The road sweeps north from Sliema, out of the crowded suburbs and heading for the beaches and coastline of the north. But a beach to a Maltese sun-seeker doesn’t necessarily mean a nice bit of sand, or even a foreshore of pebbles or stones. It can mean any stretch by the sea that gives access to the water and if it comprises great slabs and boulders of rock just a metre or two from a busy main road, then this is “beach’’, too.
Playing a game of volleyball on Golden Bay.
Malta Tourism Authority
It is this coast road, from Sliema to Qawra, that the Maltese find particularly appealing; at weekends they will drive from miles away to park their cars in one long ribbon, from end to end. Then they will stay until late at night, picnicking and barbecuing, and the return journey south can be excruciatingly slow.
Ghajn Tuffieha Tower.
Viewing Malta
Family fun
The road meets the coastline again at Bahar-ic-Caghaq. As this is a bit of a tongue-twister for most visitors (it is pronounced “bah-har i tchark”), it is better known as White Rocks 6 [map]. Sharing a site here are three family attractions: the Splash and Fun Water Park (www.splashandfunmalta.com; daily summer only 9am–8pm); Mediterraneo Marine World (www.mediterraneopark.com); and a dinosaur-themed playground (daily; free). Splash and Fun claims to have the largest seawater swimming pool on the island, and its newest attraction is the death-defying Black Hole. It’s best to come early in the day, however, as it is only a small facility and soon gets extremely busy.
Mediterraneo Marine World is also a small-scale park, although it does manage to put on reasonably entertaining dolphin and seal displays. The dolphins hail from the Black Sea and were rescued from a bankrupt water park in the former Soviet Union. For a price, you can even swim with the bottlenose dolphins – a truly incredible experience.
Alongside the complex are the white rocks that give this area its name. Add a bright red-and-yellow parasol to the deep-blue Mediterranean background, and it’s not to hard to see why so many Maltese families like this stretch of coast.
Fact
At Bur Marrad, 2km (1½ miles) south of Bugibba, is the Church of San Pawl Milqi, which means “St Paul welcomed”. The Apostle is believed to have spent his first few days on Malta here. The present church dates from the 17th century and is now a museum.
Qawra and Bugibba
After another 3km (2 miles) is Salina Bay, named after the local saltpans that have been worked since the days of the Knights. You will probably smell them before you see them, although plans are underway to regenerate the area and turn it into a working museum. The bay marks the start of the largest purpose-built tourist complex on Malta, which was completed in just under 10 years.
Straight across the bay is Qawra 7 [map] (pronounced “Ow-rah”) with its impressive Seashells Resort at Suncrest and lidos facing on to Salina Bay. This is the quieter, slightly more up-market part of the development. The road continues around the peninsula, marked at its end by Qawra Tower, before it turns into St Paul’s Bay. Once, this stretch of coast was fortified by the Knights, but there is nothing of historical or cultural interest here today.
Bugibba 8 [map] is the main town of the area. To impartial viewers it may look like a faceless sprawl of concrete, but to many thousands each year, this is holiday heaven. There is no beach (although a “perched” sandy beach has been constructed on a stretch of rocks), but it’s a popular resort with both visitors and the Maltese themselves, and at weekends the latter pack out the local restaurants and the Oracle Casino.
Bugibba seafront lido.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
St Paul’s Bay
The most attractive part of Bugibba is its jetty, where pleasure boats make an enjoyable trip around St Paul’s Bay 9 [map]. Out here are St Paul’s Islands, the site of the Apostle’s legendary shipwreck, AD 60. It has been remarked that if this happened today, St Paul might be tempted to dive back in the water and try his luck elsewhere. However, the settlement of St Paul’s Bay is no Bugibba or Qawra. This is a real community where the Maltese live and work and have fished the waters for centuries. Nonetheless, it has suffered major overbuilding.
At the head of the bay is Pwales Beach, though mostly sandless and not fit for swimmers. Continue around the coast road past Xemxija. On the hillside there is a Neolithic burial site (not signposted), where the dead were buried in womb-like tombs cut into the rock, suggesting a return to Mother Earth.
The road snakes upwards and just before Mellieha there is a turn-off to the Selmun Palace, a 17th-century fortress. Nearby Ghajn Hadid Bay offers a little-known small sandy beach.
