Esplora, hands-on science in the old Bighi naval hospital

Taking children to Malta in summer comes with an obvious snag, which is that nearly everything worth seeing is out in the open. Esplora is my answer to the day when nobody can face another fort, temple or bastion. It’s an interactive science centre with a planetarium, set in a building with three and a half centuries of history above the Grand Harbour.

A science centre in a Royal Navy hospital

Esplora officially opened in 2016 with EU funding and celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2026. It’s a project of Xjenza Malta, which has its offices in the same building. That building is Villa Bighi, a summer residence designed in 1675 by the Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafà for Fra Giovanni Bichi, an Italian knight and Prior of Capua.

Under British rule the villa passed to the civil government, and in 1827 King George IV gave the Admiralty permission to turn it into a naval hospital. The foundation stone of the Royal Naval Hospital Bighi was laid on 23 March 1830, and for years it treated casualties from the Crimean War and both world wars. Esplora runs a history trail through the old wards, with a virtual nurse as your guide, and shrapnel damage from the bombing is still visible in the stone.

What’s inside Esplora?

More than 200 interactive exhibits spread across halls and gardens, built to be touched, tested and played with. There are also workshops, live science shows and, since 2025, scheduled history tours. One important warning from the website itself. A ticket doesn’t guarantee a place at the shows and workshops, which have very limited capacity and run first come, first served, so check the day’s schedule as soon as you arrive.

The part that appeals to me most is the planetarium. It fills the old auxiliary hospital building and has a 10.7-metre dome with 4K projection and 52 reclining seats, plus a 13-exhibit display on the universe and life in space. Shows are included in the ticket, but you need to pick up a wristband at reception, and the doors open 20 minutes before and close at the exact start time. Every film has a recommended age, so it’s easy to choose well with small children.

By boat, bus or on foot

My choice would be the boat. Esplora’s Luzzu Experience uses a luzzu, the traditional Maltese boat, from Valletta and Sliema across the Grand Harbour to almost the front door. There’s a daily sailing from Sliema at 09:15 and from Valletta at 10:00, with returns in the early afternoon. Entry with the boat costs €15 for adults and €13 for children, and coming back by boat is €5 more per person. In rough seas, they lay on land transport instead.

By bus, route 3 from Valletta terminus stops right opposite. And if you fancy a walk, the website suggests a water taxi to Bormla and 20 to 30 minutes on foot round the Cottonera harbours, which is a lovely way to take in the Three Cities of Malta on the way.

Planning a visit with children

The dome programme changes weekly and the website posts the current week’s line-up. The one online at the end of September 2026 had shows Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:30 or 11:00 on weekdays and at 11:30, 14:00 and 15:30 at weekends, with some films for all ages and others for over-11s or over-13s. Nothing was listed for Mondays. If the planetarium is the main draw, I wouldn’t go on a Monday.

For anyone curious about the building, there are two free history sessions with your ticket. On Thursdays at 13:00, a half-hour talk on Villa Bighi by the old cot lift, and on alternate weekends a 90-minute guided tour of the outdoor areas, recommended for ages 10 and up. The rest of the village’s sights are covered in Kalkara, next to the Three Cities.

Tickets, hours and fitting it in

Entry to Esplora alone is €12 from age 16 and €10 for 3 to 15-year-olds and students; senior card holders pay €6, and under-3s are free. Groups of three or more get 10% off. It opens Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 15:00, and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 10:00 to 17:00. The centre is wheelchair accessible, with a lift, shaded outdoor areas and a café.

I’d slot it into a morning with the 10:00 boat, then spend the afternoon at Fort Rinella in Kalkara if the children can manage one more fort, or head back to Valletta. More family ideas are on Malta with kids.