The Mdina Dungeons Museum — Attraction in Mdina

I recently visited the Mdina Dungeons Museum and was thoroughly impressed by the experience. Nestled beneath the historic Magisterial Vilhena Palace, just inside Mdina’s main gate, this museum offers a captivating journey into Malta’s darker historical chapters.

The museum’s layout of underground passageways, chambers, and cells vividly portrays events from Malta’s past. The life-sized dioramas and mannequins are meticulously crafted, bringing to life the grim realities of bygone eras. The atmospheric lighting and sound effects further enhance the immersive experience, making history palpable.

During my visit, I had the pleasure of meeting two staff members, Manuel and Joe, both native Maltese. Their warmth, friendliness, and extensive knowledge added immense value to my tour. Manuel shared intriguing stories about the exhibits, providing deeper insights into Malta’s history. Their passion and dedication to preserving and sharing Maltese heritage were evident and greatly appreciated.

The museum operates daily making it convenient for visitors to plan their trip. Admission fees are quite reasonable: €5 for adults and a family pack (2 adults and 2 children) is available for €12. Students price is €3. Given the depth and quality of the exhibits, this is excellent value for money.

I highly recommend the Mdina Dungeons Museum to anyone interested in exploring Malta’s rich and complex history. It’s an educational and immersive experience that offers a unique perspective on the island’s past. Don’t forget to bring your camera; the evocative settings make for memorable...

As two 25-year olds, we were swayed by the reviews that said this experience was too scary for children into thinking it would be a bit more exciting with good animatronics, jump scares and fascinating real life stories. In actuality, it was very very tame (and we’re not even big horror buffs at all). The stories unfortunately weren’t that interesting, the animatronics hardly moved and the bits intended to be gory were not. To understand what the coolest thing we saw was generation of smoke underneath a burnt alive man (see image). To families with kids, I would recommend it - student tickets are €3 and kids/families may be cheaper? It’s a different experience. To adults, nup, there is no value here. This gets 3 stars (instead of 2) because we paid €3 each instead of €6 as students. No wheelchair accessibility...

This was a curious little tourist attraction tucked away in M’dina.

Only €5 to get in, it uses some of the original cells and cellars of the city to tell the tale torture and violence in Malta from Roman times up until the French Revolution and Napoleonic era.

Interesting slice of history, the displays are actually quite informative, although some of the waxworks are a little crude by modern standards.

Quite a bloody history really. Although the Middle Ages were really quite grim. So much maiming and general abuse.

The masks of shame were very odd. I’m sure I’ve seen that boar wandering around a convention centre in the past... 😆

Small vending machine and toilets hidden at the midway point. Useful to know.

Look out...