Mellieha Bay
Superbly positioned on a high ridge, with its parish church of Our Lady of Victory on a spur, Mellieha has been named a European Destination of Excellence for its facilities and surroundings. These include excellent restaurants, which attract locals and visitors from across the islands.
Down the long winding hill below the village is the longest sandy beach on Malta. Its proper name is Ghadira (pronounced “aa-dee-ra”) but to visitors it is better known as Mellieha Bay ) [map]. Unsurprisingly, the beach is extremely popular and its amenities improve each year. There are cafés, beach establishments and all the facilities for renting windsurfing equipment and canoes, as well as water-skiing and parascending. It is very crowded at weekends, when families arrive early to select the best positions for their parasols.
Mediterraneo Marine Park.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Slugs Bay
If you’re feeling adventurous, why not incorporate a spot of rambling into your adventure. Harder to get to than most beaches, Slugs Bay (Rdum il Hmar), further along the rough road leading to the eastern tip of Marfa Ridge, faces Mellieha rather than the Gozo Channel. Because it is so difficult to get to, and access is restricted, little to no development has taken place here, which means it is still in impeccable condition.
To clamber down to it, there is a winding footpath whose small entrance is concealed in a car park and picnic area among the acacia and eucalyptus trees. Try to park your car where it can be seen from the main track, no matter how tempting it is to leave it in the cool shade of the trees on a hot day: unfortunately, cars are often broken into here.
The shore is starkly pretty, with room for just a few people on the patch of sand in its tiny bay. Many people prefer to swim off the flat rocks around the entrance, although most are sharp and can make getting out of the water difficult, so exercise caution. It is a remote and private place and, because of its ruggedness, it is never crowded. As a result, if you wish to get away from it all, it is well worth the extra effort required to reach it.
Marfa Ridge
The best vantage point from which to survey Mellieha and its beach is from Marfa Ridge ! [map], the tall ridge of land that on the map looks like a fishtail on the end of Malta. To get there, continue on the main road past the beach and as you ascend the steep hill, take a sharp left turn. A short way along this track is the Red Tower (occasionally open to the public), built by the Knights in 1649. It takes its name from its distinctive red paint. Immediately below, you can look down to the small lakes of the Ghadira Nature Reserve (tel: 2157 2603; Nov–May Sat–Sun 10am–4pm; guided tours only; free), one of the very few places on the islands where birds can rest in safety, as the male population of Malta indulges in the controversial habit of shooting or trapping migrating birds. Marfa Ridge is one of the places that they do this – though the European Union is now stepping in to regulate this practice.
Tip
An excellent way to get off the beaten track and explore the headlands surrounding Ghajn Tuffieha and Golden Bay is to go horse riding. You can arrange this at the Golden Bay horse-riding stables, tel: 2157 3360.
If you drive or walk a little further on past the tower, you will be greeted with marvellous views over to the Gozo Channel. It is very likely that while you are admiring the view from here, you will see the ferry steaming between Mgarr on Gozo and Cirkewwa on Malta.
The Marfa Ridge has a wild beauty, with rocky outcrops, fertile fields, plantations of acacia and the remains of many a girna – a small, round stone hut, only slightly taller than a man, dating back to the Bronze Age. Don’t confuse these with the recent stone shelters you will see on the ridge, though – these are used by modern-day bird trappers.
View from the Red Tower.
Shutterstock
Marfa Ridge beaches
At the northern end of the ridge are some pleasant beaches. The small, attractive Ramla Bay is dominated by its large hotel, well known for its beach and sports facilities (the hotel is also open to non-residents using the restaurant or café). Alongside is a small, free stretch of sand suitable for family picnics.
Armier and Little Armier are small, flat, unsophisticated sandy bays facing towards Comino – not “smart” beaches but nonetheless popular. Generally the facilities in these parts are simple and inexpensive, though for a more luxurious experience, try Baia Lido (www.baiabeachclub.com) next door, for a truly wonderful setting and lovely food.
Paradise Bay, 2km (1 mile) away on the western edge of the ridge at Cirkewwa, near the Gozo ferry terminal, is another attractive option, with a pleasant beach reached by narrow steps. It is usually sandy, but some years there is a lot of shingle. Paradise Bay is very popular with Maltese villagers for their coach outings, and can be particularly crowded at weekends, so it is best to avoid this time if you are looking for some peace and quiet. Kiosks serve simple refreshments.
