Saint Mary's Tower

Filmed as Château d'If

📍 Santa Marija Tower, above Santa Marija Bay, Comino (Kemmuna), Comino, Malta

🧭 Directions

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Scene breakdown

Château d'If

2002 Mild spoilers

The tower's exterior plays the island fortress where Edmond is imprisoned for years.

Edmond Dantès

Spoilers for The Count of Monte Cristo are hidden — tap to reveal, or change it under Spoilers in the menu.
Château d'If, after the escape

2002 Major spoilers

Edmond surfaces in the sea below the prison walls and realises he has got out.

Edmond Dantès

Spoilers for The Count of Monte Cristo are hidden — tap to reveal, or change it under Spoilers in the menu.

Real-world history

A square watchtower built by the Order of St John in 1618, the fifth and costliest of the Wignacourt towers, guarding the channel between Malta and Gozo against corsairs. Din l-Art Ħelwa restored it from 2002 and still runs it.

Logistics & accessibility

Admission: Din l-Art Ħelwa normally opens the tower from April to October on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the middle of the day, and when its flag is flying; check the current schedule. The outside and the nearby Santa Marija Battery can be seen at any time.

Parking & accessibility: No cars on Comino. Take a ferry from Ċirkewwa (Malta) or Mġarr (Gozo) to Comino, then walk about 30 to 40 minutes uphill on rough tracks.

Best time to visit: Spring or autumn mornings: the walk has no shade, and summer crowds pack the Blue Lagoon below.

What else to see here

Blue Lagoon

Comino's famous turquoise lagoon; listed as a filming area for the film but not tied to a scene.

Bay

30 min walk
Dwejra / Azure Window site

The Monte Cristo treasure-island coast on Gozo.

Coast

Ferry plus 30 min drive