Valletta World War II Private Walking Tour

Recommended by 96% of travelers

Malta

3 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Learn about Malta’s bravery during World War II on this 3-hour private Valletta walking tour. Visit key sites and monuments associated with the 1940-42 Axis bombardment, including the poignant Siege Bell monument. Learn about the tunnels and community kitchens established in Valletta, and discover how locals maintained their daily lives. Hear about events like the Illustrious Blitz, and visit the National War Museum for additional insight into the island's wartime struggles.

Private 3-hour World War II walking tour of Valletta
Visit sites linked to the 1940-42 Siege of Malta, when the island was bombed by Axis forces
See the ruined Opera House and memorials including the Siege Bell monument
Learn about Valletta’s wartime tunnels and community kitchens, set up to feed people
Hear about events such as the Illustrious Blitz and the San Marija Convoy
Tour the National War Museum (own expense) to see the 1942 George Cross and other exhibits
Enjoy in-depth stories and personalized attention from a private guide

What's Included

Private tour
Professional guide

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Ticket to National War Museum
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Victoria Gate
VGW7+9FV, Liesse, Il-Belt Valletta, Malta
Valletta City Gate - next to the new parliament building. Cross the bridge, and on your right side, you will see a long stairs. The guide will be at the bottom of the stairs wearing a yellow shirt and holding a yellow umbrella.

End point

Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum
Mediterranean Street, Valletta, Malta

Itinerary

Meet your private guide in central Valletta and set out into the honey-stoned streets to uncover one of its darkest chapters — the years between 1940 and 1943 during WWII.

Malta’s part in the war began in 1940 when Italy's leader, Mussolini, declared war on the island and it became a stepping stone for Hitler and the Axis forces to gain control of North Africa. From then on, Valletta endured sustained bombardment as the Axis powers aimed to bomb or starve the population into submission.

Over more than two years, the island became one of the most intensively bombed areas in the war, and her survival against the odds was an inspiration.

Learn about the Siege of Malta between 1940 and 1942, and see sites associated with Malta’s bravery in the face of destruction. View the imposing Siege Bell Memorial overlooking the Grand Harbour, and hear about the tunnels built under Valletta to shelter residents. Learn, too, about the ‘Victory Kitchens’ set up to feed people, and how locals tried to maintain their daily lives throughout the bombardments.

See the gutted shell of the Royal Opera House, destroyed in a 1942 German bombing raid, and pay your respects at various commemorative statues and memorials.

As you walk, hear details of key events, including the Battle of Grand Harbour and Illustrious Blitz, when the Axis powers repeatedly bombed the HMS Illustrious aircraft carrier in Valletta in 1941.

Along the way, enjoy a guided visit to the National War Museum (own expense) at Upper Fort St. Elmo. View the exhibits and audio-visuals illustrating Malta’s ordeal during WWII, including the struggle to get supplies to the island, and see the 1942 George Cross medal awarded to the population for their courage.

After three hours, your tour finishes in central Valletta.

Valletta City Gate

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

National War Museum - Fort St Elmo

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8

based on 26 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

This was an unexpected...

Bruce_H, Sep 2025

This was an unexpected highlight to our trip. The tour guide was very knowledgable, thorough, interesting, and personable. While it is a lot of walking (hence the walking tour!) he had a very gentle pace, with lots of breaks to look at and discuss interesting locations. The information was fascinating, cohesive, and he even went through the museum with us (versus sending us on our own), which made the experience so much richer. We have taken tours in over fifty countries and this was one of the best tours we've been on.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you very much for your wonderful review. We are glad to hear that the Valletta World War II Private Walking Tour was an unexpected highlight of your trip! We are glad the museum visit together enriched your experience. Your kind words mean a great deal to us, and we hope to welcome you back for another memorable tour in the future.

Fantastic. Our guide...

Mark_P, Jul 2025

Fantastic. Our guide Matthew is a local with a passion for his country and its history. In the endless battle to sort authenticity vs social media posturing, this is a win for former.

Great World War II tour in Valletta

Doug_M, Sep 2024

Mario was a great guide. He showed me a lot of things I never would’ve seen exploring myself. He’s very knowledgeable flexible and friendly.

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Thank you for your excellent review! We are glad that you enjoyed your walking tour with Mario, we hope to see you another time!

WWII Valletta Tour

Clare_M, Sep 2024

Absolutely brilliant tour with Matthew in Valletta. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Malta but particularly about WWII which was where I had a personal interest. Would highly recommend

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Thank you for your kind words! We completely agree—Matthew is an outstanding guide, especially when it comes to Malta's WW2 history! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour during your short stay in Malta. We hope to have the opportunity to show you more of our beautiful island on your next visit.

First time to Valetta Malta

Renee_C, Sep 2024

This was an awesome tour! Matthew, our tour guide, did a great job. You could tell WWII is one of his passions.

Valletta history tour

Alison_O, Jun 2024

I would strongly recommend this tour. Our guide Mario was very knowledgeable and a good story teller. He had a deep knowledge of the war in Malta and its importance on the world stage. This tour gives you an understanding of Malta and its people. As you are outside for the duration of the tour remember to take lots of water/ suntan lotion and wear good shoes.

