Four beautiful sandy beaches in Malta

Malta is fringed with small coves and wide bays, where shallow water laps beautiful sandy beaches. Here are my top four sandy beaches in Malta.

Mellieha Beach

Mellieha beach lies in the northeast of the island, just off the road to the Gozo ferry, which makes it very accessible. This was my favourite Malta beach; the water was calm so I enjoyed my swim there, although it was rather cold initially (we were in Malta in late May). It’s a good beach for kids as the water is shallow until quite far out. I imagine that this beach gets very busy in the high season. I was surprised that we couldn’t find showers or public toilets here.

Paradise Bay

Paradise Bay is located close to Cirkewwa, where you take the ferry to the neighbouring island of Gozo. It’s easy to reach if you have a hire car, as it’s about one kilometre along a pretty rough road, signposted to your left just as you drive into Cirkewwa. You could walk there from the nearest bus stop but you’ll have to lug all your gear and get a mouthful of dust if anyone drives past. Even if you come by car there’s still quite a few steps down to the beach from the makeshift car park. There’s a restaurant with views over the beach.

Golden Bay

Golden Bay is on the west coast of Malta and you can get there by bus. We visited a couple of times as it was sheltered from the wind. I went swimming here but it was a bit choppy for my liking. The first day we went was a Sunday and it was hard to find a parking space as there seemed to be an event on at the Raddison Blu hotel. It was much quieter on a week day. There are a few restaurants/cafes and public toilets here. The beach is spoilt a bit by all the black wheelie bins, I don’t think there need to be quite so many.

The Blue Lagoon

Looking for a great place to while away a lazy afternoon swimming in clear Mediterranean waters? My tip this week is to look no further than the stunning Blue Lagoon, just off the island of Malta.

This is truly a splendid place to enjoy a day of sea and sun. The transparent turquoise waters are dramatic against the rocky cliffs; the lagoon appears like a giant swimming pool making it one of the best beaches in Malta. Frequent boats depart from The Maltese port of Cirkewwa for the short ride to the neighbouring island of Comino (population: 4). Be warned that the limited space for lounge chairs and umbrellas - and you’ll need one under this sun - fill up quickly, so in peak season try to arrive early in the morning to enjoy the solitude before the boat tours arrive.

You can walk around the island on its many paths and enjoy the dramatic views down to the sea and over to the neighbouring island of Malta. Although we didn’t stay there, there is one hotel located on the island. It’s the Comino Hotel and it looks like a nice place to stay if you want to get away from it all.

When the flag is flying over the clifftop St. Mary’s Tower, it means that it’s open to the public. Definitely make the walk up the rocky slope to see the largest of the Knights of Malta’s coastal towers. Be sure to climb up to its lookout platform - the views below are breathtaking.

More Malta Beaches

Looking for more? You can get some insider tips in Off the beaten track beaches in Malta.