Stand in front of Caravaggio's Beheading of Saint John the Baptist in the Oratory, then look down at a floor of around 400 marble tombstones and up at Mattia Preti's painted vault.
Cathedral, Valletta. Meridian Dispatch.
Yes, admission is by ticket, and the official website sells an online one good for a single visit within a week of the chosen date. Seniors and students have a reduced rate, and the handheld audio guide comes with every ticket.
Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 16:45, as of October 2026. Last entry is at 16:00, which leaves 45 minutes, and the visit will not be extended.
Yes, on Sundays and public holidays, as of October 2026. Mass is at 07:45, 09:30, 11:30 and 17:45 on Sundays and feast days, at 08:30 on weekdays, and at 08:30 and 17:45 on Saturdays.
About 1 hour 45 minutes, by the cathedral's own recommendation. A shorter visit takes 1 to 1.5 hours, and entry at the 16:00 cut-off leaves less than that.
Dress appropriately, because this is a working church. The cathedral asks visitors to bring a shawl to cover up and does not allow stiletto or narrow heels. One visitor guide says shoulders and knees must be covered.
In the Oratory of St John's Co-Cathedral, in the historic centre of Valletta, a short walk from the bus terminus at City Gate. Photographs are allowed there, as elsewhere in the church, but not with flash.
Yes, mainly for the interior: gilded walls, a barrel vault painted by Mattia Preti and a floor covered with around 400 marble tombstones of knights. Caravaggio's only signed work hangs in the Oratory, and the cathedral recommends setting aside about an hour and 45 minutes.
Yes, the cathedral runs a tour up its bell tower as an add-on to the standard visit. Tickets for the climb are sold at the entrance, and the regular admission fee applies on top of that ticket.
No. The museum wing, with its tapestry, vestment and silver collections, is shut while a major extension project is completed. The rest of the Co-Cathedral, the Oratory and its Caravaggio included, stays open to visitors.
Three clocks are built into the front of the building. Inside, the nave is Baroque from floor to ceiling, with gilded walls, frescoes, statues and carved stone.
Mattia Preti designed the carved walls and painted the side altars and barrel vault. The vault shows eighteen episodes from the life of St John the Baptist.
The inlaid tombstones belong to knights and senior members of the Order of St John, and they cover the entire floor.
There are nine side chapels. Eight belong to the langues, the national groupings of the Knights, each decorated in marble and gold. The ninth is dedicated to Our Lady of Philermos.
The Oratory holds two paintings by Caravaggio. The Beheading, painted around 1608, is vast, and it is the only work he signed. Saint Jerome Writing hangs alongside it.
From the City Gate bus terminus, walk along Republic Street for about 10 minutes. Entry is ticketed, and the cathedral's website links to an online ticket, valid for one entry within seven days of the date you select.
Collect your handheld audio guide at the visitors' entrance. It is included with admission, has 20 stops and comes in 11 languages, among them English, Italian, French and German.
Follow the stops at your own pace, looking up at the ceiling and across to the chapels between stops. Staff stagger or limit numbers inside, because crowding harms the building.
The Oratory was the busiest area of the church on one recent visit, so expect others around you in front of the Caravaggio. A belfry tour is sold separately at the entrance, and admission is needed as well.
Keep your bag small, because the cathedral has no lockers. Large bags and backpacks must be carried by hand or on the front, wheeled luggage is not allowed, and neither is food or drink.
Filming and audio recording need the cathedral's prior written consent.
If you have come to pray, tell the staff at the main entrance, and they will direct you to the designated chapel.
If you are driving, do not hunt for a space in the centre, where on-street parking is limited. Use the Park and Ride at Floriana, just outside the city gate, and walk in from there.
If the Knights' fortifications interest you, go on to Fort St Elmo at the tip of the peninsula.
Stay in Valletta and two harbours are a short walk from your bed: the Barrakka Lift takes you down to the Grand Harbour for the ferry to the Three Cities, and on the other side of the city the Sliema ferry crosses Marsamxett.
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