Very good

Bernardo_B, May 2022

Matthew is very appassionate about the 2WW story Not too much sites to see in the downtown but harbours are great

An illuminating history 500 years in the making.

Simon_H, Mar 2022

A well informed three hour walk with Mathew from Colour My Travel whose genuine passion for the history of Malta was fascinating and infectious. So much to see and talk about.

WW2 walking tour

Martin_S, Oct 2021

Matthew was an excellent tour guide who kept us engaged and interested throughout the whole morning. His knowledge was fantastic, not just on WW2, but also on the history of the country going back to the 1500’s. Great tour, highly recommend for anyone visiting

Wonderful and extremely informative tour

Agata_K, Jul 2021

Extremely informative and interesting. I strongly recommend it to the history lovers. Our guide Matthew was great. He did a marvelous job! It was a really wonderful tour.

Really amazing tour!!

Alpana_V, May 2021

Matthew is an absolute expert in his field. His explanations and stories of what Malta experienced during the war were incredible. He was a fantastic guide. Make sure you leave enough time at the end of the day to see St. Elmos. It was my favourite museum on the island. A trip to the lascaris and war hq tunnels is also a must.

Excellent tour

azalice1, Oct 2019

This excellent tour took us through Valletta’s history during WW2. Our guide was terrific, very knowledgeable and interesting. Good job, Matthew. Be sure that you can walk on hard stones, uphill at times, navigate some stairs.

WW2 Malta walking tour

Gaylene_E, Oct 2019

We cannot thank our guide, Matthew enough. We felt that what he did not know about Malta and it's past just was't worth knowing. He did not stop giving us information from go to whoa and he knew all of the dates, days and years, of all events. It was an emotional time for me, Allan, as my father, who was in the Royal Navy, was there when it was all happening. These memories that Matthew gave us will last a lifetime. A big thank you.

World War 11 tour

adriennea480, Sep 2019

Never happened. The guide Matthew, wearing a yellow shirt , I never saw. I was at the City Gate from 1355 to 1430. The City Gate is entrance to the Gardens with the horse and cabs standing by it.

Response from Host, Sep 2019

Hi Adrienne, we are really sorry about this but I think you were in the wrong city completely. I have a feeling you went to Mdina since that is where you can see a garden and horse cabs and not Valletta (horse cabs are not allowed near entrance to the city) as Matthew was waiting at Valletta City Gate for a full 50 minutes and I tried calling you too but couldn't get through.

Not to be missed!!

Arienne_d, May 2019

My family and I loved our WW2 history tour with Mario! Mario is a retired history teacher from Malta and has firsthand accounts of life during the war from family. He also gave us some other important background information to help us understand what was going on in Malta prior to that time period. We started at the Parliament building and ventured out to different areas of Valetta. We asked a lot of questions and appreciated Mario's insights and explanations. Wear comfortable shoes, you will get your steps in for the day! Mario made some excellent suggestions for other activities and museums might interest us for our week in Malta. He also helped us with pronunciations of Maltese words. My father was born in Sliema in 1941 and immigrated to the US with my grandparents in 1955, so I was especially drawn to this tour, and Mario exceeded all of our expectations. We ended near Fort St. Elmo, so ended up visiting the Malta Experience, Knights of Malta Hospital and Fort St. Elmo after the tour. I cannot say enough about how amazing Mario and this tour was!

Excellent WW2 walking tour with Matthew Camilleri (Colour My World)

Barbara_M, Mar 2019

With an 8 hr cruise stop in Valletta, we booked a 3 hr "Valletta WW2 Private Walking Tour". It was an easy walk from the ship to the meeting place at the Upper Barrakka Gardens. We appreciated the personal attention of our guide, Matthew Camilleri (Colour My Travel). In turn, he appreciated our interest in everything WW2. He showed us all the sites listed on the tour (Opera House, Victory Kitchens, National War Museum, etc.), & shared many stories, including personal family stories, with us about the Blitz, Siege of Malta, etc. We saw the exhibit being built at the St Johns Co-Cathedral for the only signed Caravaggio painting in the world. We asked about the Knights of Malta & Matthew shared stories & pointed out many relevant sites along the way. We hope to return to Malta, would definitely tour with Matthew again, & would highly recommend him to others.

Excellent! Highly recommend!

LouiseVfromNY, Jul 2018

WWII is such an important part of Malta's history making this tour a must. Matthew was personable and knowledgable. This was reasonably priced for such personal attention (just my husband and myself). I consider it money well spent and would say.

Matthew Matt was our guide, and he...

Veronika_F, Jan 2018

Matthew Matt was our guide, and he did an amazing job guiding us through Valletta. The private tour was the guide and just us. Matt shared very detailed and interesting information about Malta's crucial role during WWII. The majority of the tour was walking outside, which was great, because there is so much to see and learn about on this tour. The tour ended with visiting Fort St. Elmo, which hosts the National War Museum. Matt walked with us through the museum and focused on the important events. I would highly recommend this tour!

Our guide Matthew was extremely...

Kathrin J, Oct 2017

Our guide Matthew was extremely knowledgeable and informative. We found the tour fascinating and an excellent way to consolidate the facts of Valletta and Malta's involvement in this period of history.