Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split
Next departure
from $3,390per person, sharing
View tour: Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split
Malta · 5 days
Malta: Gladiator, Popeye and Game of Thrones
Five days on Malta and Gozo with a Maltese tour leader: Fort St Elmo and Valletta, a harbor cruise past Fort Ricasoli, Mdina's gate from Game of Thrones, Popeye Village and the Dothraki wedding shore at Dwejra.
From $2,290 per person sharing
- Seats held 72 hours, free; a $250 deposit confirms
- Balance due 60 days before departure
- One free date change up to 30 days before
- Length
- 5 days4 nights in hotels
- Start and end
- Vallettaends in Valletta
- Group
- Max 14with a tour leader
- Minimum age
- 12under 16 with a parent
- Pace
- 2 of 5Easy
- Tour code
- SF-MGGT5quote it when you call
Overview
Two islands, a dozen borrowed cities
Malta is small enough to cross in an hour, and it has stood in for half the old world. On this tour you walk the parade grounds of Fort St Elmo, the Turkish prison of Midnight Express and the Jerusalem of World War Z, and take a harbor cruise under the walls of Fort Ricasoli, where the Colosseum of Gladiator and the city of Troy were built. In Mdina you pass through the baroque gate that was the entrance to King's Landing in the first season of Game of Thrones.
Then come two very different film sets. Popeye Village at Anchor Bay is the whole fishing village built for the 1980 film, still standing on the rocks. On Gozo, reached by a 25-minute ferry, you stand on the shore at Dwejra where Daenerys married Khal Drogo; the Azure Window behind them fell into the sea in 2017, and Clayton Farrugia, our tour leader, shows you where it stood. Four nights in one Valletta hotel keep the days simple.
How active the days are: easy
Pace 2 of 5. Two to four miles on foot on most days, on town streets that are steep and stepped in Valletta and flat in Mdina. The Dwejra shore is rough rock, so good shoes matter, and the small boat there involves a step down from the jetty.
Itinerary
Malta screen tour: day by day
A 14-seat Mercedes Sprinter van with a professional driver on Malta and Gozo, the Gozo Channel ferry, a harbor cruise and a small boat at Dwejra. Ticketed times shift with the season; your final timetable comes two weeks before departure.
Day 1VallettaArrive in Malta
- Our driver meets you at Malta International Airport and brings you to the hotel in Valletta, about 20 minutes.
- Check in from 2 p.m.; bags can be left earlier.
- At 6 p.m. Clayton meets the group for a walk to the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the view over the Grand Harbour.
- Welcome dinner in Valletta.
Meals: dinner
Day 2Valletta and the harborsFort St Elmo and the Gladiator fort
- Morning at Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum: the prison yards of Midnight Express and the walls that played Jerusalem in World War Z.
- Walk up through the grid of steep streets to the Upper Barrakka Gardens for the noon gun.
- Lunch, then a harbor cruise around the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour, passing under Fort Ricasoli, home of the Gladiator and Troy sets, and Fort Manoel across the water.
- Free evening in Valletta.
Meals: breakfast, lunch
Day 3Mdina and Anchor BayKing's Landing's gate and Sweethaven
- Morning drive to Mdina, 25 minutes: the Main Gate from Game of Thrones, the quiet lanes and the bastion view.
- Coffee in Rabat, next door, and time for St Paul's Catacombs.
- Drive to Anchor Bay in the northwest, about 30 minutes: the free view from the cliff, then about 90 minutes inside Popeye Village.
- Back to Valletta by 5:30 p.m.; dinner on your own.
Meals: breakfast
Day 4GozoThe Dothraki wedding shore
- 8 a.m. drive to Ċirkewwa and the 25-minute ferry to Gozo, with our van on board.
- Dwejra: the shore of the Dothraki wedding, Fungus Rock, and a small boat through the Inland Sea tunnel when the sea is calm.
- Lunch in Victoria and a walk on the walls of the Citadel.
- Mġarr ix-Xini, the inlet from By the Sea, then the ferry back and a farewell dinner in Valletta.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5VallettaDeparture
- Breakfast and checkout by 11 a.m.
- Transfer to the airport, 20 minutes, timed to your flight.
