My favorite top 10 beaches Malta and Gozo
When people ask me about my next destination Malta, their first reaction was; But what are you going to do in Malta? It doesn’t have beaches, right?
I don’t know were those people got the knowledge about this, but Malta does have some nice beaches. Actually, I think this is a country with one of the most variable beaches I have seen so far! From golden sand beach to orange sand beaches and from pebble beaches to sand free flat rocks beach.
My top 10 favorite beaches of Malta and Gozo
Which beaches do I prefer? What are the pro's and con's about the beach? Continue reading and you'll read all about it!
10. Gnejna beach
I spend the night in a lovely B&B in Mgarr. When I told the host I wanted to walk from Golden Bay to Gnejna beach, she told me to do the hike in the reverse direction. There is no public transport to/from Gnejna bay to Mgarr and the road from Gnejna beach to Mgarr would be uphill. So best for me was to walk to Gnejna and start the hike to Golden bay and from there I could take a bus to the ferry of Gozo.
The walk from Mgarr to Gnejna is a lovely stroll in the streets of the village down to the beach and take about 35 minutes (4 kilometer)
Gnejna is a half circular beach with orange sand. By the time I got to this beach I was the only one around. This day started cloudy and I expected some rain. So no sunbathing people or people taking a swim. The kiosk was closed, but the public toilets were opened. I did notice a bus stop, but it was canceled. I heard it will only operate in the months July and August. This bus will go to Mgarr.
Pro’s
- Nice setting with the village in the background
- Lovely color of the sand
- Toilets
- Easy accessible by car
Con’s
- Not sure about the opening hours of the kiosk, it seems abandoned for a while. Maybe it was not the season yet (end of May)
- I saw a lot of stones in the water, so maybe wear sandals entering the water
9. Marsaxlokk
The village of Marsaxlokk is probably one of the most visited villages beside Valletta. It is known for the colorful fishing boats at the harbor of the village. At Sunday there is a fish market, but food, clothes and souvenirs are sold as well.
Behind the restaurant Giardino Mediterraneo and the harbor there is a small beach. I’m not sure if this is man made, but I think it looked nice, if you want to take a swim.
Pro’s
- Nice surroundings with the colorful harbor
- Close to the center of the town (10 minutes on foot)
- Restaurants and toilets around
Con’s
- Busy on a Sunday
- Because it is small, there is not much space to place your towel
8. Xwejni bay / Qolla l-Bajda
Qolla l-Bajda is a white hill tip which is formed of light gray clay and pale yellow stone. The rocky beach of Xwejni bay next to this lovely formed hill top has pebbled stone beach. You can rent a chair and umbrella. This place is often used for divers as a starting point, especially for beginners. Close by are the salt pans of Gozo, which give a lovely view.
There was a public toilet close by and there were a few small restaurants/kiosk in the near area. It was easily to access this beach.
Pro’s
- Easily access
- I loved the scenery with the hilltop
- Public toilet
- Kiosk to by some food or drink
Con’s
- Some people don’t like pebble stone beach
- Bus stop is about 10 minutes away. But this bus stop was closed at the time I was at Xwejni bay, so I had to walk to the next operated bus stop which was 2 kilometers away. (The road was closed)
7. Golden bay (also known as Ir-Ramla tal-Mixquqa)
The most popular and family friendly beach is Golden bay. Golden Bay thanks its name to the golden sand, which gives the right color when you have an overlook of the beach uphill.
This beach is in the North of Malta and easily reachable by public transport and car. It has easy access to the beach with a stair.
There is a restaurant, toilets and you can hire umbrella’s and sunbeds. The beach is large, but one a sunny day it can get crowded.
For hiking around Golden beach click here.
Pro’s:
- Easily accessible by public transport
- Wide beach, with lovely color of the sand
- Amenities like a restaurant and toilets
- Family friendly
- Sunbed and umbrella for hire
Con’s:
- Busy on crowded days. Prepare to wait longer for buses or to find a parking space
- Large buildings on the cliff’s edge
6. St. Thomas Bay
When I did a hike from Marsaskala to Marsaxlokk, I passed the beach of St. Thomas. It is about 10 minutes from the village of St. Thomas and about 25 minutes from Marsakala. You can easily reach this beach by car, but there are not many parking spaces. This bay is used for windsurfing and other water activities like kayaking and stand up paddling. The small sandy beach has golden sand and the view over the bay is appealing to lay your towel and relax a little. I think it is more visited with local people, rather than tourists.
Pro’s
- nice setting at the bay of St. Thomas
- Cute beach
- Great for water sports
Con’s
- No toilet around (or that I have found)
- Restaurants are a bit of a walk, maybe 5 minutes
- Not many places to park your car
5. St. Peter's Pool
This is one of the beach which isn’t actually a beach. You can call it a sand free, flat rocks beach and it has the best composition of the rocks encircling the small inlet of the sea. This place is the best for jumping of the cliffs and it has just a gorgeous setting.
