National Museum of Archaeology

About the museum

The National Museum of Archaeology is housed in the Auberge de Provence in Republic Street, Valletta, one of the most elaborately decorated Baroque buildings in the city. It was built in 1571 as the residence of the knights of the Order of St John from the langue of Provence, and its richly painted walls and the wooden-beamed ceiling of the Gran Salon, a large painted hall with decorations from the early 1800s, still recall that period. Restoration work is currently under way in the Gran Salon.

The collections trace the Maltese Islands from the Neolithic period, about 5900 to 2500 BC, to the early Phoenician period of the 8th to 6th century BC. The ground floor is devoted to the Neolithic period and shows the earliest tools, vessels and figures of animals and people. From the megalithic temples and the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum come national treasures such as the Sleeping Lady, the Venus of Malta and the colossal statue from the Ħal Tarxien temples.

Upstairs the museum shows the Bronze Age and Phoenician sections, with small ritual vessels, funerary urns, amphorae, Phoenician glass and gold and a large terracotta sarcophagus. The Cippus, which helped scholars decipher the Phoenician alphabet, is exhibited next to a copy of the Louvre Cippus, and material from the Punic Xlendi shipwreck and skulls from the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum complete the display. The museum also looks after an archive of the early Museums Department and a collection of glass photographic negatives.

Highlights

• The Sleeping Lady and the Venus of Malta
• Colossal statue from the Ħal Tarxien temples
• Phoenician glass, gold and a terracotta sarcophagus
• The Cippus used to decipher the Phoenician alphabet
• Baroque Auberge de Provence with the painted Gran Salon

Permanent exhibitions

• Neolithic Malta – Tools, vessels and figures from the megalithic temples and the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, including the Sleeping Lady and the Venus of Malta.
• Bronze Age and Phoenician period – Funerary urns, amphorae, Phoenician glass and gold, a terracotta sarcophagus, the Cippus and finds from the Xlendi shipwreck.

Founded

1958

Operated by

Heritage Malta

Admission & discounts

Heritage Malta members and passport holders enter free. Combined tickets for several Heritage Malta sites are sold at the main reception.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The entrance has two steps and a ramp with a handrail, and the glass door opens automatically. The reception desks are at wheelchair height, the ground floor is on one level, and a lift next to the restrooms leads to the second floor. There is a unisex toilet for people with a disability, and portable chairs are provided in the exhibition areas. Service dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

A children’s activity room is on the second floor, and a restroom with nappy changing facilities is on the ground floor. A lift is available for pushchairs.

Getting there & parking

Electric city cabs, Hop-on Hop-off buses and tourist trains also serve Valletta.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Gift shop at reception with replicas of Neolithic statues, books and items for children. Free lockers and a luggage trolley are available. Free Wi-Fi can be used at reception to download the museum app.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit