The 10 best beaches in Malta
Ramla Bay (Xagħra - Gozo)
Ramla Bay, also known as Ramla l-Ħamra, is considered the most beautiful beach in Gozo. It has kept its wild character and surprises with the colour of its sand, shifting between copper and orange through the day, which has earned it the nickname of “the red beach”.
The clear, shallow waters make Ramla Bay a very popular spot for swimming, snorkelling and diving.
In the middle of the beach stands the statue of the Virgin and Child, erected to protect swimmers and sailors. Overlooking Ramla Bay is also the Tal-Mixta cave, famous for its sweeping views over the bay, an iconic spot much loved by photographers.
Ramla Bay is the perfect beach for a family day out in the open air, with its unique red sand and its gently sloping shallow water; the only downside, the entry into the water is stony in places and the bay fills up fast at the height of summer.
The most popular activities around Ramla Bay
| Option | Departure point | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Mġarr | 22 € |
 | Gozo | 85 € |
 | Malte | 115 € |
Blue Lagoon (Comino / Cominotto)
The Blue Lagoon (properly named the Fliegu channel) is a narrow stretch of sea separating the island of Comino from Cominotto. The Blue Lagoon is not a beach in the strict sense, but it is flanked by two beaches: Comino Beach and Cominotto Beach, two small beaches facing each other, less than a 100-metre swim apart.
Both Blue Lagoon beaches are tiny, just a few metres wide, with fine white sand. If the Blue Lagoon beaches are the most beautiful in Malta, it is above all because of the exceptional setting, a place that is undeniably one of the must-see sights of Malta.
A unique place with turquoise waters that give it a Caribbean or Bora-Bora feel. Be warned, however, that space is limited and the spot is very busy in high season. In summer, the site is overwhelmed by visitors and yachts; it is very hard to find a small patch of sand, but the setting remains unique and not to be missed.
Comino is easily reached from the main island of Malta by ferry from the Ċirkewwa terminal, or from Gozo if you are staying on the neighbouring island. Many Blue Lagoon cruises are also available all year round, departing from all corners of the island.
The Blue Lagoon is the dream spot for a swim in Caribbean-like turquoise water; the only downside, the site is tiny and overrun by visitors and yachts in high season.
The most popular cruises to the Blue Lagoon
| Option | Departure point | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | St Paul's Bay (Buġibba) | 30 € |
 | Sliema | 35 € |
 | St Paul's Bay (Buġibba) | 55 € |
Paradise Bay (Il-Mellieħa)
The little bay of “Paradise Bay” and its namesake beach lie just a stone’s throw from Ċirkewwa, where you can catch the ferry to Gozo. Paradise Bay is ideal for taking up snorkelling. The water is clear, giving you the chance to watch a variety of fish and marine life.
The beach is overlooked by a restaurant (the Paradise Bay Lido) and has showers, toilets and a sunbed rental service; you reach it down a stairway of around a hundred steps. Perfect for spending the day in a more peaceful setting than the island’s big popular beaches, with a relaxed, less touristy atmosphere.
Paradise Bay is the perfect beach to take up snorkelling in crystal-clear water, on one of the island’s rare patches of fine sand; the only downside, it is tiny and reached down about a hundred steps.
The most popular activities around Paradise Bay
| Option | Departure point | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Mellieħa (Ċirkewwa) | 169 € |
 | Mellieħa | 80 € |
 | Mellieħa (Ċirkewwa) | 129 € |
Qawra Point Beach (Qawra)
Qawra Point Beach is not a sandy beach but a rocky headland closing off St Paul’s Bay, right next to the Malta National Aquarium. Access to the water is fully fitted out: concrete platforms, flat rocks and metal ladders, with a shallow little lagoon partly sheltered by an islet and breakwaters.
Its calm, crystal-clear water makes it an ideal spot to take up snorkelling and diving. A rarity for Malta, the headland is Blue Flag certified and offers water access for people with reduced mobility.
Qawra Point is the ideal spot to take up snorkelling and diving in a calm, crystal-clear lagoon; the only downside, there is no sand, only rocks and concrete, not really suited to young children.
The most popular activities at Qawra Point
| Option | Departure point | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | St Paul's Bay | 80 € |
 | St Paul's Bay (Qawra) | 17 € |
 | St Paul's Bay (Qawra) | 38 € |
Golden Bay (Il-Mellieħa)
Golden Bay, properly named “Ir-Ramla tal-Mixquqa”, is without doubt the most popular beach in Malta. The flip side is that it is also one of the island’s most touristy and crowded beaches. Add to that the hundreds of holidaymakers from the huge Radisson resort towering above it. Golden Bay deserves its popularity: it is a lovely golden-sand beach, well served, easy to reach and well equipped, with showers, toilets and several bars and restaurants right on the sand. In summer, though, to make the most of the beach it is best to arrive early in the hope of finding a spot to lay your towel.
It is worth noting that Golden Bay is an exposed beach; the water can therefore sometimes be choppy, especially in winter, and the sea is also a little murky because of the swell. As an aside, the beach is occasionally subject to small waves, between 30 cm and 1 metre, which also makes it one of the only beaches in Malta where surfing is possible on rare occasions.
Golden Bay is a large golden-sand beach ideal for families, renowned for its west-facing sunsets; the only downside, a victim of its popularity, it is packed in summer and its water turns murky in the afternoon.
St Peter’s Pool (Marsaxlokk)
St Peter’s Pool is less a beach than a spectacular natural pool carved into the limestone, at the tip of the Delimara peninsula, near the fishing village of Marsaxlokk. No sand here, but wide flat slabs that drop into turquoise water of remarkable clarity.
The spot owes its reputation to cliff jumping, possible from various heights, and to snorkelling in deep, clear water. Left completely wild, with no facilities at all, it appeals to Maltese and travellers alike in search of a raw, photogenic setting; the easiest way to get there is by car, and be sure to bring good shoes.
St Peter’s Pool is the ideal place for cliff jumping and snorkelling in a spectacular natural pool; the only downside, entirely rocky and with no facilities, it has to be earned by a difficult approach.
Fond Għadir Beach (Sliema)
Right in the heart of Sliema, on the seafront promenade, Fond Għadir Beach is the urban beach par excellence: a long slab of white sandstone dotted with natural pools and ladders to enter the clear water, renowned for snorkelling.
Blue Flag certified, the beach has neither sand nor shade: you come with your water shoes and your parasol, or you settle in at the neighbouring Surfside lido. Its location, a few minutes’ walk from Sliema’s hotels, shops and restaurants, makes it one of the most accessible swimming spots on the island.
Fond Għadir is the ideal urban beach for snorkelling in the heart of Sliema, with its natural pools cut into the sandstone; the only downside, it is entirely rocky, slippery when wet and without the slightest shade.
The most popular activities around Fond Għadir
| Option | Departure point | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sliema | 35 € |
 | St Julian's (Spinola) | 102 € |
 | St Julian's | 40 € |
Għadira Bay (Il-Mellieħa)
Għadira Bay, also known as Mellieħa Bay, is the largest and liveliest of Malta’s beaches. It lies in the north of the island, below the famous St Agatha’s Tower (Red Tower).
Mellieħa beach is a full-service beach: snack bars, bars, restaurants, water sports, a floating inflatable playground, sunbed and parasol rentals, and more. A beach where you can find everything except peace and quiet. It is a very fine beach, lifeguarded during high season, ideal for families with children. Its water, shallow for several dozen metres, makes it particularly safe and perfect for families with young children.
Għadira Bay is the largest sandy beach in Malta, ideal for families thanks to its shallow water and its Blue Flag status; the only downside, it is packed in July and August and parking quickly becomes tricky.
The most popular activities at Għadira Bay
| Option | Departure point | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Mellieħa | 60 € |
 | Mellieħa | 60 € |
 | Mellieħa | 29 € |
Riviera Beach (Mġarr)
Għajn Tuffieħa Bay, better known as Riviera Beach, lies just behind the popular Golden Bay. Riviera Beach is regarded by many as the most beautiful beach in Malta, with its ochre sand and turquoise water. It is also prized for its sunsets.
Riviera Beach is a very fine beach, but one you have to earn, as it sits below a stairway of 180 steps. Getting down to the beach is awkward, which gives it the advantage of being less crowded than the neighbouring beaches, but it is best avoided by people with reduced mobility.
For the more adventurous, between swims, it is worth walking up the hill overlooking Għajn Tuffieħa, an outstanding vantage point to admire the surrounding landscape.
Riviera Beach is the ideal beach for nature lovers seeking calm and sunsets, wilder than its neighbour Golden Bay; the only downside, it is reached down a stairway of around 180 steps, impassable with a pushchair or a wheelchair.
The most popular activities at Riviera Beach
| Option | Departure point | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Mellieħa | 60 € |
 | Mellieħa | 40 € |
 | Mellieħa | 24 € |
Ħondoq ir-Rummien (Qala - Gozo)
Ħondoq ir-Rummien is a small bay of crystal-clear water tucked below the village of Qala, in the east of Gozo, facing Comino and its Blue Lagoon. Long kept a secret by the Gozitans, it is not a sandy beach: you swim from a small strip of pebbles, flat rocks and fitted platforms, with water shoes recommended.
The spot is popular with snorkellers, with a fine seabed just a few metres from the shore, and it also serves as a cheap departure point for Comino and the Blue Lagoon, by water taxi or by kayak.
Ħondoq ir-Rummien is the ideal beach for snorkelling and trips over to Comino, in water among the finest in Gozo; the only downside, with no sand and some concrete, getting there means an out-of-the-way trip down from Qala.
The most popular activities at Ħondoq ir-Rummien
| Option | Departure point | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Qala | 60 € |
 | Malte | 98 € |
 | Gozo | 85 € |