Best Beaches in Malta the most beautiful and popular on the island

Best Beaches in Malta may appeal to those seeking the tranquillity of small rocky spots for enjoying water and sunbathing.

The Maltese archipelago is essentially several large rocks jutting out of the sea. There are no rivers, lakes, or even streams here; it’s dry and vegetation is scarce. In areas untouched by human irrigation, only gray-brown lichens grow, giving them an otherworldly appearance.

As for animals, it’s much the same. Magda supposedly saw some bird, but there’s no certainty. I stumbled upon a barely alive lizard, so I’m not sure if that counts.

Life in the waters surrounding Malta

If it’s difficult to encounter animals other than domestic dogs and cats on land, it’s quite the opposite in the surrounding waters of the islands. You’ll find everything there, from playful and clever dolphins to dangerous sharks, and even large, sticky, jelly-like masses, which are probably some species of jellyfish.

You can experience the diversity of marine life around Malta by visiting local markets such as the one in Marsaxlokk. It’s there that fishermen display the wonders they’ve caught.

Another way to observe the inhabitants of the sea surrounding Malta is to visit one of the few beaches. Few, because there aren’t many here. If you prefer traditional beaches with gentle, shallow, and warm sand, then your choices are even more limited.

Best Beaches in Malta, 7 most beautiful beaches, in my opinion

Personally, I believe that one doesn’t fly to Malta just to lie on the beach; other places offer more if that’s what you’re seeking.

Searching for the most pleasant places to relax, I travelled all over Malta. Today, I’ll tell you about the beaches that impressed me the most out of those I visited, and there are 7 of them. While this might not be an impressive number, these are places that I can honestly recommend.

Wherever you stay on the island, if you have a car at your disposal, none of the beaches will be more than 30 kilometres away. The attractiveness rating on a scale of 1 to 5 is our subjective opinion, which may differ from your tastes, but it’s the privilege of the writer.

So, we start from the north-western part of the island, where four out of the seven beaches we visited are located close to each other.

Best Beaches in Malta – Anchor Bay

Anchor Bay has a small sandy beach and a fairly large stretch of rocky coastline. The waters here are shallow and the clearest on the island. Marine life thrives here, making Anchor Bay an excellent spot for diving, especially for beginners. There are several places nearby where you can rent the necessary equipment.

In 1980, the film about the brave sailor Popeye, the one who gained superhuman strength from canned spinach, was shot in Anchor Bay. A whole village was built in the bay for the film; Popeye Village. After filming, it was decided to preserve it, and today it is a major tourist attraction on the island.

The bay features a hotel, restaurants, water sports rentals, and boat tours. It’s an ideal place for families with young children.

Unfortunately, entry to Popeye Village is not free. The cost of a full-day visit is many euros for adults and a few euros less for children. However, in return, you get quite a few attractions, many of which are included in the ticket price. For detailed information, please refer to our earlier article.

Anchor Bay gets 4 points only because access is not free. Before your trip, you can visit the website and see live what’s happening in the sailor Popeye’s village.

Best Beaches in Malta – Golden Bay

Another beautiful bay is Golden Bay, which features a lovely sandy beach, aptly named Golden Bay Beach.

The water in the bay is clear and has the typical green-turquoise colour of Malta. You can rent sun loungers and umbrellas here. Nearby, there are several restaurants, bars, and an ice cream parlour. A significant drawback is the presence of many hotels in the immediate vicinity, which means many tourists searching for a spot of free sand.

During our island exploration, there were still quite a few tourists, even though it was late September. Personally, I’m not fond of crowded beaches and the sight of massive hotels nearby, so let’s move on.

Oh, Golden Bay gets 3 points.

Best Beaches in Malta – Riviera Bay is a bay with one of the nicest beaches in Malta

Just beyond Golden Bay lies another bay called Riviera Bay. There are noticeably fewer tourists and beach goers here, as reaching the beach requires a short walk and descent down long stairs.

This time, the bay is slightly smaller than the previous one, but the water is equally blue and inviting for a swim. This is where we decided to spend most of the day. We lounged on sunbeds, read books, and of course, splashed in the turquoise waves. It was a very pleasant day.

There’s a small restaurant on the beach where we can have coffee and lunch.

Riviera Bay gets 4 points.

Best Beaches in Malta – Gnejna Bay

The next bay, located not far from Riviera Bay, is much harder to reach. It requires climbing through the surrounding hills and navigating through prickly, dry bushes. Of course, there are paths, so it’s not too difficult.

I recommend taking the route around the peninsula separating Riviera Bay from Gnejna Bay. The road isn’t easy, with sharp and weathered rocks, but the views along the way are indescribable.

The caves passed along the way are interesting, carved into the soft rock by ancient smugglers and pirates. Once, prohibited goods from Africa were stored here, awaiting transfer to Europe. Today, you can rest in them or even spend the night, as evidenced by the traces left behind.

Gnejna Bay Beach, unlike the other two, is not sandy. The bay is surrounded by rocks polished by the waves, creating a very comfortable resting place where nature has provided seats, beds, or depressions resembling natural tubs with warm and very clean water.

The colour of the surrounding rocks is yellow-orange, and the surrounding hills are gray and brown, reminiscent of the volcanic island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands archipelago.

For me, this place is a real gem, although I’ve heard that others prefer the previous beach at Riviera Bay. However, here you can escape the hustle and bustle and noise that prevails in the previous places.

Large and costly yachts often enter the bay, as even during raging storms, the water in the bay remains calm and smooth.

That’s all from this part of the island. You can visit the last three beaches by walking along a dedicated trail, although reaching each subsequent one is slightly more challenging.

