Grandmaster's Palace — Attraction in Valletta

If you’re going to call yourself "The Grandmaster’s Palace', you had better deliver. Fortunately, this place absolutely does — and then some.

The building is gorgeous. Centuries of Maltese history, perfectly preserved, tastefully presented, and blessedly free of the kind of “interactive exhibits” that usually involve plastic helmets and laminated maps for children named Finn. Here, the history is allowed to breathe — in rooms with ceilings so ornate that you start wondering if you’ve been underdressed your entire life.

The state rooms are elegant without trying too hard, the armoury is straight out of a cinematic fantasy (minus the orcs), and the courtyards are the kind of tranquil that make you wish you were a 17th-century dignitary with nothing to do except sip wine and commission portraits.

What I particularly loved is that they don’t try to “modernise” the experience. There’s no aggressive mood lighting, no iPads bolted to the walls, no painfully slow audio tour narrated by a man who sounds like he’s falling asleep. Just you, the palace, and the quiet realisation that the people who lived here definitely had better tableware than you do.

And because this is Malta, the staff are warm, welcoming, and clearly aware they’re working somewhere far nicer than any of our homes. Nobody hustles you along. Nobody tells you not to take photos in that one room. It’s history without the hostility.

All in all, it’s a reminder of a time when titles like Grandmaster actually meant something — not the kind of thing you put on a LinkedIn profile after a two-day management seminar.

Five stars. And if you’re in Valletta and don’t visit, I can only assume you’ve made some very poor...

The Grandmaster's Palace, known as The Palace (Maltese: Il-Palazz), is located in Valletta, Malta. Constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries, it originally served as the residence of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John, who governed Malta from 1530 to 1798. It was also referred to as the Magisterial Palace (Maltese: Palazz Maġisterjali). After the Knights were expelled by Napoleonic forces, it became known as the National Palace. Under British rule starting in 1800, it was used as the Governor's Palace and served as a British royal residence. Various governors represented the monarchy, and it hosted the royal family during their visits. Today, the Palace houses the Office of the President of Malta. It was also the home of the Parliament of Malta from 1921 to 2015. Parts of the Palace, including the State Rooms and the Armoury, are open to the public as a museum managed by Heritage Malta. A significant restoration project was completed and inaugurated on January 12, 2024.

When the Order of St. John founded Valletta in 1566, they intended to build the Grand Master's palace on high ground in the southern part of the city, near where the Auberge de Castille would later stand. Present-day South Street (Maltese: Triq in-Nofsinhar) was originally called Strada del Palazzo because the palace was supposed to be built there.

The current site of the palace was originally home to several buildings, including the house of the knight Eustachio del Monte, constructed in 1569, and the auberge of the langue of Italy, built around 1571. Both structures were designed by the Maltese architect...

The Grandmaster's Palace is located in Valletta and was built between the 16th and 18th centuries as the palace of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John, who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798. In its rich history, it was also known as the Magisterial Palace, and when Napoleon's France expelled the knights, it became the National Palace. During the period of British rule starting in 1800, it was the Governor's Palace. The palace currently houses the Office of the President of Malta. It was also the seat of the Parliament of Malta from 1921 to 2015. Parts of the building, namely the State Rooms of the Palace and the Palace of Armories, are open to the public as a museum run by Heritage Malta. The building is in the phase of a major restoration project with only part of the armory accessible to the public through the entrance in Trgovacka Street. On Sunday, part of the reconstructed palace was open to the public. Incidentally, The Grandmaster's Palace occupies a city block in the center of Valletta and is the largest palace in the city. Its facade is located opposite the Main Guard on St. George Square along Republike Street. Following Malta's independence in 1964, the building became the seat of the Governor General of Malta. It houses the Office of the President of Malta since the establishment of the office in 1974. The palace was included in the list of antiquities from 1925. It is now a Grade 1 National Monument and is also included in the National Inventory of the Cultural Properties of the...