Car hire for Mdina and Rabat

Mdina, Rabat and the Silent City

Mdina was Malta's original capital, a walled medieval and baroque town set on the island's highest inland hill. No cars are allowed inside the bastions, which is why it is known as the Silent City, so visitors leave the car outside and explore the narrow cobbled streets, St Paul's Cathedral and the wall-walk views on foot. Just outside the gate sits Rabat, a separate but directly adjacent town whose centre is roughly a five minute walk away. The two are easy to confuse and easy to combine, and on foot together they make a comfortable half-day of about two to two and a half hours.

Parking for Mdina and Rabat

There is no parking inside Mdina's walls, so you park in Rabat and walk through Mdina Gate. The usual options are the car park by the Rabat bus terminus opposite Howard Gardens, roughly 200 metres from the gate, the smaller areas near the gate itself, and the Mdina Ditch car park below the fortifications, reached through a narrow tunnel.

• Go early or late in summer: from roughly April to October the lots fill up, so before about 9:30 or after 16:00 is easiest.
• Watch for events and weekends: parking can be limited when something is on, so allow a little extra time.
• Informal attendants: you may meet a parking attendant near the lots, and a small tip is customary but not obligatory.

A central base for touring the west

Mdina and Rabat sit in the middle of the island, which makes the area a practical touring base for central and western Malta. In Rabat you can visit St Paul's Catacombs, a large early-Christian underground burial complex managed by Heritage Malta, and the Domus Romana, a Roman townhouse museum with first-century mosaics on the Mdina and Rabat boundary, both within easy walking distance of Mdina Gate. With a car the day extends naturally to Dingli Cliffs, Malta's highest point a couple of kilometres from Rabat, and the vast Mosta Dome a short drive away. If your trip also takes in the capital, our Valletta car hire guide covers parking there too, and you can compare options across the island on our Malta car hire page.