San Anton Gardens Malta: A visit to the royal grounds
Located in lovely village of Attard, the San Anton Gardens self paced tour is a perfect way to spend an afternoon on your Malta vacation. Malta has very little green space, especially in the very touristic center, and it’s quite common to feel a little claustrophobic quickly, especially with all the constant construction and accompanying noise.
[the_ad id=”13767″]
A 20 minute bus ride from Valletta bus stop will fix that. The San Anton Gardens offers a walled sanctuary that just makes you feel good. It was built as a country house by the Grand Master Antoine de Paule as an add-on to the San Anton Palace that he had built. Antoine de Paule was a knight of the order of St. John. Today, the palace is official residence of the President of Malta. One side of the garden is open to the public l recommend it as part of any Malta sightseeing list.
Affiliate links are contained in this post. If you purchase anything through the links, we receive a small referral commission at no extra cost to you.
San Anton Gardens Address:
24 G. Portelli, Attard, Malta
San Anton Gardens Directions:
The best way to get to San Anton Gardens from Valletta is to take any bus towards Dingli (C2 etc.) and get off at Anton stop. The gardens will be a 4-5 minute walk from the bus stop.
San Anton Gardens Entry Fee:
Free entry! A bargain.
San Anton Gardens Opening Hours:
7AM – 7PM (Winter time till 5PM)
Plants and trees abound at the San Anton Gardens too, some over 300 years old. The San Anton gardens have been open to the public since 1882. In the past, the reigning Governors used to give oranges grown in this royal gardens as gifts during Christmas celebrations. There are also lots of fountains, walkways, ponds with ducks and turtle. It’s a perfect place to chill and just enjoy nature. There is a maze for the children to navigate.
[the_ad id=”13783″]
Related Reading: Garden of Serenity Malta
San Anton Gardens Events:
The Malta Horticultural show takes place at the San Anton Royal Gardens. During the summer months, the central court is used as an open air theater for musical performances and dance. Queen Elizabeth II has stayed at the San Anton Gardens 3 times on official Royal visits (1954, 1967 and 2005) since Malta used to be under British rule until independence in 1964. The palace has of course hosted many more foreign dignitaries. The San Anton Palace chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of the Pillar, who was the Patron Saint of the Knights of Castille and Portugal.
Where to stay in Attard close to the Malta Royal Gardens:
If you want to stay close to this palatial property, consider the Corinthia Hotel and Spa San Anton. It is a true luxury hotel that is situated close to the centre but is a lot quieter. Unless you’re young and love to party, trust me when l say you want less noise. Rated as one of the best, Corinthia Palace Hotel will surely satisfy and make for memorable Malta holidays.
Click here to find the best priced hotels in Malta.
San Anton Gardens Cafe:
Kitchen Garden of the San Anton Palace is a nice way to end your visit to the gardens. The cafe has good food at reasonable prices. Situated to the rear of the palace gardens, it offers shade, refreshment and fun rides for the kids, even a petting zoo. All proceeds go to charity too, so you can feed your body and soul at the same time.
Things to do in Malta related reading: Game of Thrones site Mdina
Click Here for free travel insurance quote.
Would l recommend a visit to the San Antonio Gardens? You betcha! :o) . I think it should be included in any Malta itinerary. It is especially recommended for people that live on the island. The kids will love the maze, adults too actually. We can get so caught up in the concrete jungle that is Malta, that we forget that there is a little bit of relief from all that.
Most people on a Malta vacation desire nothing but going to the beach during the day and partying all night. For those that desire something different and are actually interested in the culture and normal day to day life, I think they would enjoy visiting the gardens, especially if they have children in tow.
Gardens San Anton in Malta is a place where you can relax and catch your breath. Hey, if it’s good enough for the President, it’s good enough for me. San Anton Gardens is also perfect for the budget traveler. It offers history and insight into Maltese palace life. Understated, but elegant. Very few guards seen, but you get a sense that it is very well protected.
Would this be on Malta places to visit list? Or do you prefer your holiday to be all sun and fun?
[the_ad id=”13768″]
Looks like an excellent place to explore (and maybe even get lost) for a while. My favorite is the one of busts and the cat.
I’ve been meaning to ask: Does anyone there speak in the local Maltese language? If so, what does it sound like? Does it have a similar “flow” as the other romance languages (Italian, Spanish, etc)?
It is really lovely, very inviting. That is my husband’s favorite picture too! I’m not too find of cats myself. The language is a mixture of Arabic and Italian. It sounds very harsh to the ears. Not too many people bother learning it as it is of no use outside of here. I think it’s a dying language as the younger people speak little of it l notice.
Very beautiful! I’m really excited that we might just get to see all these in real life soon. Is it easy to travel around the island using the Maltese buses or you’re limited to just the surrounding villages?
One ticket for €1.50 gives you the whole day (till 11pm) on all buses. It is very easy to get around. They all start out in the capital city of Valletta and go from there. I find it easy to use, but of course it gets crowded in the summer time, very crowded. Children under 3 ride free. There are so many nice spots. I am sure you will like it, nice playgrounds as well for kids.
That looks absolutely beautiful!!!
Yeah..it really is a sanctuary in the city. We enjoyed it a lot!
Malta look so interesting. The one thing I remember about it is that they shot a lot of the movie Gladiator there. At the time I was pretty obsessed with that movie. 🙂
I loved the music from Gladiator, it featured one of my favorite singers ever, Lisa Gerrard. Troy was also filmed here, as was World War Z, Munich and some other stuff. They are very receptive to filming.
Another bunch of great pictures! 😀
Thank you! I will pass on your compliments..
OMG that looks beautiful. Definitely another one to add to the bucket list!
Nice isn’t it? It’s also amazing how the list keeps getting longer and longer, at least mine does..lol! Malta is definitely worth a visit!
lovely city, isn’t 🙂 🙂 great photos 🙂
Yes it is, really lovely. Your pictures are lovely too!