The Old Prison in Gozo, walls signed by the inmates

Some museums show you objects and others put you face to face with people. The Old Prison in Gozo is the second kind, even if its inmates left nothing but scratches in the stone. It’s the oldest surviving prison on the island, inside Gozo’s Citadel, and according to Heritage Malta its walls carry the largest collection of historical graffiti in one place in Malta.

A prison for knights and locals

The prison stands right against the law courts, to which it was originally connected. Soon after arriving in Malta, the Knights of St John used it to lock up their more troublesome members. The best-known inmate was Jean Parisot de La Valette, later Grand Master and the man Valletta is named after, who spent four months here in 1538 for attacking a man. It’s one of those stories that says a lot about the Order, which I cover in the Order of Malta.

With various alterations, it was in use from the mid-16th century to the early 20th. From the mid-19th century it shared the work with another prison on the other side of the Citadel. The old one held people awaiting trial and the new one the convicted, and that newer prison stayed open until 1962.

What do the graffiti tell you?

They’re the best part of the visit. Most are ships from different periods, but there are also handprints, crosses, names, dates, games and human figures, and some prisoners seem to have counted off their days inside. They were scratched with whatever was to hand, bone points, cutlery or hard stones. Heritage Malta explains that a handprint might stand in for a signature for someone who couldn’t write, or act as a charm for protection.

The visit has two parts. An entrance hall, a communal cell in the 19th century, now showing graffiti casts, a carving of a 16th-century carrack and prison objects, including what’s left of a wooden stocks. And a free-standing block of six individual cells, where the walls are covered top to bottom.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Old Prison, Gozo on GetYourGuide.

What it costs and when it opens

On its own you’d pay €5, or €3.50 and €2.50 for concessions and children, but I’d buy the Citadel combo, which costs the same and includes the Gran Castello Historic House and the visitor centre. The hours match the house next door, closed on Mondays all year and on Wednesdays too in January and February 2027, and nine to five on the other days.

It’s a short visit, I’d allow half an hour, and not the whole route suits wheelchairs. I’d fit it into a morning at the Citadel before heading down for lunch in Victoria or on to Ġgantija. To reach the Citadel from the ferry, the practical thing is to head up to Victoria, Gozo’s capital, and walk up the fortress ramps from the centre. Children usually enjoy hunting for the carved ships on the walls.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Valletta: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

Before you fix your dates, compare tickets to Malta: the same journey can cost very different amounts from one day to the next.