Esplora is located on Dawret Fra Giovanni Bichi road, Kalkara, which is up the hill from the parish church and square.
If you are visiting by car, there is roadside parking located in the square, as well as most of the roadside of Dawret Fra Giovanni Bichi road. There is also a parking area on the corner of Fuq-il-Fortini and San Dwardu road.
Esplora can also be reached by public transport where one can stop directly opposite the Centre. You can take the number 3 bus from Valletta or you can also use the sightseeing Hop-on Hop-off bus service. The Esplora stop is very conveniently located just outside the Science Centre and you can start your visit at Esplora and continue on the Hop-on Hop-off bus route to discover the whole island.
For a more scenic route you can reach us by hopping on an iSee Malta ferry which leaves from Sliema ferries. Spectacular views of the Grand Harbour are guaranteed and the ferry docks just underneath Esplora! Ferry passes can be bought directly from the iSee Malta website. Kindly note that there are a variety of passes and packages available, thus we encourage you to check which pass is most suitable for your needs.
An alternative option to enjoy scenic views would be to take the water taxi from Valletta to Bormla (Cospicua). You can then either reach Esplora by taking bus number 3 or else enjoy a 20-30 minute walk to the Interactive Science Centre while taking in the sights of the beautiful Cottonera harbours along the way.
Useful links:
https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/trip-planner
https://www.iseemalta.com/products
https://vallettaferryservices.com/
It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times. The natural harbour has been greatly improved with extensive docks and wharves, and has been massively fortified.
The harbour mouth faces north east and is bounded to the north by St Elmo’s Point and further sheltered by an isolated breakwater and is bounded to the south by Ricasoli Point. Its north west shore is formed by the Scebarras peninsula, which is largely covered by the city of Valletta and its suburb Floriana. This peninsula also divides Grand Harbour from a second parallel natural harbour, Marsamxett Harbour. The main waterway of Grand Harbour continues inland almost to Marsa. The south eastern shore of the harbour is formed by a number of inlets and headlands, principally Rinella Creek, Kalkara Creek, Dockyard Creek, and French Creek, which are covered by Kalkara and the Three Cities: Cospicua, Vittoriosa, and Senglea.
The Grand Harbour was the base for the Knights of St John for 268 years, and after their departure became a strategic base for the British for a further 170 years. It was the site in the late 16th century of a devastating tornado that killed 600 people and destroyed a shipping armada. The area was the scene of much of the fighting in the First Siege of Malta when the Turks attempted to eject the Knights of St John. The whole area was savagely bombed during the Second Siege of Malta during World War II, as the docks and military installations around the port were legitimate targets for Axis bombers. However collateral damage wrecked much of Valletta and The Three Cities, and caused large numbers of civilian casualties.
Malta Dockyard is still active but with the departure of the British Military the harbour lost much of its military significance. A considerable part of Malta’s commercial shipping is now handled by the new free port at Kalafrana, so the harbour is much quieter than it was in the first half of the 20th century.
At Esplora we are excited to be able to provide you with a safe ‘Drop-off zone’ for mini buses and coaches which is located off of the main road. We will discuss the procedure for the use of this when you complete your booking with us.
