Is-Suq tal-Belt (Merchants Street market)
Filmed as Istanbul souk (played by Merchants Street and St Paul Street)
📍 Is-Suq tal-Belt, Triq il-Merkanti (Merchants Street), Valletta, with a back entrance on St Paul Street, Valletta, Malta
Scene breakdown
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Istanbul souk (played by Merchants Street and St Paul Street)
1978 Mild spoilersTaken to point out his dealer in the market, Billy bolts through the crowds and down the side streets before Tex catches him.
Billy Hayes TexSpoilers for Midnight Express are hidden — tap to reveal, or change it under Spoilers in the menu.
Real-world history
Valletta's covered market hall was built in 1859 to 1861 in cast iron, with the city's street market spreading along Merchants Street outside. The hall was restored and reopened in 2018 as a food hall.
Logistics & accessibility
Admission: Merchants Street is a public street, free at all times. The food hall has its own opening hours.
Parking & accessibility: Pedestrian city centre; bus to Valletta City Gate and walk about 5 minutes.
Best time to visit: Weekday mornings, when the street stalls are out and the lanes feel most like the film's souk.
What else to see here
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Fort St Elmo
The prison scenes.
Fort
10 min walk