Fort St. Angelo
Forti Sant'Anġlu
The Order's fortress at the tip of Birgu, the command centre where Grand Master La Valette directed the 1565 Great Siege.
Fort St Angelo stands at the tip of the Birgu peninsula. It began as a medieval castle, which the Order converted into a fortress, and Grand Master Jean de La Valette commanded from here during the Great Siege of 1565. During British rule it was a Royal Navy base known as HMS St Angelo. Restored and reopened in 2015, it can be visited to see the Grand Master's residence, the chapel of St Anne, a multimedia display, and the battlements, which offer a 360-degree view of the Grand Harbour, Valletta and Senglea. The top level of the fort is still used by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM). Admission is about €10. It is about a 10-minute walk from the Birgu quay.
Opening hours
Daily 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Nearby sights
- Birgu (Vittoriosa) & the Three Cities
- Upper Barrakka Gardens & Saluting Battery
- Lascaris War Rooms
- Grandmaster's Palace
- St. John's Co-Cathedral
- Valletta
- Fort St. Elmo & National War Museum
- Tarxien Temples