Full list of sandy beaches in Malta
If you are someone who doesn’t mind sand or, someone often like me, who hates sand, but sometimes forgets how much you hate sand long enough to find yourself craving a day at a gorgeous sandy beach, you’re in the right place. Malta gets a bit of a bad wrap for ‘not having any sandy beaches’ and whilst they aren’t huge and sprawling, we do have quite a few for such a tiny little island.
Sandy beaches in the north of Malta
Golden Bay - Mellieha
Ghajn Tuffieha / Riviera Bay - Mellieha
Mellieha Bay / Għadira Bay
Armier Bay + Little Armier - Mellieha
Bugibba Perched Beach - St Paul’s Bay
Ġnejna Bay - Mgarr
Imġiebaħ / Selmun Bay
Paradise Bay - Ċirkewwa
Golden Bay - Mellieha
☀️Quite shallow
☀️ Parking
😱 Have to walk over rocks to get into the water
😱 TOO BUSY
Probably the most popular beach on the entire island, it’s the one I avoid the most. It’s bearable in winter when it’s far too cold to swim, but still pretty for a picnic but absolutely jam packed as soon as the weather warms up.
Ghajn Tuffieha / Riviera - Mellieha
☀️ Beautiful sunset view
☀️Restaurant: Singita Miracle Beach
😱A LOT of steps to the beach which can be a killer, especially in the heat
Not that I go to the beach much, but when I do, this is the one. Beautiful red sand, gorgeously coloured water, shallow shoreline and insane view of the sunset. I really don’t enjoy the huge flight of stone steps to the beach especially in the heat of summer or after a cocktail or two at Singita but I suppose that’s why the beach is a tiny bit quieter than Golden Bay. It used to be a LOT quieter, even on the nicest days, but these days expect to be toe to toe with other beach goers.
Mellieha Bay / Għadira Bay
☀️ Nearby kiosks and (overpriced) shops
☀️ Biggest beach on the island
☀️ Very shallow shoreline
😱 INSANELY busy
One of the most popular beaches in Malta, most likely because it’s the longest single beach on the island. But, most popular translates into the most busy. Expect to be absolutely PACKED in.
Armier Bay and Little Armier - Mellieha
☀️Food kiosk “Sombrero Food Kiosk”
☀️ Water-sports hire
😱 Need a car to access
These two bays are situated very close together at almost the northen-most part of the island. Small, but sandy. They used to be some of the quieter beaches in Malta, but I’m not sure any of the beaches are really quiet these days.
Bugibba Perched Beach - St Paul’s Bay
☀️ Cafes and restaurants nearby
😱 Man-made and mostly rocky, with some sandy parts
This beach is only really worth the visit if you’re staying in Bugibba / St Pauls Bay and fancy a day without travel but with a bit of sun. So it’s real plus point is that it’s nearby. It’s not one worth travelling to and if you don’t mind a bus ride, I recommend other, natural nearby beaches.
Ġnejna Bay - near Mgarr
☀️ Quieter than it’s nearby sandy beaches Golden and Riviera Bays
☀️ Food kiosk
☀️ Watersport rental
😱 Minimal parking spots
😱 Hard to get to with public transport
Very pretty sandy beach in Malta. Surrounded by some greenery in the spring. Malta is relatively flat but this area is on the more hilly side which makes for some very gorgeous surroundings.
Imġiebaħ Bay / Selmun Bay - Mellieha
☀️ Fairly quiet beach
😱 Hard to get to
😱 No ameneties
Very tiny little sandy beach in Malta, and a real hassle to get to. No parking nearby and public transport wont get you any closer, so it’s a bit of a walk- you can park near Selmun Palace and then follow the quite long, winding road to get to the beach. Generally quiet and with lovely natural, rugged surroundings. Very pretty, but take your own lunch, water and sunscreen!
Paradise Bay- Ċirkewwa
☀️ Nice looking restaurant “The Beach at Paradise Bay”
😱 Need a car to access
Paradise Bay used to be a very pretty, very quite little bay right at tip of Malta near the Gozo ferry. As with all beaches in Malta it got busier and busier as the years went by, even if it’s a nightmare to get to on foot or by public transport. There used to be a watersports rental company with jetskis and kayaks however I understand in recent years that the sand at this beach has been almost entirely washed away.
Sandy beaches in the south of Malta
St Thomas Bay - Marsakala
Pretty Bay - Birżebbuġa
St Thomas Bay - Marsaskala
☀️ Cafes and restaurants nearby
😱 Tiny amount of sand, mostly flat rocks
I’ve never been to St Thomas Bay myself and the reviews online are mixed. It’s a tiny strip of sand in the middle of Marsaskala town, surrounded by flat rocks which still serve as a place to lay your towel and relax.
Pretty Bay - Birżebbuġa
☀️ It’s a beach
😱 Located in the middle of a freeport
The name is hilariously ironic. Maybe decades ago it was a pretty bay but once they built the freeport right on it, it became more of a snapshot into what an apocalyptic world could look like. The freeport is massive and ugly and the only thing you can see from the beach. I also question how clean the water can really be with that many massive ships coming in and out constantly.
Sandy beaches in central Malta
St Georges Bay - St Julians
St Georges Bay - St Julians
☀️ Only sandy beach in central Malta
☀️ Nearby bars, cafes and restaurants
😱 Horrible gravel-like sand
😱 Busy, noisy and small
Barely a beach but it seems popular, especially to the younger tourists staying in Paceville. It’s located literally right on a road, it’s man made with a substance that is more like carpark gravel than sand. Very small, very busy with tourists rather than locals and very, very noisy.
Sandy beaches in Gozo
Ramla Bay
Marsalforn
Ramla Bay
☀️ Beautiful red sand
☀️ Food kiosk
😱 Sea is quite stony
Ramla Bay sandy beach in Gozo is so beautiful. With gorgeous red sand, it’s well kept and not usually too busy, compared to the beaches in Malta. You have to walk over lots of stones to get into the water though, which I personally hate.
Photo by Stephen Lammens on Unsplash