Along the way, you’ll see several medieval watchtowers, where the island’s defenders once watched for incoming enemies from the sea. One of them, in particular, gained fame as it took part in a decisive battle, about which the inhabitants of Malta still tell legends to this day.

Best Beaches in Malta – Paradise Bay Beach

The next beach that we liked is Paradise Beach in the north of the island, not far from the ferry terminal; Cirkewwa Ferry Terminal, where ferries depart for the islands of Gozo and Comino.

Paradise Beach is somewhat secluded and accessed by a poorly maintained road, which keeps beach tourists away. Nonetheless, during the season, there can be quite a bit of hustle and bustle.

The plus side of this place, besides the incredibly turquoise and calm water, is the view from the cliff surrounding the bay. At the bottom, there is a small restaurant, which receives supplies via a cleverly designed lift moving on a line stretched between the restaurant and the high cliff.

This machine now has an electric drive. From the stories of the locals, we know that there used to be a large steam engine at the top of the cliff. These were the days when each bay had its own small port from which the inhabitants derived profits. Currently, this role has been taken over by the main port; Malta Freeport in Marsaxlokk Bay. It is the third-largest transshipment port in the Mediterranean Sea.

By the way; Paradise Bay is one of the few places where we didn’t have trouble parking our car. At the top of the cliff, there is a large car park where you can leave your car for free. Of course, I don’t know how it looks during the peak tourist season.

The beach is gorgeous and gets 3 points for difficult access.

Best Beaches in Malta – Blue Grott beautiful bay

Near the Blue Grotto, there aren’t really any beaches per se, but the views are absolutely breathtaking. The first thing you’ll see is the massive rock formations carved by waves and winds. Nature has created on the southern part of the island’s coast giant gates similar to Durdle Door in England.

However, these here are enormous and much more intricate than those on the English coast; of course, everything looks even more impressive from the sea. Below these described rocks, the water cuts into the land, forming a small bay. This is where boats depart with tourists. If you’re interested in a sea excursion, look for the Blue Grotto Trips Departure Wharf.

Of course, you can swim and snorkel here. The bay is initially narrow, and then even more so. The sensation is fantastic when suddenly the canyon walls come close together just a meter apart.

The Blue Grotto in Malta is a popular spot for more experienced divers. Several hundred meters from the shore, on the seabed, lies the wreck of the Libyan tanker Um El Faroud.

The massive ship measures over 100 meters in length. In 1995, it was damaged during repairs in a Maltese port and sunk here. Today, it serves as an artificial coral reef and, of course, as an underwater tourist attraction.

There are plenty of restaurants, shops, and water sports rentals in the area. There’s also a bus stop, so reaching the Blue Grotto is not a problem.

I have agreed to give Blue Grotto 3 points.

Best Beaches in Malta – St. Peter’s Pool, a beach carved into the rock by the waves

Finally, my favourite place: St. Peter’s Pool. It’s an extraordinary and quite dangerous place because swimming here is unsupervised, and the water raging in the rocky crevice commands respect and explains the name. Of course, this doesn’t stop enthusiasts of the blue depths, and it didn’t stop me either.

St. Peter’s Pool is located in the southeastern part of the island, in the Delimara district in Marsaxlokk Bay. The rock in this place cracked long ago, creating a cavity ending in a cave, against which restless waves crash. The water here is very deep, which sometimes facilitates very spectacular jumps into the water.

When the sea is rough, the water level can rise and fall by several meters. Daredevils jumping into the water may sometimes hit it after a second, and other times they fall for a very, very long time, an incredible sight.

St. Peter’s Pool is, in my opinion, the best beach in Malta

As I mentioned earlier, for me, this beach is number one in Malta. We had a great time there, as evidenced by the fact that we read a significant portion of the book we brought with us. There’s no sand here; the entire bay is one big rock, smoothed by the elements of the sea. Nature has created rocky shelves, seats, and indentations all around. It’s the perfect place for people like me who don’t like sand sticking to everything on the beach.

The downside is the difficult access, as is often the case in Malta. The roads are neglected and very narrow; I frequently felt chills down my spine when passing by locals in old, battered pickups.

I give it 5 points, although many may disagree. They believe that this place is dangerous and very uncomfortable to get out of the water. There’s some truth to this; the rocks are steep, and the constantly rising and falling water doesn’t help. However, I insist on my rating of 5 points; it’s the author’s prerogative.

And that’s it when it comes to the beaches we selected in Malta. There are, of course, more beaches here, and everyone can find one that suits them. There’s also a nudist beach if you like to run around naked among other nudists. The ones I mentioned are my favourites, distinguished by their location, interesting stories, and unique appearance.

As I mentioned at the beginning, Malta is not just an island for beach lovers. The Mediterranean Sea basin offers much more intriguing places for this purpose. However, Malta offers turquoise and the clearest water we’ve seen so far, wonderful views, and an atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else.

If you have different experiences and would like to add something to our list, we would be happy to hear about it.

Plaże na Malcie informacje i ciekawe fakty

• The Maltese archipelago consists of several islands and islets. Some are inhabited, while others are just ordinary rocks protruding from the water.
• Malta is the southernmost country in Europe.
• Beaches in Malta are often rocky shores, minimally prepared for sunbathing, which makes them particularly charming.
• Some of the few sandy beaches in Malta are located in Cirkewwa and Mellieha.
• In Malta, the sun shines for over 300 days a year.
• Malta is an ideal destination for seaside vacations due to its unique climate.
• Malta is the sunniest place in Europe.

Polish version