Ghar Dalam Cave and Museum
Ghar Dalam Cave and Museum
3.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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3.5
364 reviews
Excellent
76
Very good
121
Average
94
Poor
45
Terrible
28
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Lilith
Stuttgart, Germany960 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
The museum combines an old, but fantastically preserved, natural history museum and a great cave with a park.
The extremely low entrance fee is worth it for the variety of possibilities that you can discover.
The cave is pleasant and offers a view of stalactites.
The museum offers a kind of time travel and offers an incredible amount of information about animals, plants, etc.
The museum is located in a beautiful complex and invites you to linger.
There are clean toilets and a nice tourist shop.
An absolute recommendation for a visit because it is worth every cent.
The extremely low entrance fee is worth it for the variety of possibilities that you can discover.
The cave is pleasant and offers a view of stalactites.
The museum offers a kind of time travel and offers an incredible amount of information about animals, plants, etc.
The museum is located in a beautiful complex and invites you to linger.
There are clean toilets and a nice tourist shop.
An absolute recommendation for a visit because it is worth every cent.
Written March 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Loving malta
4 contributions
Sep 2022
I found the Ghar Dalem Caves on the Malta Heritage website and we were looking forward to visiting. However when we reached the caves and went to pay we were told they didn't take cash, only card payments. The admission prices were on the Heritage Malta website but no mention with the prices that it was card payment only. I asked if my son at home could pay over the phone for us, but unfortunately no entry without a physical card. Disappointed as it had taken over an hour to reach them by bus.
The lady at reception was very nice and helpful regarding buses but was unable to assist with entry to the caves.
The lady at reception was very nice and helpful regarding buses but was unable to assist with entry to the caves.
Written September 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Musicians Mum
1,313 contributions
Jan 2022
Only accept card payments. Even if only for a 1 euro hot drink on exit(so do not bother)
Quite small but ideal for a short visit without overload. Easy to find by bus stop .Small display of bones found at different levels of excavation.
Steps through down levels of naturally kept terraces and some tree /herbs labelled. The cave itself is quite small but interesting.
Ideal for children under 10 as just enough and not too much. No good for buggies or wheelchairs.
One could take a picnic and just take in the view of the old terraces, roman villa and towers across the valley
Ticket price includes Borg in Nadur
Quite small but ideal for a short visit without overload. Easy to find by bus stop .Small display of bones found at different levels of excavation.
Steps through down levels of naturally kept terraces and some tree /herbs labelled. The cave itself is quite small but interesting.
Ideal for children under 10 as just enough and not too much. No good for buggies or wheelchairs.
One could take a picnic and just take in the view of the old terraces, roman villa and towers across the valley
Ticket price includes Borg in Nadur
Written January 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PPCI-BG
Bergamo, Italy123,784 contributions
Jun 2024 • Business
During a recent trip to Malta we returned to see the Ghar Dalam cave with its small museum. Here they found finds of the first human occupation of the island but also remains of animals of the last glaciation including interesting those of elephants and dwarf hippos. Interesting museum minus the cave itself.
Automatically translated
Written August 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
don c
31 contributions
Nov 2020 • Couples
A different way to start our sunday outing with such a beautiful Maltese weather.
We visited Ghar Dalam caves which are such in a peaceful environment surrounded by nature and beautiful views. A well taken care of museum is found when you enter with very interesting facts.
We visited Ghar Dalam caves which are such in a peaceful environment surrounded by nature and beautiful views. A well taken care of museum is found when you enter with very interesting facts.
Written November 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear caruanad,
Thank you for reviewing Ghar Dalam we are glad you enjoyed your visit and we will be happy to welcome you back again. Very much appreciated 😊!
Written November 5, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
AncientHistryTravler
Alta Loma, California62 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
Initially, we did not expect much from this site but were pleasently surprised.
The entrance fee was minimal, as was a pleasant exchange with the cranky personnel.
The Museum is small but very nice. It has an entrance area with gift items, another room for displayed artifacts/information, and a room with only artifacts, most of which are taken directly from the cave.
The cave is a short walk from the Museum, mostly stairs, not hiking at all.
Inside the cave is dotted with information signs and is very small.
Overall, we ere all happy we did get to see this.
The entrance fee was minimal, as was a pleasant exchange with the cranky personnel.
The Museum is small but very nice. It has an entrance area with gift items, another room for displayed artifacts/information, and a room with only artifacts, most of which are taken directly from the cave.
The cave is a short walk from the Museum, mostly stairs, not hiking at all.
Inside the cave is dotted with information signs and is very small.
Overall, we ere all happy we did get to see this.
Written July 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Muriel B
18 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
Contrary to previous reviews, we found this visit very interesting.
The fact that there is an audio guide from the smartphone (which is not always the case in other sites) has a lot to do with it. We liked the cave, the gardens, the view and the small museum
The fact that there is an audio guide from the smartphone (which is not always the case in other sites) has a lot to do with it. We liked the cave, the gardens, the view and the small museum
Written February 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ken M
Wadhurst1,987 contributions
Sep 2024 • Couples
Very interesting place to visit. I'd suggest wearing sensible shoes because it can be a bit uneven underfoot. It wasn't busy when we visited and you can go around at your own pace so it's really up to yourself how long you stay. I think it is well worth a visit.
Written October 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Viktor K
Myskhako, Russia305 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
I had free time and decided to take a walk. Not far from the city. More like on the outskirts. Along the way there are interesting buildings and blooming cacti. The museum itself is neat and small. Mostly the bones of various animals are laid out. The cave is also ordinary. Small, but very clean and well maintained. If you have nothing better to do, you can go and have a look. Nothing like that - Wow there is nothing there.
