Footsteps of WWII · Malta & Crete
Lascaris War Rooms, Valletta
Headquarters · 1940–1943 (Husky HQ Jul 1943)
The story
Work on these tunnels beneath the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the Saluting Battery began in 1940, during the siege, and was finished in early 1943. They held the War Headquarters from which Malta's defence was run, including fighter control rooms that directed RAF squadrons against Axis raids. In July 1943 the complex served as the advance Allied headquarters for Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, with Eisenhower, Admiral Cunningham, General Montgomery and Air Chief Marshal Tedder working here. After the war it housed the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet HQ and, from 1967, a NATO communications centre, until 1977. The heritage foundation Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna now runs it.
What to look for
A maze of rock-cut rooms deep under Valletta, with operations rooms restored with plotting tables, wall maps and figures, including the Sector Fighter Control room and the Operation Husky room. The ticket includes the separate Operation Husky Museum. Tickets can also be bought at the Saluting Battery above.
Plan your visit
Mon–Sat 9:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00); closed Sundays and 24, 25, 31 Dec, 1 Jan, Good Friday and Easter. Adult €20, child €7, with audio guide; guided tours 10:30 and 12:30 (€5). Book online or at the entrance; check the website before you go.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
Open the guide