On the weekends it tends to be crowded, so if you want the place for your own, come in early.
I didn’t and I was here on a Sunday. But still I loved this place for the setting, the chill atmosphere and the lovely blue water. I liked watching the dare devils making a somersault from the cliffs.
This gem is 3 kilometers outside of Marsaxlokk and easily access by car. There are 2 parking lots which cost about 2 Euros’s. If you don’t have a (rental) car, like I did, you need to walk, because there is no public transport.
The hike from Marsaskala to Marsaxlokk will pass St. Peterspool. Read my blogabout this lovely hike!
Pro’s:
- Gorgeous setting
- A few food trucks which sells ice cream and drinks
Con’s
- No toilet
- Without a car you have to walk about half an hour from Marsaxlokk (3 kilometer)
- No shade, so bring sun cream and a lot of water.
- Crowded on the weekends
4. Wied Il Ghasri
Spending 2 nights in Gozo in a lovely B&B in Zebbug, Wied Il Ghasri was the closest beach nearby. A 2 kilometer steep downhill walk from my accommodation would lead me to this tiny pebble stone. Wie Il Ghasri is wedged between high cliffs and the view are just breathtaking! This unusual place is not visited very often, and only a few people were there when I got to this place at the end of the day. Most people just come to take a few photo’s and a few people take a refreshing dip in the water or do some sunbathing like me. There are no amenities, so make sure you’ll have some water and food with you.
Pro’s
- gorgeous setting
- easy access with a stair you can park your car at the top of the hill
- cute beach with lovely color of the water
Con’s
- Traveling with public transport is not possible. You’ll need to walk 2 km uphill and downhill to get a bus to Victoria
- No toilet
- No restaurant or kiosk, bring your own food, drinks and snacks
3. Ghanj Tuffieha
This beautiful orange long stretched beach is very close to Golden Bay. In fact, you can park your car at golden bay and you have to walk about 15 minutes and climbing down a flight of stairs to reach the beach. Not only the scenery is beautiful, take your time to see the amazing views from the cliffs. Because it is a walk to get here, it is less buy like the next Golden beach. But don’t expect to be the only one, it still can be crowded especially on weekends. I was really amazed by the unusual color of the orange sand. That’s why it is in my top 3 of the best beaches of Malta and Gozo.
There is one restaurant to get your refreshments and food.
The beautiful hike from Gnejnja beach to Golden beach brought me to this orange color beach. Do you know more about hiking Malta and Gozo check this blog here.
Pro’s
- Stunning scenery
- Amazing color of the sand
- Restaurant and toilet nearby
Con’s
- No shade and I didn’t see rental umbrella’s, but I might have missed this.
- Can be busy
- A little walk from the bus stop and car parking lot
2. Blue lagoon, Comino
Probably one of the most visited tourists attractions of Malta is the Blue Lagoon. This beautiful bay is at the island Comino and only reachable by boat. There is just a small beach for only a few towels a chair. Most chairs are set on the surrounding rocks.
But with the amazing views of the blue turquoise water it is a real gem!
If you want it more relaxed, take your stuff, put it on your head and swim across the Blue Lagoon to the opposite beach.
One thing is for sure. You are not going to be alone in the Blue Lagoon and it will be crowded after 10 AM. By the time I got there at 9, it was still quiet and only a few people were taking a swim. When I returned at 1 AM after hike around the island, it was loaded with people, boats and day cruise ships. People come here one a day cruise from Sliema/Valleta.
The water of the Blue lagoon is one to remember! More info about Blue lagoon click here.
Pro’s
- Stunning turquoise water
- Lovely views from around the area of the Blue lagoon. Just take a short walk and see it yourself.
- Toilets and food trucks around
- Sunbeds and umbrella’s for hire
Con’s
- Too crowded if you arrive after 10AM
1. Ramla Il-Hamra (orange beach Gozo)
My absolute number one beach is Rambla beach of Gozo! I just loved the unusual orange color of the soft sand. It’s set on a curvy bay, surrounded by rocky cliffs. The water is refreshing and shallow, which makes it a perfect beach for families. There is no hotel nearby, but there are amenities like a few restaurants, which you also can order ‘to go’, food trucks, umbrella and chairs for hire and there are toilets. Be aware there can be jelly fish around.
It is easily reached by car and public transport. Only 5 minute walk from the bus stop and there seems to be enough parking spaces.
I loved the view over the bay and I had a nice lunch at one of the restaurants.
Pro’s
- Easy accessible by car of public transport
- Wide beach
- Unusual red color sand
- Amenities like toilets and restaurants
- Family friendly
Con’s
- I don’t see any, I just loved this place!
More blogs about hiking and other places in Malta and Gozo you can find here.