Victoria, Malta: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Victoria is the main town of Gozo, Malta, and the island’s historic and cultural centre. The best things to do in Victoria include exploring the fortified Cittadella, visiting museums and churches, and discovering quiet corners such as the Chapel of the Annunciation in Lunzjata Valley. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Victoria with 14 narrated places, available in 11 languages.

Victoria is also known by its historic name, Rabat. Its compact centre brings together religious buildings, historic houses, archaeological collections and the elevated Cittadella, making it especially well suited to exploring on foot. If you are planning a wider trip around Malta, Victoria offers a different perspective from the country’s coastal cities and fortifications.

What to see in Victoria

The Cittadella and Cathedral of the Assumption of the Madonna

The Cittadella is the oldest part of Victoria and the setting for several of the town’s most important sights. At its centre stands the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the main church of Gozo and the seat of the Diocese of Gozo since its creation in 1864.

The cathedral was designed by the Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafà and built between 1697 and 1711. It replaced an earlier church destroyed by the earthquake of 1693. During the excavation of its foundations, remains were found of what is believed to have been a Roman temple dedicated to Juno.

The cathedral is built on a Latin cross plan and is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Its dedication feast takes place on 15 August, when a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary is carried through the city.

Gozo Museum of Archaeology

The Cittadella Visitors’ Centre tour includes the Gozo Museum of Archaeology, also known locally as Il-Mużew tal-Arkeoloġija ta’ Għawdex. Its collections cover Gozo’s cultural history from prehistoric times through the early modern period.

The museum occupies Casa Bondi, a 17th-century house with a symmetrical façade and a carved stone balcony above the entrance. The Bondi family sold the building to the government in 1937. Before becoming a museum, it served as a town hall where the Knights of the Order of Saint John received distinguished guests.

Old Prison

The Old Prison, or Il-Ħabs il-Qadim, is one of the most atmospheric places inside the Cittadella. It functioned as a correctional facility from the mid-16th century until 1962 and was once directly connected to the neighbouring Courts of Justice.

The complex has an entrance hall, formerly a common cell, and a separate block containing six individual cells. In its early years, it was used to hold unruly or riotous knights. The original limestone walls remain covered with graffiti carved by prisoners, including ships, crosses, names, dates, handprints and games.

Gozo Nature Museum

The Gozo Nature Museum presents the island’s natural history through collections of rocks, minerals, plants, insects, marine life, habitats and ecosystems. It also includes displays on human and animal evolution, as well as national plants such as the Maltese Rock Centaury.

The museum occupies historic buildings inside the Cittadella. The older dates from 1495, while another belongs to the 17th century. The site later served as an inn for visitors and, during the Second World War, as a shelter for families.

Gran Castello Historic House

The Gran Castello Historic House is a museum dedicated to everyday life in the Maltese Islands. It occupies a cluster of 16th-century buildings in the heart of the Cittadella, restored and reopened as a museum in 1983.

Its collections explore domestic, rural and traditional life, including the crafts and skills that supported Gozo’s agrarian economy. The buildings combine delicate Sicilian-style and Baroque façades with simple interiors, creating an interesting contrast between appearance and daily use.

Old St Joseph’s

Knisja ta’ San Ġużepp, also known as Old St Joseph’s, is a Roman Catholic church inside the medieval Cittadella. It is one of the oldest churches on Gozo and was the first church on the island dedicated to St Joseph.

St George’s Basilica

St George’s Basilica stands in the centre of Victoria, surrounded by narrow streets and alleys. The present Baroque church was built between 1672 and 1678, after several earlier churches had occupied the same site during the Middle Ages.

Also known in Maltese as San Ġorġ, it belongs to the Diocese of Gozo and serves as both a basilica and a collegiate parish church. Its central location makes it a natural stop while exploring Victoria’s town centre.

Victoria’s town-centre churches

Victoria has several churches within a relatively compact area, making a walk between them an easy way to experience the town’s religious and architectural heritage.

The Church of St James stands in Independence Square, the centre of town. The Church of St Augustine occupies St Augustine’s Square beside the Augustinian monastery, while the Church of St Francis stands in St Francis Square next to the Conventual Franciscans’ convent.

The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, commonly called Ta’ Savina, is another central landmark. The Church of Our Lady of Pompei is a Dominican church known in Maltese as Il-Knisja tal-Madonna ta’ Pompei. Santa Marta Church, or Santa Marta Chapel, is locally called Il-knisja ta’ Santa Marta tal-Għonq.

Chapel of the Annunciation

For a quieter stop, head to the Chapel of the Annunciation, also known as the Lunzjata Chapel. This small Roman Catholic church is built into a cave in Lunzjata Valley.

Rather than standing apart from the landscape, the chapel is carved into the rock face. Its stone walls merge with the surrounding cliff, giving the site an intimate character and making it one of Victoria’s most distinctive places to visit.

A Victoria self-guided walking tour with Neywo

Neywo has two walking tours in Victoria, with no bus or bike routes listed:

• Inside the Cittadella: Knights, Prisoners and a Cathedral without a Dome — 0.3 km, 41 minutes and 6 narrated stops.
• Squares and Steeples: Victoria’s Town-Centre Churches — 1.48 km, 51 minutes and 6 narrated stops.

Together, the tours cover the Gozo Museum of Archaeology, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Madonna, the Old Prison, the Gozo Nature Museum, the Gran Castello Historic House, Old St Joseph’s, and several of Victoria’s central churches.

Download the free Neywo app and explore Victoria at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, with no group and no schedule. If you are continuing around Malta, you can also compare Victoria with Mdina, Birgu, Valletta or Sliema.