In the cool courtyard & quiet corners of an 18th century palazzo

Merchant Street in Valletta is pretty busy, but tucked inside a grand palazzo is a calm, hidden art space with a courtyard far from the crowds. It is the perfect spot for coffee and a welcome break from the summer heat.

Welcome to MUŻA: the Community Art Museum in Valletta

Inside the courtyard a view upward capturing the art installation that brings swimming colours to the sandstone walls

Introvert rating: 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

Quiet courtyard, minimal foot traffic, easy to chill here for hours.

Food: Coffee, snacks and meals priced between €5-36

Parking: Very limited and a short walk away

Entry fee: None, but you’ll need to buy something from the cafe

Toilets: Nice & clean, fully stocked. Only accessible with a code, so buy a coffee first!

You don’t have to visit the museum to enjoy the space. The cafe is within the building past the courtyard, an easy escape from Merchant Street.

We came here late one afternoon in April. Stepping into the courtyard was like being whisked to another dimension with colours swimming across the walls, the noise of Merchant Street fading pretty much instantly. An 18th-century arch frames the space, with seating scattered all around. If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to float around like an olden-day noble, this is probably as close as you’ll get.

We’d brought a game of Blokus with us and ended up playing uninterrupted for a couple of hours, with ‘60s-era funk and soul drifting softly through the building. Only a handful of people came and went the entire time.

The coffee was excellent. There’s also an indoor space worth seeing - darker, more dramatic - where the building’s history blends into something more modern. The staff were efficient and polite. (They take bathroom policy seriously too!)

Afternoon in the courtyard: Vinz with his coffee quietly beating me at Blokus. The prize: a 10-minute head massage.

Inside the Muza cafe: darker, cooler and quieter, a world away from the courtyard

Food here leans heavily towards traditional Maltese dishes.

Snacks (€5-7) include qassata and kisra hobz.

Starters begin at €13.50 with options like cured salmon, red mullet, rabbit and lamb.

Mains range from €16.90 to 36, with a couple of vegetarian dishes available.

Not suitable for vegans

A few more glimpses of the space, somewhere to explore or step out of the 21st century for a while.