St Thomas Tower, Marsaskala: The Pirates and Corsairs Museum

What St Thomas Tower is

The tower stands on the seaward headland at Marsaskala, positioned to watch over the sheltered anchorages of Marsaskala Creek and St Thomas' Bay. It was erected in 1614 by the Order of St. John and is the third of the six Wignacourt towers built along the Maltese coast.

Published descriptions call it the largest watchtower on the Maltese Islands, and its four pentagonal bastioned turrets and rock-hewn ditch explain the scale. An artillery battery was added in the early 18th century to strengthen its firepower, and one source dates that addition to 1715.

Why it was built

In 1614 an Ottoman fleet landed troops at St Thomas' Bay in the raid on Żejtun. Construction was approved that July, and the tower was designed so that no landing force could use the anchorage again.

The tower belongs to the same coastal defence network as St Agatha's Tower, the Red Tower above Mellieħa, and St Mary's Tower on Comino. If you are working through the Wignacourt towers, this one anchors the south-east end of the circuit.

What to look for outside

Walk the outside before you go in. The corner turrets, the ditch cut around the base and the low battery added later are all legible from the headland, and the position explains the whole design once you see both bays below.

The detail that sets this tower apart is at the entrance: its vaulted doorway still holds the original wooden drawbridge, the only one of its kind to survive intact on the islands. Look for it before you pass through rather than on the way out.

Inside the Pirates and Corsairs Museum

The restored tower holds the Pirates and Corsairs Museum, which covers Malta's maritime history through piracy and corsairing in the Mediterranean. Expect interactive exhibits, original artefacts and storytelling displays rather than a single chronological gallery.

The museum opened in 2025 following restoration work and was co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund. Because it is new, displays and access may still be settling in, so read the room labels as they come rather than relying on older descriptions.

The tower also has a later life worth knowing about: Maltese insurgents stormed and captured it from its French garrison during the blockade of 1798 to 1800, and under the British it briefly served as a prison. That history sits alongside the corsair material and gives the interior more weight than the pirate theme alone suggests.

How long the museum takes

Plan on about 45 to 60 minutes for the museum, which makes the tower a short stop rather than a half-day out. It works best as the first or last item on a Marsaskala day, paired with the waterfront rather than treated as the main event.

Travellers with a keen interest in fortifications will want longer on the exterior, working out the ditch, turrets and battery. Anyone hoping for a large museum will find it compact; go for the building and the setting, and the displays become a bonus.

Opening hours and the Sunday closure

The listed museum hours are 09:30 to 17:30 from Monday to Saturday, with Sunday given as a day off. Plan the visit on a weekday or Saturday and keep Sunday for the waterfront instead.

Admission is ticketed and no price is published in the listings here, so confirm the current charge with Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna when you check the hours for your dates. That is also the place to ask about the drawbridge and display details if they matter to your visit.

The tower is also used for private events such as weddings and receptions, which can affect access on particular days. If your trip hinges on seeing inside, confirm before you build the day around it.

Getting there from Marsaskala

The tower sits on the headland at Marsaskala, roughly 600 metres from the town itself, so the walk from the centre is short and mostly along the seafront. The address given for the site is St. Thomas Tower, Torri, Marsaskala.

Parking is listed as free and easy, with restroom facilities at the site. That makes it a straightforward stop by car, and a reasonable add-on if you are already eating in Marsaskala in the evening.

On foot, combine the tower with the harbour side of town and the stretch along the water, which is where most of the town's activity sits. Eat before or after at one of the Marsaskala restaurants near the water, and check whether the town works as a base for your wider trip if you are weighing up the south-east against Valletta or Sliema.

When to go: heat on the headland

The headland is open and exposed, with little shade around the tower and the battery. A morning slot shortly after opening is more comfortable than midday, particularly in summer, and leaves the afternoon free for the town.

The tower's position above St Thomas' Bay means wind can be strong even on a bright day, so a layer helps on the exposed ground. The interior offers shelter, which makes it a sensible stop if the weather turns.

Is St Thomas Tower worth the detour?

Yes, if you are already in Marsaskala and want a short, specific stop with a genuine piece of coastal defence at its centre. The drawbridge, turrets and ditch reward a careful look outside, and the museum adds context without demanding an afternoon.

Skip it if you are chasing a full day out or travelling on a Sunday, when the museum is listed as closed. For everyone else, the tower fits neatly into a morning on this stretch of coast.

Build the day around the seafront rather than the tower alone, and sort out the map before you set off so you know which side of the creek you are aiming for.