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7 Best Malta and Gozo Beaches to Go Swimming and Beach About

Bringing you the 7 Best Beaches in Malta and her sister’s island, Gozo to plan your holiday with the most valuable travelling asset. The Mediterranean seawater is warm and crystal clear, thanks to the gorgeous sunny weather most time of the year. That is why more than 2 million visitors flock to Malta in recent years to enjoy not just the Mediterranean climate, but also the extraordinary coves and inlets the archipelago has to offer. The images are simply a push-button to move forward to your swimming and snorkelling plan.

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The remarkable feature about most Malta beaches are not the typical sandy white beaches that we conjure. On the contrary, rough rocks are the formation of most Malta beaches. The rocky coastline is appealing as we can do away with muddy feet for once. If sandy beaches are your cup of tea, go to the 3 Malta beaches in the north-west which you will see jaw-dropping images.

You may be interested:
Read: Getting from Sliema to Valletta to Three Cities by Ferry
Read: Malta Airport to Sliema, Valletta by Taxi and Bus

1. Sliema Beach

During our holiday in Malta, we stayed in Sliema. Therefore, we had the pleasure to visit Sliema Beach every alternate day. We tried out a few different swimming locations in Sliema and thus, concluded that it is undoubtedly one of the best beaches in Malta with easy accessibility. Our favourite spots are points between the Sliema Promenade or rather, the street name is Tower Road from Exiles Bay to Surfer’s Paradise Beach Club (Show Map).

There will be staircases to go down to the beach every 50 or 100m. From the 550m walk along the Sliema promenade, you can choose a spot which has fewer people. We loved to pick a location where we could swim near to Paradise Exiles Bar. Meanwhile, if we were hungry, we would walk over the bar to get some delicious sandwiches or a soft drink or a can of Cisk beer there. Very convenient.

We were shocked to know that this Paradise Exiles Bay was destroyed by strong waves one year ago even though the distance was quite far apart from the beach. What you see there now is a new structure rebuilt after the devastation. Curious? Go there and take a look. At the same time, try out their juicy burger too. For the best food in Malta recommended by locals, join us.

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2. Blue Grotto Malta

The precise position which we stopped in Blue Grotto is at Blue Grotto Trips Departure Wharf. There is an inlet for swimming. Walking further up to the stairs, you can be engulfed by the beauty of the valley while feeling the security within the lagoon if one is not venturing out into the open sea.

There are also long benches for sitting. A cafe can be found at the top of the long staircase at the other end leading up to the main road. A public toilet is further down the road.

Several boats parked at the Blue Grotto Trips Departure Wharf is also where you take a cruise to see the Blue Grotto. It is the largest cave of its kind. Furthermore, the Blue Grotto boat trip will take you to Marsaxlokk, the island’s most significant and captivating fishing village.

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3. Ghar Lapsi Divesite

Ghar Lapsi Divesite has a cave, and the seawater is shallow closer to the land. People are either swimming or sitting by the rocks. The cave is beautiful as you can walk around the small cove staring at the stream of water flowing near your feet. The 5 to 16m depth at Ghar Lapsi Divesite also means that it is not intimidating for new divers to take a plunge there.

Before going to Ghar Lapsi Divesite at Siggiewwi, plan for a seafood lunch at Carmen’s Bar & Restaurant which is just around the corner. You will not regret this decision as they have fresh and delightful seafood there overlooking a magnificent sea view. Hence, voted as one the best beaches in Malta to eat and swim!

Malta does not have a lot of sandy beaches, not in Sliema Beach for sure. I was curious and wanted to see at least one sandy beach in Malta to make a comparison. Hence, we head to the north-west direction to explore 3 Malta beaches – ➊ Golden Bay, ➋ Ghajn Tuffieha Bay and ➌ Gnejha Bay on the same day, taking a bus with the help of transport apps in Malta.

According to Google Maps, the seemingly not so tough route to the 3 Malta beaches turned out to be a deceit, a nightmare for me. I had myself to be blamed for not analysing enough of the terrain on Google Maps (Show Map).

