The megalithic temples of Malta, which to see first and which to leave till last

The megalithic temples are the oldest things you’ll see in Malta, and yet they’re the visit most people skip. That’s a shame, because with a bit of planning they fit into two mornings and change the way you look at the island. I won’t repeat what they are here, as that’s covered in Malta’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This page is about sequence, which to see first and why.

Six complexes, seven temples and a museum

The numbers confuse everyone, so let’s settle them once. UNESCO inscribes six complexes and counts seven temples because Ġgantija has two. Five are on the island of Malta and one on Gozo. UNESCO dates the whole group to between 4000 and 2000 BC, give or take, the fourth and third millennia.

My first tip isn’t a temple at all. It’s the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta, in the Auberge de Provence, where the Venus of Malta, the Sleeping Lady and the huge Tarxien statue are on show. Seeing it first, for €5, gives you the context the sites lack, where the stone remains but not what was inside.

First, Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra

These are my favourites and the ones I’d see first. Heritage Malta describes them as two megalithic complexes over 5,000 years old, with Mnajdra 500 metres downhill, above the sea on the south coast. Since 2008 they’ve been sheltered by large canopies, and a visit, with the visitor centre, takes from 90 minutes to three hours. Heritage Malta points out that the nearest restaurants are at Wied iż-Żurrieq or Għar Lapsi, so I’d bring water and something to eat, especially in summer.

What puts them top for me is Mnajdra. The doorway of its south temple faces the sunrise at the equinoxes, and Heritage Malta opens specially on those dates and for the 2026 winter solstice, which falls across 20 and 21 December. Visiting details are in Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra.

Then Ġgantija, on your Gozo day

Ġgantija sits on the Xagħra plateau, two Late Neolithic structures inside a single wall. Heritage Malta dates them to 3800-2000 BC and notes that, along with the Hypogeum, they were among Malta’s first UNESCO inscriptions. The €10 ticket includes the 18th-century Ta’ Kola Windmill, and a visit takes about an hour.

I wouldn’t cross to Gozo just for Ġgantija, but on a Gozo day it’s a must. The €13 Discover Gozo Combo Ticket bundles it with the Citadel museums.

Tarxien, the same morning as the Hypogeum

The Tarxien Temples have a story I love. A farmer, Lorenzo Despott, found them in 1913, and Sir Themistocles Zammit excavated them between 1915 and 1919. They’re four Late Neolithic structures in the middle of town, with spirals carved into the stone, and the colossal statue you’ll have seen in the Valletta museum came from here.

There’s a price trick, too. Heritage Malta halves the Tarxien ticket for anyone who turns up with a Hypogeum one. The Hypogeum isn’t a temple but an underground burial site with its own listing, yet it’s so close that both fit into one morning. Nearby is Kordin III as well, a temple outside the UNESCO listing, excavated in 1909 by Thomas Ashby next to the Corradino industrial estate, which opens on just one Sunday a month, the second, and is sold together with Tarxien.

Skorba and Ta’ Ħaġrat, for completists

The two Mġarr complexes are the most modest. Ta’ Ħaġrat was found in 1917, and Skorba was excavated by David Trump in the early 1960s, the main interest being the remains of Neolithic domestic huts. They’re €3.50 each, share a combined ticket and can easily be seen together. I’d save them for a return visit, or for anyone set on ticking off all six.

Is the Multisite Pass worth it for the temples?

Doing the sums at adult prices, Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra (€10), Ġgantija (€10), Tarxien (€6), Skorba and Ta’ Ħaġrat (€3.50 each) and the Archaeology Museum (€5) come to €38. Heritage Malta’s Multisite Pass is €60 for 30 days, so it only pays off if you add the Grandmaster’s Palace, Fort St Elmo or Fort St Angelo. Temples and forts together, yes. Temples alone, buy single tickets. And whichever you choose, check the winter timetable, because from 1 November everything closes at 17:00.