbour to Birgu, where you meet the besieged Maltese and hear their stories of bravery and hardship. It comes in a classic version and a longer explorer version. A separate tour, De Valette in Birgu, follows the rise of the Grand Master Jean de Valette and the power struggles of the Knights' early years. Birgu is covered in our Vittoriosa guide.

What is included and what the guides do

Each walk is guided personally by a licensed Maltese guide who specialises in story-driven tourism. Depending on the tour, you get live in-character storytelling about real historical figures, authentic period costume, props and visuals that support the narrative, and stories drawn from archives and documented events. Interactive moments are voluntary, so nobody is made to act. There are no headsets or megaphones, and no herding through the streets.

These are not ghost tours. The darker walks are fact-based, built around sieges, executions, piracy and scandal, and designed for curious adults who like authenticity. Most tours are small, usually one to five guests, though a group can be as large as 25. Guides also share local suggestions before, during and after the tour, for example restaurants and ideas for the rest of your week.

Family tours, private tours and gift vouchers

Scheduled tours are for guests aged 14 and over because of the dark, adult themes, but families are looked after too. Yo-ho-ho and a Barrel of Family Fun is a children's corsair tour of Valletta, ideally for ages 7 and upwards, where a corsair guide recruits young crew members with props and interactive stories.

Private tours can be arranged for groups of up to 50 guests, with the route and themes tailored to your interests, from medieval Malta and corsairs to the Great Siege, dark history and hidden Valletta. The guide wears costume only if you want it. Submit a booking request on the private tour page and the team replies within 48 hours. Private tours are paid for on the day, once the tour has finished, and no deposit is needed.

Gift vouchers are available from €15 up to €300 and can be used for any scheduled or private tour.

What to expect on the day

Most tours run for 2 to 3 hours, with up to about 18 stops depending on the tour. The ground is even and paved, though some tours include steps, so check the details for each tour if mobility is a concern. The route and topics can shift slightly with the weather and building works. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a hat in summer and warm clothing in winter.

Entry to buildings is not included unless the tour description says so. Tours are given in English or Maltese. Tips are welcome but optional. Public toilets are available at most meeting points, and car parks are a 5 to 10 minute walk away, with bus stops less than 10 minutes on foot.

Planning your stay around the tours

For a week focused on history, the Grand Harbour area has most of the action. The guide's own pick for a base is the Three Cities of Birgu, Isla and Bormla, which offer cheaper rooms, good food, fewer crowds and a quick public boat to Valletta that runs until late. Our Three Cities guide has the detail. From the same landing point in Valletta, a fast ferry reaches Gozo in about an hour, and the guide suggests not leaving Gozo for your last day, because weather can disrupt crossings.

Malta is warm for much of the year, with summer around 31 degrees and winter around 14, so check our Malta weather guide when picking dates. Plugs are the British Type G, and traffic drives on the left, which UK visitors will find familiar.

Booking, cancellations and getting in touch

Every tour must be booked in advance. Scheduled tours are booked through the website, while private tours start with a request form. Changes or cancellations need to be requested by email at least 48 hours before the tour. The company only cancels for extreme weather, in which case it gives notice and a full refund.

If you are choosing where to stay, our Valletta hotel list is a convenient base for the walks. To ask about a tour, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Malta Themed Tours.