- Staying on? Extra nights in Valletta or on Gozo are easy to add.
Meals: breakfast
Route map
Valletta, the old capital, Anchor Bay and Gozo
One hotel in Valletta for all four nights. The days fan out from there: the harbors by boat, Mdina and Anchor Bay by van, and Gozo by ferry.
- Day 1Arrive in Malta, the Upper Barrakka Gardens
- Day 2Fort St Elmo, Valletta and a harbor cruise past Fort Ricasoli
- Day 3Mdina and Rabat, Popeye Village
- Day 4Gozo: Dwejra, Victoria, Mġarr ix-Xini
- Day 5Departure
On screen
Films and series on the Malta screen tour
The productions behind the stops on this tour, where they filmed and what you see there today.
| Film or series | Year | Location | What you see today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight Express | 1978 | Fort St Elmo, Valletta | Now the National War Museum, open daily; we walk its yards and walls on day 2. |
| Popeye | 1980 | Popeye Village, Anchor Bay | The original set, open to visitors all year; we go in on day 3. |
| Gladiator | 2000 | Fort Ricasoli, Kalkara | Closed to the public; we see it from the water on the harbor cruise. |
| Troy | 2004 | Fort Ricasoli, Kalkara | The same fort, seen from the harbor cruise and the Valletta shore. |
| Game of Thrones | 2011 | Mdina Main Gate | A public gate into the walled town, free to walk through at any hour. |
| Game of Thrones | 2011 | Dwejra Bay, Gozo | The Azure Window collapsed in 2017; the shore, Fungus Rock and the Inland Sea remain. |
| World War Z | 2013 | Fort St Elmo and Valletta streets | Public streets and a museum; we see both on day 2. |
| By the Sea | 2015 | Mġarr ix-Xini, Gozo | A public inlet with a small beach and a watchtower; we stop on the Gozo day. |
Filming spots change over time: storefronts get new owners, sets are rebuilt and some interiors were shot on stages elsewhere, so your tour leader tells you on the day what is still there.
Hotels
Hotels on the Malta screen tour
4 nights, rooms with private bathroom, breakfast every morning. We name the class and the area; the exact hotel, or a similar one, is confirmed with your booking.
4 nights · 4 stars
Hotel in Valletta
Central 4-star hotel inside the walls of Valletta, a short walk from the Upper Barrakka Gardens, with harbor views from some rooms, or similar.
What is included
What the Malta screen tour price includes
Meals: daily breakfast, 2 lunches, 2 dinners. The price is per person sharing a double or twin room. Flights to the start of the tour and home are not included.
- 11 things in the price
- 4 hotel nights
- Daily breakfast, 2 lunches, 2 dinners
- 8 productions on the film list
In the price
- 4 nights in a central 4-star hotel in Valletta
- Daily breakfast, 2 lunches and 2 dinners
- Entry to Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum
- A harbor cruise around both of Valletta's harbors
- Entry to Popeye Village
- The Gozo ferry with our van, and the Dwejra boat when the sea allows
- Clayton Farrugia as your tour leader every day
- A named Scenes Found tour leader with the group from the first day to the last
- Airport transfers on the first and last day of the tour
- Hotel taxes, parking, park entry and local guide fees
- Our 24/7 line while you travel, in every time zone
Not in the price
- Flights to Malta and home
- Meals not listed
- Entry to St Paul's Catacombs in Rabat
- Tips for your tour leader and driver
- Travel insurance
Dates and prices
Malta screen tour departures and prices
Price per person sharing a double room. Single room: +$420.
| Dates, 5 days | Price | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last minute | $2,290 | Available | Check availability: Malta film tour, Nov 8 to 12, 2026 |
| $2,390 | Guaranteed | Check availability: Malta film tour, Mar 21 to 25, 2027 | |
| $2,490 | Few seats left | Check availability: Malta film tour, Apr 25 to 29, 2027 | |
| $2,590 | Available | Check availability: Malta film tour, May 23 to 27, 2027 | |
| $2,490 | Guaranteed | Check availability: Malta film tour, Sep 19 to 23, 2027 | |
| $2,390 | Sold out | Join the waitlist: Malta film tour, Oct 17 to 21, 2027 | |
| $2,390 | Available | Check availability: Malta film tour, Oct 31 to Nov 4, 2027 |
- $250 deposit
Confirms your booking after the free 72-hour hold. The balance is due 60 days before departure. See the booking terms.
