Enjoy most of the best-known Malta beaches with photos, maps, and recommendations. Planning your stay means choosing well how to spend your holiday. However, sometimes you get surprised by the number of small beaches, coves, and beautiful hidden spots where you can enjoy the sun and water. Swimming has to be the most pleasurable of experiences and after dipping into crystalline waters you’ll become very choosy and you’ll never want to step foot in swampy lakes or hazy sea bottoms again!
Sandy and Rocky Beaches in Malta
A beach gives you lovely memories that will last for a lifetime. Here is our guide to 40 Malta beaches. Walking barefoot on the sand, beautiful sunsets, dipping your feet in turquoise waters, and collecting pebbles is simply a matter of finding the beach of your dreams.
Sandy Beaches
NORTH MALTA BEACHES
Anchor Bay, Limits of Mellieha
Anchor Bay is one of the top panoramic Malta beaches. It’s a tiny picturesque beach at the foot of the old set of the film Popeye in the North West of Malta.
Armier Beach, Armier Bay, Limits of Mellieha
At the northeast point in Malta, facing the island of Comino we find Armier Bay lying between other spectacular Malta beaches. The turquoise crystal clear sea here is reminiscent of the famous Blue Lagoon in Comino.
Bahar ic-Caghaq Bay, Bahar ic-Caghaq
Bahar ic-Caghaq is popular with locals for snorkeling, and taking dogs for an early morning walk or swim. It is also popular with people living nearby the coast mainly Pembroke, Swieqi, and St Julians.
Ghajn Tuffieha (Riviera), Limits of Mgarr
This is definitely in my top 3 favorite sandy Malta beaches. The sand is impressively golden almost reddish in color. Here you can enjoy the most wonderful sunsets with a truly amazing setting.
Gnejna Bay, Limits of Mgarr
Gnejna is a family favorite among Maltese residents especially on the weekends that already packed with people by 9 a.m. and is also still packed till late in the evening with friends and families enjoying barbeques on the beach.
Golden Bay, Limits of Mellieha
The atmosphere here is both chic and family fun. As the second-largest sandy beach in Malta, there is usually room for other sports such as beach volley which is very popular in the summer seasons.
Il-Fekruna Bay, Xemxija
Also known as Turtle Cove, this little secluded beach between St Paul’s Bay and Xemxija is a hidden gem, and though it’s mainly rocky with some pebbles the water is crystal blue.
Imgiebah Bay, Mellieha
Imgiebah is a very nice beach near Selmun Tower in Mellieha. However, it’s quite a long walk to access on foot, especially in the Summer heat, and parking is limited to only a few cars.
Island Edge Lido Beach, Cirkewwa
Island Edge Lido beach is located at Ċirkewwa the northern tip of the island, close to the Gozo ferry terminal. It is managed by the Paradise Bay Resort and receives a Blue Flag Status Award for sustainable management every year. It boasts views of the Island of Comino.
Little Armier, Limits of Mellieha
Little Armier is a beautiful sandy beach in the turquoise-colored water of Armier Bay. It’s located adjacent to the larger beach called Armier.
Mellieha Bay, Ghadira, Limits of Mellieha
Its sand has a low gradient slope and together with its clear, shallow water makes it the most popular family beach on the island.
Mistra Bay, Limits of Mgarr
Mistra Bay is a pebble beach situated between Xemxija Bay and Selmun.
Paradise Bay, Cirkewwa
Paradise Bay and Paradise Bay Hotel Beach are two sandy beaches at the northernmost tip of the island, close to the quay where the Gozo ferry operates a shuttle service daily for Gozo.
Perched Beach, Bugibba
It is a small man-made beach near the center of Bugibba. Despite the presence of sand, to enter the sea you still have to use the ladders as the shoreline is very rocky.
Qarraba Bay, Mgarr
Qarraba Bay is a secluded, panoramic beach located in Mgarr between Gnejna Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha (Riviera) Bay.
Slugs Bay, Limits of Mellieha
Slugs Bay is a secluded, tiny, pocket beach with a few square metres of sand located on the Marfa ridge overlooking Mellieħa.
