The Knights Of Malta

The kids enjoyed it. The film is ok. The wax work displays are exactly as you imagine. Feels a bit dated now. The audio guide is well set up. Interesting but not electrifying.

The museum isn't very big, but it's rich in history, very lively, and you become part of the learning experience as you explore the highlights of this beautiful archipelago's history step by step.

We entered looking for a bit of history, we were handed a small device with cheap earphones to listen to a recorded guide. We were all guided into a small uncomfortable room and given 3D paper glasses. We then watched a 10-15 minute video explain the history of the Knights, it wasn’t very informative and you could tell this video was done a long time ago. After the video you have to go through a very small corridor and through some bends to see the “exhibits”. It was just mannequins in poses, again we needed the recorded guide to get any context. We ended up giving up and just walking straight to the exit. Save your money.

I thought it would be an interesting history lesson for me and my 6 years old. The staff encouraged us to get in. The video at the beginning was OK, even though the 3D effects were either blurry or non-existent. The problem was the walk through the dark tunnels, among the wax statues. Usually a scene showed something bloody, like fight or death. Quite often it was a torture scene, dully accompanied by the audio commentary and my confused kid's questions ("Mommy, what is flogging?"). Who on earth decided it's appropriate for small children? The audio didn't work well, it skipped some of the displays. But I didn't actually mind, because my kid wanted to leave asap. Me too - I didn't want to deal with his nightmares later. I later asked the staff if there was a minimum age to enter. They said "no, we let the parents decide". How can a parent know if a museum is appropriate for children if they have never visited it? In short, don't come in with kids less than 10 years old.

Well there is some time I can never get back... I should have taken the hint from all the other people that politely said thanks but no thanks, but we went in regardless. When you go in they give you a audio set and some 3D glasses. You then go into a tiny theatre for the 3D video which is the first part of the tour. To say the video has seen better days would be a gift, the video was terrible, the 3D element didn't help and added nothing to the content; it actually brought what good there was down. But, if you knew nothing about the history of Malta you would have learned something... You are then taken into winding corridors with frequent small displays of models and scenes where pretty much everything you just heard in the video is repeated. Often the audio did not even relate to the display you were standing at. We gave up half way through and just powered through the remaining corridors til we got to the entrance. Kids might enjoy this, but it is otherwise something you can definately skip, save the ticket price for something better.

Movie really dark, scenes way too brutal for our 6yo (no warning given). You get to walk in dark and scenes light up if they feel like it. Nice toilet is a plus. Throwing out headphones after single use doesn't really appeal to me either.

Honestly, I don't get the hate. Polite stuff, many guide languages. Yes, the 3D glasses were a bit low-quality, but at some points they worked well and it looked good. The statues were really detailed (even some characters having sweat leaking from their hair). It feels like a homemade, but high quality museum.

A great historical look at the early years of Maltese history, which is interactive and engaging. Worth doing if you are in Mdina and have some time to spare as it isn't very costly. The only part I didnt like was the headsets you are given. They are quite flimsy and the sound quality isn't great. Mine also wasn't working at the beginning so I missed a portion of the 3D video at the start. But overall it was still a very good experience and enjoyable to do!