• ➊ Golden Bay ➠ ➋ Ghajn Tuffieha Bay = 35 minutes | 2.3 km
• ➋ Ghajn Tuffieha Bay ➠ ➌ Gnejha Bay = 21 minutes | 1.3 km

A Tough Hike Around Golden Bay Malta

It turned out that the actual walk from ➋ Ghajn Tuffieha Bay (Riviera Beach)  to ➌ Gnejha Bay was not flat. One had to go up and down the hill with an altitude of 46m at its highest point. Furthermore, at many points on top of the steep slope, there were no railing or tree branches as support, only rocks.

I was afraid of falling though I did not have a fear of height. People with acrophobia would have to think twice about looking down from the vantage point, leaving room for plenty of imagination.

To add on to our woe, the sun was beating us hard at 35℃. Moreover, I did not wear a proper pair of sports shoes. I just wore a sloppy pair of beach slippers and an awkward sling-over bag which got on my way most of the times.

I was behaving and hiking clumsily. Nonetheless, the view at the peak was spectacular despite difficulty on the hike. I finally had this feeling of the world beneath my feet after an hour of strangling walk, which seemed like an eternity.

We finally reached the third beach ➌ Gnejha Bay, but we did not want to spend the rest of our time there. So, we decided to walk back to ➋ Ghajn Tuffieha Bay (also known as Riviera Beach). I did not want to go through the same hiking struggle again.

Consequently, we decided to walk on the main road back to Ghajn Tuffieha Bay (Riviera Beach) for another hour to settle there as the final beach for our swim. From ➋ Riviera Beach, we could take a bus back to Sliema on a 1-hour journey. Many hours of walking in total.

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4. Golden Bay Malta

Among the three sandy beaches in Malta, Golden Bay had the most number of people and is said to be the best sandy beaches in Malta. The beach was astounding and loaded with beach umbrellas. It seemed like finding a spot would be difficult. The shop sold traditional Maltese sandwiches for only €2.75 which was inexpensive, considering the location was a touristic area. The walk down to Golden Bay was long. We stopped in the halfway to snap some photos and proceeded to our second location.

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5. Għajn Tuffieħa Bay (Riviera Beach)

Għajn Tuffieħa Bay, also known as Riviera Beach, was the recommendation from our Maltese friend because it is less crowded. Indeed, the distance of the shoreline was shorter than Golden Bay Beach, and naturally, it would accommodate lesser people. Riviera Beach was also the final destination we stopped by after visiting all three beaches. We spotted a pink jellyfish, which was a common sight in Malta beaches. So, you have to be careful of jellyfish swimming around the Malta beaches, no matter where you are.

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6. Gnejha Bay

Gnejha Bay had the least number of visitors on one glance because we planned to swim here after walking for a long time. Later, it was not easy to understand why it was not so popular. The water here was shallow, even up to a distance of 100m away, the water only reached the waist area. Gnejha Bay Beach was a perfect choice for families with children indulging a day of fun in the sea due to the shallowness, but certainly not for the swimmers or snorkelers. At one end of the beach, there is a stretch of doors which looked like houses. I find the ‘village-style’ design inviting that we had to walk over to take a look. I would say Gnejha bay is one the best beaches in Malta for family.

7. Inland Sea Gozo

The Inland Sea Gozo, also known as Dwejra, is another inlet which one should not miss when it comes as one of the best beaches in Malta for swimming. It is a highly touristic attraction. There is a dark mystery looking sea cave at the end of the lagoon which lesser people ventured there for a swim. If you swim towards the small tunnel towards the open sea, the water depth can go up to 35m, which makes it an ideal spot for diving.

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Conclusion

I have already listed 7 of the best beaches in Malta with photos. That will give you an idea of where to swim and snorkel. In case you are wondering why Comino Blue Lagoon did not make it to the mark, that is because I have already had two posts dedicated to Gozo and Comino Island by ferry or boat trip cruise around Blue Lagoon. Comino Island, no doubt, makes up one of the best beaches in Malta but it is a highly touristic area as well. Do check out where are the best restaurants and food in Malta and Gozo too!