City guide · the capital on one island
Malé in one page: Hukuru Miskiy, the National Museum and the fish market, a Thai dinner, the hospitals and how to get around.
The back story
From the cowry trade and the coral-stone mosques to Thaana script and a 16th-century hero: the story behind Malé and the Maldives, and where to see it.
Town guide
One of the world’s most densely built capitals, on a single island beside the airport, with the old mosque, the museum and the fish market a short walk apart.
The nation’s story in stone and wood
The Maldives’ first museum, opened on 19 November 1952, with stone carvings, early Thaana panels and royal artefacts.
Malé, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
Exhibitions of Maldivian painting
The capital’s national gallery, whose 2026 programme has included Colombo–Malé, a joint show of Sri Lankan and Maldivian painters.
Malé, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
Malé’s oldest mosque
Malé’s oldest mosque, known for its intricate carvings and its place in the country’s history.
Malé, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
A coral-stone mosque from 1815
One of Malé’s two coral-stone mosques on UNESCO’s Tentative List, rebuilt in 1815 on the site of an older mosque.
Malé, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
The golden dome over Malé
The successor to Hukuru Miskiy, opened in 1984; it dominates Malé’s skyline and is the country’s biggest mosque.
Malé, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
A Malé favourite for a proper dinner
A long-standing Thai restaurant in the capital, run by the Sala Family, with Thai chefs cooking fresh every day.
H. Buruneege, Hithaffiniivaa Magu, Malé 20084, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
Espresso and all-day plates in the capital
A Malé café-restaurant serving espresso coffees, iced teas, muffins and cheesecakes, plus kottu, quesadillas and pasta.
The catch comes straight in
Malé’s oldest market, busy with fishermen, butchers and customers as the day’s catch comes ashore.
Malé waterfront, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
The capital’s main public hospital
The main government hospital in Malé, with specialist outpatient clinics.
Kanbaa Aisarani Hingun, Malé, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
Emergency 1440, with a hyperbaric unit
The capital’s best-known private hospital, on Sosun Magu, with a hyperbaric treatment unit (a decompression chamber for divers) since 2023.
Sosun Magu, Malé 20040, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
Call 911
The national police emergency number is 911; the non-emergency line is 332 2111.
Shaheed Hussain Adam Building, Boduthakurufaanu Magu, Malé, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
Domestic flights and seaplanes
The national carrier, with domestic flights to regional airports, its own seaplane service and charters.
4th Floor, H. Gadhamoo Building, Boduthakurufaanu Magu, Malé 20066, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
Straight to the capital
If you are staying in Malé, Visit Maldives says you can take a taxi from the airport.
Velana International Airport, Hulhulé 22000, Republic of MaldivesExplore View on map
No. Malé is dry. The nearest licensed bar is at the Hulhulé Island Hotel on the airport island.
Yes. The main sights, the museum, the old mosque and the fish market, are a short walk apart.
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