Valletta Black Friars Experience

Valletta's streets are full of grand churches, but few let you step behind the scenes. The Valletta Black Friars Experience does exactly that. It combines the Basilica of Our Lady of Porto Salvo and St Dominic, the museum of hidden chapels and the home of the Dominican friars who have lived on the site since the 16th century, so you see a living religious community as well as a collection of art.

The experience is run by Hidden Valletta Ltd, a team working in tourism, culture, events and hospitality, whose managers grew up in the city. It sits among the other sights listed in our directory of museums in Malta and is a quieter companion to the headline attractions in our Valletta guide.

The basilica, museum and priory

The visit has three parts. The basilica is a working church that serves the local community for daily Mass, weddings, funerals and the annual feast of St Dominic. A small chapel stood on the site first, and the first stone of the church was laid in 1571. That building was declared unsafe in 1780, the replacement was blessed in 1815 and the church became a minor basilica the following year, before being consecrated in 1889.

The museum is reached through the priory entrance and opens up chapels that were closed even to the friars. The Chapel of the Fraternity of the Rosary and the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament are rich in fine artwork and give a sense of how religion shaped Maltese history. A short film and information boards add context, and the Treasury Room holds centuries of sacred objects.

A short film and several information boards fill in the wider picture of how this community and the city grew together.

The Dominican priory today

The priory itself dates from 1569 and is still home to Dominican friars, known as the Black Friars after the black cloak worn over their white habit. They run church services, help people in need and teach at the University of Malta. Their way of life follows that of earlier friars: the vows are poverty, chastity and obedience, yet the order does not follow an austere lifestyle, devoting itself to preaching, study and teaching. Look up inside the basilica for the celebrated frescoes by Giuseppe Calí, which many visitors find the most peaceful moment of the visit.

Opening hours and tickets

The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:30 and on public holidays at the same times. On Sundays it opens later, from 12:00 to 16:30. Last entry is at 16:00 every day, so arrive with at least half an hour in hand.

Tickets cost €8 for adults and €4 for children under 12, and children under 5 go in free. You can buy online or from the reception desk at the priory, where there is usually no queue. A Multi Ticket gives a reduced price for both the Black Friars Experience and the Mysterium Fidei Museum, the other venue run by Hidden Valletta inside St Catherine's Monastery.

An audio tour is available in ten languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Maltese, and the audio guide is delivered through an app you download to your phone.

Finding it and planning your day

The entrance is on St Dominic Street, between Republic Street and Merchant Street, only about three minutes on foot from the Grandmaster's Palace. That puts it in the heart of the old city, close to other highlights such as St John's Co-Cathedral and the views from the Upper Barrakka Gardens.

Allow roughly an hour for the museum and the basilica together, and pair it with a wander through the grid of streets. The wider story of the city's founders is covered in our Knights of Malta guide, our Malta weather guide helps you time your trip, and our page on things to do in Malta helps you plan the rest of your trip.

If you want a base in the capital, see hotels in Valletta; for another heritage site, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is listed too. To ask about group bookings, tickets or the audio tour, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the team.