- Guaranteed means it runs
A guaranteed departure goes ahead whatever the final numbers.
- No surcharges
The price you book is the price you pay. No fuel surcharges after booking.
- Free date change
Move to another date of this tour up to 30 days before departure, once, at no fee.
Before you book
Straight talk about the Malta screen tour
What the days are really like, so there are no surprises.
Pace and walking
Easy, 2 of 5. Two to four miles on foot on most days, on town streets that are steep and stepped in Valletta and flat in Mdina.
What can change
Filming, events and closures can move a stop or close an interior on the day. Your leader swaps in another location nearby and tells you why.
Inside or outside
Museums, studio tours and open businesses you enter as a visitor. Working businesses that ask for quiet, and every private home, are seen from the public street or not at all.
Getting there
Flights are not included. Plan to land in Valletta by mid afternoon on day 1 and to fly home from Valletta after lunch on the last day.
Your tour leader: Clayton Farrugia
Tour leader, Malta
Grew up in Żebbuġ and lives in Sliema. A licensed Maltese tourist guide who spent his first working years as a history teacher, he knows the forts around the Grand Harbour well and has a soft spot for Gozo. Leads our Malta tour.
Practical information
Before you go on the Malta screen tour
Your travel pack, with ticket times and hotel addresses, arrives two weeks before departure. Weather, airports and the best months are on the Malta page.
Weather
Spring and fall run 65 to 78 F. November can bring a windy, wet day, which may cancel the Dwejra boat; the rest of the Gozo day goes ahead.
Driving on the left
Malta drives on the left, a British habit, so look right first when you cross a street.
Plugs and money
Sockets are the British three-pin type, so bring an adapter. Malta uses the euro, and cards work almost everywhere.
Shoes
The limestone at Dwejra is sharp and uneven, and Valletta is full of steps. Bring closed walking shoes.
Swimming
From June to October the sea is warm. There is time for a swim at Mġarr ix-Xini on the Gozo day if you bring a swimsuit.
Tour FAQ
Malta screen tour: questions and answers
Do we go inside Fort Ricasoli?
No. It is closed to the public, and no tour can take you in. We pass right under its walls on the harbor cruise, which is the best way to see it.
Will we see the Azure Window?
No, because it no longer exists: the arch collapsed in a storm in March 2017. We visit the shore where the Dothraki wedding was filmed, and Clayton shows you stills of the arch in its place.
Is Popeye Village only for children?
It is cheerful and family-minded, but it is also a real 1980 film set, and the view from the cliff is lovely. We keep the visit to about 90 minutes.
Is the Gozo ferry rough?
It is a large car ferry and the crossing is 25 minutes, usually smooth. On a stormy winter day it can be delayed, and we adjust the timing.
Is this tour good for a solo traveler?
Yes. Many of our Malta travelers come alone, meals are shared, and the single supplement is $420 for four nights.
Can I combine Malta with Croatia?
Yes. There are flights from Malta to Dubrovnik and Split, mostly via Rome or another hub. We can add hotel nights between our Malta tour and our Game of Thrones tour in Croatia.
More answers on the FAQ page and in how to book.
Similar tours
Tours similar to the Malta screen tour
Rome: Roman Holiday and La Dolce Vita
Next departure
from $2,690per person, sharing
View tour: Rome on screen
Jordan on Screen: Petra and Wadi Rum in Six Days
Next departure
from $2,690per person, sharing
View tour: Petra and Wadi RumTour enquiry
Ask about the Malta screen tour
Tell us the date and who is coming. A travel advisor checks seats and replies within one business day with a written quote.
- No payment and no commitment
- Seats held for 72 hours while you decide
- Extra nights before or after on request
Several tours in mind, or a private trip? Use the full quote form.
Sent
Thank you, your message is with us
A travel advisor checks seats and replies within one business day with a written quote. Your seats are held for 72 hours.
Questions in the meantime: [email protected] or +1 (323) 641-2870, Monday to Friday, 9 to 6 Pacific Time.