Popeye Village
Beside Mellieha Beach on the approach road down from Mellieha, there is a roundabout with a sign to Anchor Bay and Popeye Village @ [map] (Il-Prajet; www.popeyemalta.com). The former name comes from days long ago when a number of anchors were to be found on the beach in this pretty little sandy bay.
The latter name is much more recent. In 1980, Popeye, the movie (with Robin Williams in the starring role) was filmed in Malta, and Anchor Bay was chosen as the location for the rustic Newfoundland-style fishing village of Sweethaven.
Popeye Village.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Nineteen wooden structures made up the original fictitious village, though two burnt down in 1982, and all the special wood shingles used in the construction of the rooftops were specially imported from Canada. The rest of the wood was shipped from Holland and the village took more than seven months to complete, using a 165-man construction crew, armed with some 8 tons of nails and more than 9,000 litres (2,000 gallons) of paint. It is said that the village was only built to last a few months, but it has stood the test of time much better than the film (which was a flop) and is now one of the island’s most popular attractions for families with young children. It has really come on in recent years and now boasts a full programme that all ages will love, including fairground rides, activities and boat rides.
Golden Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha Bay
A road cuts through the Pwales valley from St Paul’s Bay to two of Malta’s most popular sandy beaches, Golden Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha Bay. Both are in a dramatic setting, each surrounded by flat-topped, golden-and-brown-coloured rocky cliffs with excellent stretches of fine sand.
Sunset at Gnejna Bay.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Golden Bay £ [map] is the more accessible of the two, with an attendant-run car park close to the sand and a smart café-restaurant with a viewing platform looking down on to the beach. The Golden Sands Hotel has been totally rebuilt and there are other small beach facilities with plenty of refreshments, as well as the opportunity to rent a windsurfing board, pedalo or canoe. Don’t swim if the red flag is flying as there are undercurrents here.
Ghajn Tuffieha $ [map] (pronounced “eye-n-toof-ee-ha”), whose unusual-sounding name has the intriguing translation of “the apple spring”, is by far the prettier of the two beaches. There is no building in its backdrop vista, just a hillside planted with struggling tamarisk and acacia plants where, for centuries, goatherds have brought their animals to pasture.
It is a delightful place, accessible only by a long, staggered staircase down the side of the steep hill to the sands. The climb inevitably means that the beach gets less crowded than its neighbour, so head here if you are looking for a more tranquil Maltese beach experience.
Gnejna Bay
At the far end of Ghajn Tuffieha beach is a high and treacherous narrow clay ridge; below it, on the far side, is a tempting, smooth, cream-coloured rock promontory. On the far side of this ridge is another popular beach, Gnejna Bay % [map] (pronounced “j-nay-na”), reached by road through the village of Mgarr or by clambering over a dangerous hillside. The sand here is mixed with shingle and, to accommodate all tastes, there is even a short stretch of smooth white rock for sunbathing on. On the left of the bay are boathouses cut into the rock. Refreshments are provided by mobile kiosks or vans.
Fact
Mgarr’s parish church is often referred to as the Egg church: when the parish needed a larger church, the parishioners went into business selling eggs to fund it.
Ghajn Tuffieha Bay.
Viewing Malta
Mgarr
If you don’t fancy getting to Gnejna Bay by scrambling over the precipitous rocks from Ghajn Tuffieha, then you will have to go the long way round via the village of Mgarr ^ [map]. As in so many of Malta’s villages, the village square is dominated by a handsome, oversized church. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it has a dome that is curious not only for its silver patina but also its oval shape (see margin). Mgarr is known for its two village-square restaurants, drawing custom from near and far to join its fenkata (rabbit-feast) evenings.
In and around Mgarr are some of Malta’s oldest temple remains. Just 200 metres (656ft) off the square, heading back towards Valletta, is Ta’ Hagrat temple (tel: 2158 6264; Tue, Thu and Sat 9am–noon). It’s easy to miss as it is only signposted in one direction, and when you do find it you will wonder whether it was worth the effort. To the untrained eye, this small, tatty clump of stones is practically indecipherable and the site it occupies has been fenced off.
A couple of kilometres east, at Zebbieh, are the Skorba temples (tel: 2158 0590; Tue, Thu, Sat 9am–noon), the site of the earliest-known settlement in Malta, perhaps going back as far as 3,800 BC. There are signs of two temples and a number of houses, indicating that a flourishing fishing and farming settlement must have been here at some time. However, as at Ta’ Hagrat, the site is unfathomable to the average visitor.