St Paul’s Bay, St Paul’s Bay
St. Paul’s Bay and its neighbors Buġibba and Qawra are Malta’s largest, seaside resorts. They offer plentiful accommodations ranging from self-catering apartments to hotel complexes and a variety of nightlife and leisure options
Ta’ Fra Ben, Qawra
Ta` Fra Ben is a rocky beach at Qawra Point, exactly located behind Qawra’s coastal watchtower. The beach is especially popular for its crystal clear waters and entertainment thanks to the reggae bar found on-site and also the many barbeques along the coast in the evening.
Tal-Bir Bay, Limits of Mellieha
At the northeast point in Malta, facing the island of Comino we find tal-Bir Bay lying between other spectacular malta beaches.
Tal-Ghazzenin Bay, St Paul’s Bay
Tal-Ghazzenin is a rocky beach at St Paul’s Bay.
Tax-Xama Bay, St Paul’s Bay
Tax-Xama is a rocky beach at St Paul’s Bay.
White Tower Bay (tat-Torri l-Abjad), Limits of Mellieha
White Tower Bay is a large sandy beach located in the north of Malta. Besides having crystal blue water, the beach is conveniently sheltered by most winds. Since the beach is a bit secluded, it is less hectic than the nearby beaches. This makes it the preferred beach of most families with children.
CENTRAL MALTA BEACHES
Balluta Bay, Sliema
Balluta Bay lies on a long stretch of rocky coastline that goes from Qui-si-Sana in Sliema all the way to St. Julian’s. This coastline is thronged with sunbathers during the peak summer months.
Exiles, Sliema
Exiles lies on a long stretch of rocky coastline that goes from Qui-si-Sana in Sliema all the way to St. Julian’s. This coastline is thronged with sunbathers during the peak summer months.
Font Ghadir, Sliema
Fond Għadir is one of the most popular areas of the Tas-Sliema coastline. The area is dotted with receptacles dug out of the rock that was used for the production of sea salt. Now these are mostly used for sunbathing.
Qui-Si-Sana, Sliema
Qui-Si-Sana lies on a long stretch of rocky coastline that passes from Balluta Bay and goes all the way to St. Julian’s.
Spinola Bay, St Julian
Spinola Bay lies in the heart of St.Julian’s surrounded by the best fish restaurants on the island.
St Georges Bay, St Julians
Spinola Bay lies in the heart of St.Julian’s surrounded by the best restaurants on the island. This coastline is thronged with sunbathers during the peak summer months.
SOUTH MALTA BEACHES
Wied iz-Zurrieq, Limits of Zurrieq
Wied iz-Zurrieq is a rocky beach in the South West of Malta with deep blue seas famous for the picturesque blue grotto. Also a favorite for diving and canoeing making it very busy from early in the morning to late at night.
Delimara Bay (Kalanka), Marsaxlokk
Ghar Lapsi, Siggiewi
Rinella Bay, Kalkara
St Peter’s Pool, Marsaxlokk
Pretty Bay, Birzebbugia
Birżebbuġa is a flourishing, but small, seaside resort not far from Marsaxlokk in southeast Malta. Its shoreline hugs St. George’s although the sandy beach is known as Pretty Bay. It has been a popular bathing spot for Maltese holidaymakers for decades.
The sand was non-existent and bathers took to the water from the flat rocks or from specially built platforms on the shoreline. In more recent years, the bay was artificially filled with sand recovered from the sea during dredging works for the nearby Freeport. Pretty Bay is now considered a sandy beach. It lies right in the town centre so there are plenty of shops and restaurants along the coastline. Outside Pretty Bay, towards St. George’s Bay, you’ll find a rocky shore ideal for sunbathing and snorkelling. St. George’s Bay is a lovely inlet used by local fishermen who moor their boats there. The bay is a good venue for water sports such as windsurfing. Next to the small chapel of St. George’s are some prehistoric cart ruts.
St Thomas Bay, Marsascala
St. Thomas’ Bay, a ten-minute walk around the headland from Malta’s main southern resort of Marsascala, is a large, natural inlet typical of the southern coastline.
Its shallow waters and small sandy banks make the bay suitable for bathing. The beach, only partly sandy, is popular with local holidaymakers but has not developed into a tourist resort. The bay is ideal for windsurfing.
Xghajra, Xghajra
Xrobb l-Ghagin, Marsaxlokk
Zonqor Point, Marsascala