MUŻA

MUŻA is the National Museum of Art, presented as the national community art museum, and it fills Auberge d'Italie on Merchants Street in the centre of Valletta. The name is a Maltese word for inspiration, it echoes the abbreviation of the museum's Maltese title, and it also nods to the muses of Classical Antiquity, from whom the word museum itself derives.

It is run by Heritage Malta and is listed in our directory of museums in Malta and our list of art galleries in Malta. For anyone spending a few days in the capital, it is a calm, air-conditioned stop between the better-known sights in our Valletta guide.

The collection and exhibitions

The permanent collection is arranged in four narratives: Mediterranean, Europe, Empire and The Artist. Together they show Maltese and European works from different ages, and the first-floor galleries are being reorganised so that visitors can follow art in Malta in order, from prehistoric times to the twenty-first century. The aim is a broader, more immersive account of local art and the influences that shaped it.

Temporary shows sit alongside the permanent displays. From 23 October to 26 November 2026, a retrospective marks the centenary of the Malta School of Art, bringing together artworks, archive material and personal stories from its students and teachers. From 31 October to 6 December 2026, an exhibition by Wallace Falzon called The Monument of Self opens in the galleries.

The curatorial team includes principal curators Bernadine Scicluna, whose focus is the nineteenth-century collection, Dr Katya Micallef, who specialises in modern and contemporary art, and Krystle Farrugia, who works on display, research and collections management.

Tickets and opening hours

Adult admission for ages 18 to 59 is €10. Youths aged 12 to 17, seniors aged 60 and over, concessions and students pay €7.50 and need to show a valid ID or student card. Children aged 6 to 11 pay €5.50, and infants aged 1 to 5 go in free. You can buy tickets online before you travel.

Opening hours change with the seasons. From March to October the museum is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00, with last admission at 17:30. In November and December it is open every day from 09:00 to 17:00, and in January and February it opens from 09:00 to 17:00 on every day except Tuesday. Last admission is half an hour before closing in the winter months.

Tours, study collection and events

Beyond ordinary admission, you can book a guided tour of the collection, a private tour or a school tour, and you can arrange a visit to the study collection to see the museum's storage facilities. These bookings are made through the museum's contact page, which is where our enquiry form can also help.

The building has a restaurant and a shop selling gifts connected to the museum, and several spaces can be hired for events, including a lecture room and a quiet vaulted hall. Event hire is handled separately from the museum's open calls for exhibitions and residencies, which are announced on its social channels. Membership and donations support the museum's work.

Getting around and planning your visit

The museum is accessible for visitors with mobility impairments: a lift serves the first floor, two wheelchair lifts reach certain galleries, and accessible toilets with hand bars are provided on each floor. The museum is also working towards becoming autism friendly.

Our Knights of Malta history guide sets the scene for the city. Combine it with a morning at St John's Co-Cathedral and sunset from the Upper Barrakka Gardens, then plan your wider trip, using our Malta weather guide to pick a month, with our guide to things to do in Malta. If you need a base in the capital, our page on hotels in Valletta shows what is available.

For more art nearby, Art by the Seaside Art Gallery is a short distance away. To ask about tours, group visits or venue hire, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the museum.