Fort St Elmo, the fort that bought a month and the museum of Malta's wars

Fort St Elmo is where Valletta’s existence was settled. In 1565 this small fort, on the tip of what was then an almost empty peninsula, took the main Ottoman blow and held on for a month. Without that month, the rest of the siege makes no sense, and neither does the city built right behind it the following year.

A fort thrown up in a hurry in 1552

The spot mattered long before the Knights. The militia roster of 1417 already lists a permanent watch post at “Santo Eramo”. After the Ottoman raid of 1551 and warnings that a siege was coming, Grand Master Juan de Homedes ordered a fort built at once. It went up in 1552 in the shape of a star, by military engineer Pietro Prato under the eye of the knight Leone Strozzi.

By 1565 it had gained a cavalier, a covered way and a ravelin rushed up in a few months. Heritage Malta says it bore the brunt of the Ottoman forces and, against all odds, lasted a month before surrendering on 23 June. I go through that date in more depth on the Great Siege of Malta.

Barracks, a church and a lighthouse followed over the next two centuries, and in 1689 the fort was taken inside Valletta’s walls. The British refitted it for modern guns, and on 11 June 1940 it suffered the first air raid to hit the islands.

Inside the National War Museum

The museum is split into seven sections covering 7,000 years of Maltese military history, from the Bronze Age to joining the European Union. There’s armour from the Order and from the Ottomans, but the Second World War dominates, which I think is right, since that’s the war that shaped modern Malta.

Three objects justify the ticket for me. The George Cross, which George VI awarded to Malta and its people in 1942 and which has sat on the flag since 1943. The Gloster Sea Gladiator N5520, known as Faith. And Roosevelt’s jeep, Husky. There’s also a separate memorial holding the medals awarded during the war. If that period grips you, carry on with Malta during the Second World War.

Two things to know about the current state of play. Section 4, on the First World War, is closed until further notice. Section 2, on the early Knights and the Great Siege, reopened on 1 August 2026.

In Guardia and the noon rule

On a number of Sundays the fort stages In Guardia, a historical re-enactment. On show days, general admission isn’t allowed until 12:00. Among the dates on Heritage Malta’s calendar for autumn 2026 are the 18th and 25th of October, the 1st and 15th of November and the 6th and 13th of December, with the usual warning that dates can change. If you only want the fort and museum, steer clear of those mornings. If the parade appeals, Heritage Malta has a dedicated In Guardia page with the show dates.

Tickets, hours and fitting it in

A single ticket gets you into both fort and museum, at €10 for adults, €7.50 at the reduced rate (youths, students and over-60s) and €5.50 for ages 6 to 11, and the Multisite Pass covers it too. In season, up to the end of October, the gates are open 09:00 to 19:00 every day; over the winter, to 28 February 2027, closing moves forward to 17:00.

If you’re weighing it against the Lascaris War Rooms, which cost €20 and cover a much narrower slice of the war, I’d pick St Elmo first. It’s half the price, it spans the whole story from the Knights to the Second World War and beyond, and you get the walls and the harbour views thrown in for nothing extra.

Heritage Malta suggests at least an hour and a half. Photos are fine without flash, and the site has chair lifts plus a lift to the last part of the museum, though Section 6 is stairs only.

My version of the day runs like this. St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta at 09:00, the Grandmaster’s Palace next, and Fort St Elmo early in the afternoon, since in season it stays open until 19:00 and you can take your time. On the way out, the walls at the tip give you harbour views that make the walk out here worthwhile.