Home to the Mediterranean Film Studios and a variety of natural and historical settings, Malta is an established Mecca for TV and film production teams. From Game of Thrones to Gladiator, Malta welcomes the making of iconic, blockbuster series and award-winning cinema and has done so since the mid 1920s.
Why are so many Movies Filmed in Malta?
Malta has a real film infrastructure. The locals are film orientated and as such several movies have been shot in Malta, which, geographically, is a small island. The country also enjoys a good reputation for favourable weather conditions, which makes shooting all year-round possible and prevents delays to filming schedules or damage to film sets. Malta is able to deliver locations as extraordinary and as otherworldly as the visions of Hollywood film directors, including dramatic coastlines, medieval fortresses and unique architecture.
Malta Film Locations
Mdina
Our walking holiday begins in Rabat and Mdina. These two places are on the doorstep of one another and were once both inside the same defensive walls. Whilst Game of Thrones came onto our screens over a decade ago, the scenes shot in Malta are particularly memorable and instantly recognisable:
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The Mdina Gate featured as the entrance to King's Landing that Catelyn Stark rode through during S1 E3 before going to Littlefinger's establishment. This is also the spot Ned and Catelyn share a passionate goodbye (although not their last) kiss.
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Check out Mesquita Square, which was used to film the exterior shots of Littlefinger's premises. It's a pretty spot and a good place to stop and rest awhile. This is also the place where Jaime Lannister confronts Ned Stark about the capture of his brother, Tyrion Lannister in S1 E5. After this dual, the square does not look quite so pretty.
Did you know? Mdina, also known as 'The Silent City' was the capital of Malta before Valletta.
Popeye Village
On Day 3 of our walking holiday, enjoy a leisurely coastal walk to Popeye Village, with a swim at Ghajn Beach, before an onward ferry to Gozo Island.
Popeye Village is a strange, ramshackle film set built for the 1980s live-action film Popeye. The late talent Robin Williams starred as Popeye, the pugnacious sailor who possesses spinach-induced superhuman strength. Overlook this film set from above (or contact us about including a half-day visit) to experience film production before CGI and green screens.
Did you know? This authentic wooden village was made from tree trunk logs trailed overland from Holland, and the wood shingles on the rooftops came from Canada.
Xlendi
On Days 5 and 6 experience Xlendi on Gozo Island, with breathtaking coastal scenery and surrounding agricultural landscapes.
The stunning southern cliff at Xlendi was home to Sean Connery and the cast and crew of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen over the final few days of filming this 2003 huge visual effects movie. The top of Captain Nemo's fantastical submarine, the Nautilus, was positioned on the cliff edge to appear out at sea down the lens. Whilst logistically challenging to film at this site due to a narrow, winding track to the set, the location was secure, quiet and offered a 180 degree sweeping view of the coast.
Did you know? Boat traffic was controlled by the Maritime Authority during filming of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, who ensured no vessels sailed into the picture by patrol boat based out at sea.
Mgarr ix-Xini
On Day 5 a scenic coastal walk takes you through Mgarr ix-Xini Bay, before reaching the port and taking a bus to Victoria.
This idyllic setting in a deep valley with crystal-clear blue water was the location of the 2015 Branjelina (the portmanteau for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) fronted film By the Sea. This is one of the three movies starring Brad Pitt that have been filmed in Malta and Gozo. Whilst shot over three months in Mgarr ix-Xini, the film is actually set in the 1970s Marseille. The bay is somewhat hidden and hard to reach, which ensures a peaceful beach stop off in a very picturesque setting.
Did you know? The site of the Azure Window (which collapsed into the sea in a powerful storm in 2017) featured in Daenerys and Khal Drogo's Dothraki wedding in the very first episode. This site is on Gozo Island, which you can visit on your way to Dwejra Bay on Day 6. The Azure Window also featured in Clash of the Titans (1981).
Ggantija
On Day 7, choose to visit the UNESCO protected Ggantija Temples. Ggantija in Maltese means 'giantess' which is appropriate for the size of the temple. The walls stand over six metres high, and the two temples together span over 40 metres, making this the oldest freestanding stone structure in the world. With a megalithic temple complex, situated at the centre of an extraordinary archaeological landscape, this site unsurprisingly featured in the 2002 film Count of Monte Cristo and Troy (2004).
The site was restored in the late 2000s and visitors can spend a couple of hours walking around the remarkable preserved temples on an accessible, lightweight walkway built in 2011 to protect the floor. There's also a small visitor’s centre and gift shop.
Valletta
Why not contact us about adding on an extra night in Malta's capital, Valletta? Not only does this put you in convenient distance to the airport but also gives you scope to explore another of Malta's filming hot spots such as the Grand Harbour.
This small, historic rampart city on a peninsula was used in the filming of two notable 2013 films World War Z and also Captain Phillips, the American biographical action-thriller film starring Tom Hanks which tells the true story of an American merchant mariner who was taken hostage by Somali pirates. Scenes in Spielberg's Munich (2005) were also filmed in Valletta.
Across the peninsula, Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara is one of the most popular filming locations in Malta of all time: credits includes Gladiator (2000) and Gladiator II (2024), Troy (2004), Agora (2009), Julius Caesar (2002) and Assassin's Creed (2016). Whilst closed to the public, this impressive 17th century fort can still be admired by harbour cruise from Valletta.
With Malta providing such a volume of fantastic film sites, this blog by no means covers them all. If there's a film site that's not mentioned here but that you're keen to visit on your walking holiday in Malta, contact our team, who will be more than happy to tailor-make your itinerary.