Written May 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SHShaw
Island of Malta, Malta97 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
This is a difficult museum to rate on TripAdvisor. Should we approach the review from the perspective of the general public or should we review from the perspective of those who enjoy some palaeontology or palaeobiology. We decided to review the cave and museum from the perspective of the "palaeoaware". We do not think that the general public would enjoy it.
The cave was created during the Mediterranean's "Rain Age", known in northern Europe as the Ice Ages. One often forgets that this geologic era did more than create large ice cubes. The endless rain on limestone Malta created river valleys and caves. This museum is for a fine example of such a cave.
The museum building is of modest size and quite old. The staff were unwelcoming and disinterested. To be fair, once we started asking them questions, they thawed a little and did converse with us. We have noticed that the staff in Heritage Malta establishments are increasingly distant and unhelpful. This may point to morale problems in the organisation.
The museum consists of two wings, the old wing and the new. The new wing was created a number of years ago and contains much interesting information about the cave formation and about the biological remains found there. The displays are not to current AV standards but are very well done. Exhibits include expositions on nanism and deposition at different periods.
The old wing is very old fashioned. It is a room full of Victorian wood and glass cabinets, filled with endless rows of similar fossils. If there was a Museum of museums then this room could be an exhibit! When looking at the old wing one needs to be charitable and bear in mind that the museum has been subjects to repeated theft and vandalism over the years. The old wing is filled with what was not stolen.
The walk from the cave through the garden was enjoyable as we could view the dry river valley with a Knights-era tower and a WW2 bunker protecting the exit from Birzebbuga harbour. The cave is the highlight of the visit. It is easy to enter and has been left in a state following decades of excavation. The cave is not an aesthetically pleasing array of stalagmites and stalactites like most tourist-available cave systems. The caves were mainly created by pressured water. The information in the cave is not really sufficient but does at least highlight different periods of biological deposition in different phases of inundation.
As stated above, this place is really to be recommended for those with an interest in the subject. For the interested the place is worth at least 90 minutes.
The cave was created during the Mediterranean's "Rain Age", known in northern Europe as the Ice Ages. One often forgets that this geologic era did more than create large ice cubes. The endless rain on limestone Malta created river valleys and caves. This museum is for a fine example of such a cave.
The museum building is of modest size and quite old. The staff were unwelcoming and disinterested. To be fair, once we started asking them questions, they thawed a little and did converse with us. We have noticed that the staff in Heritage Malta establishments are increasingly distant and unhelpful. This may point to morale problems in the organisation.
The museum consists of two wings, the old wing and the new. The new wing was created a number of years ago and contains much interesting information about the cave formation and about the biological remains found there. The displays are not to current AV standards but are very well done. Exhibits include expositions on nanism and deposition at different periods.
The old wing is very old fashioned. It is a room full of Victorian wood and glass cabinets, filled with endless rows of similar fossils. If there was a Museum of museums then this room could be an exhibit! When looking at the old wing one needs to be charitable and bear in mind that the museum has been subjects to repeated theft and vandalism over the years. The old wing is filled with what was not stolen.
The walk from the cave through the garden was enjoyable as we could view the dry river valley with a Knights-era tower and a WW2 bunker protecting the exit from Birzebbuga harbour. The cave is the highlight of the visit. It is easy to enter and has been left in a state following decades of excavation. The cave is not an aesthetically pleasing array of stalagmites and stalactites like most tourist-available cave systems. The caves were mainly created by pressured water. The information in the cave is not really sufficient but does at least highlight different periods of biological deposition in different phases of inundation.
As stated above, this place is really to be recommended for those with an interest in the subject. For the interested the place is worth at least 90 minutes.
Written December 7, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sylvia
Sydney, Australia
Can you please tell me if there are any wheelchair accessible caves or temples in Malta. Thank you.
Written February 3, 2020
The museum and shop are accessible but I don't think there is wheelchair access to the cave. I certainly didn't see it and in fact there are lots of steps which even as an able bodied person I found challenging, especially in the heat. Would suggest Tarxien temples instead. Definitely wheelchair friendly and even have a wheelchair of the correct width that you can use.
Written February 3, 2020
Hi and thanks for the helpful information about Ghar Dalam. It looks wonderful!
My cruise ship docks at Valletta, Malta Weds October 9 at 8 am and leaves at 6 pm. I would like to see the Ghar Dalam cave and museum, the Lascaris war rooms, and take a quick walk in Mdina.
1. Will there be enough time to see all three of them during the time in port?
2. Do I need to make a reservation for either the cave or the war rooms for a Wednesday in early October? Or can I just show up and be sure of getting in?
3. Are there plenty of taxis available near where large cruise ships dock so that I can be sure of getting a taxi to take me from there to the Ghar Dalam cave?
4. Do I have to pay the taxi to wait while I am seeing Ghar Dalam, or will it be quick to call another taxi to pick me up and take me to the Lascaris war rooms?
5. Same question about the Lascaris war rooms - do any taxis hang around there? Is it safest to hire a taxi to take me to each of these places, then wait for me, and then drive me to the next place I want to see?
These are very dull questions, but they are high stakes for me because this is my only chance to see Malta. I don't want to pay for a taxi to drive me a short distance and then hang around. Repeat. Repeat. But if I have to, I will.
Thanks a million for your advice.
Kate
Written September 12, 2019
Hiya, I understand the war rooms are close to the port(didn't go there myself) however a taxi to Ghar Dalam, where you will spend an hour or so, would be the best option given the time you have. I would ask the taxi driver or another from his company, to collect you an hour & 20 minutes later to go to Mdina where you will need 2-3 hours. enjoy your trip.
Written September 13, 2019
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