Since Malta is a country situated on the islands in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, it is no surprise that Malta has a lot of beautiful beaches which attract both tourists and the locals to go swimming, sunbathing, and spending the summertime together with their friends and family. Malta is known as a country that has the best beaches in the Mediterranean with some of the cleanest water in the European Union. Therefore, if you are looking for the place to spend the summertime, of course, Malta will be one of the best choices.
Between Malta and Gozo lies the tiny island of Comino which is considered to be the paradise for not only the tourist but amongst Maltese locals as well. It is the perfect place to escape the world full of social media and chaos, isolate yourself from your phone for a day and enjoy the so-called heaven on earth: Blue Lagoon.
When you finally arrive at Blue Lagoon, everything here will just amaze you, starting with the crystal clear turquoise-coloured water which does not seem real at all. Blue Lagoon is known for being one of the most beautiful spots around the Maltese Islands. It is a shallow area between islands which creates the natural pool for you to enjoy swimming, snorkelling, and diving.
Apart from swimming, snorkelling, and diving, there are several other activities offered on the island such as parasailing, twister, flyfish, and many more watersports that you can enjoy. If you want to try out any of these watersports, you can walk around and ask at the stalls, as there are many choices of activities and prices for you to consider.
Transportation: Book the ticket whichever way is easiest (book in advance either from the website or at a stall to ensure a spot) and depart from Sliema Waterfront in the morning and come back in the evening, ideally start from 10:00 until 17:00-17:30, depending on the season and weather.
Golden Bay is one of the most popular beaches in Malta for both tourists and the locals. It is located in the northwestern area of Malta. The Golden Bay is surrounded by the high hills and full of golden soft sand. The sea along the beach is quite shallow, if you wish to swim you might need to walk out for quite a distance until you find the deeper areas. During the summertime, you will see numerous people on the beach, families with children or friends who enjoy the sunbathing and playing with a beach ball together. During the evening the beach is still full since most of the people are waiting to watch a very beautiful and impressive sun to dip itself into the water. After the sunset, people start to barbecue and play the guitar enhancing the atmosphere of the beach at night to make it even more joyful.
Transportation: Bus line 44, 101, 223, and 225 Ghajn Tuffieha Bus Terminus Station
Mellieha Bay is also known as Ghadira Bay, is the largest and most popular beach in Malta. It situated up in the north of Malta Island close to the Gozo Ferry Terminal. Mellieha Bay was named after the village called Mellieha which is not very far from the beach. The sea along the beach is shallow and gets deeper as you walk further, however, it is best to swim in the designated swimming zones. In the summertime, it can be very full and packed with tourists and the local families who wish to come and relax at a peaceful beach. If you wish to select a good spot to lay down and enjoy the sun, we recommend you to come early in the morning, that way you can enjoy the beach until the evening to watch the beautiful sunset.
Transportation: Bus line 41, 42, 49, 101, 221, 222, N11, and X1; Ghadira Station
St. Julian's is a town located in the central part Malta. The town has been known as a tourism-oriented business area full of tourists as well as the locals. Paceville, the entertainment district situated here in St. Julian's, full of entertainment places where you can enjoy a great meal and a nightlife. Here in St. Julian's Bay, you will sometimes see the locals swimming in the bay during the summertime, it is probably where they have been swimming their whole life.
Along the bay are the promenadse and the benches where you will see people sitting, running, and walking around. Around St. Julian's Bay is full of hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs, and more entertainment centres. Sitting on a bench along the promenade giving you a calming vibe, sitting and staring out to the sea, and what can be more relaxing? From this viewpoint, you can the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel situated along the promenade.
Around the St. Julian's Bay area, you will find a lot of restaurants to dine in and a lot of cafes and bars to sit at. It is also a great place to watch the sunset since the bay is opening itself to the Mediterranean Sea. From the promenade along the St. Julian's Bay, you can walk to Sliema which will take you just a few minutes since this promenade stretches all the way to Sliema.
Transportation: Bus line 13, 13A, 14, 16, 110, 202, 212, 222, 225, 233, N13, and N212; Balluha Station
Not very far from St. Julian's Bay, is St. George's Bay, another of the most attractive sandy beaches in Malta. It is located in the heart of the entertainment district of Malta, Paceville, where there are a lot of hotels, restaurants, cafes, and bars. It is the sandy beach surrounded by the city which makes it easier for the tourists who want to enjoy the sandy beach but do not wish to travel far from the city. You can also take advantage of being close to the city by enjoying the facilities from the beach club with bars and restaurants just beside the beach.
The beach is very popular during the summertime since it is the only sandy beach around this area which means it can be very packed during peak times. When the weather is good and the sun is out, you will see a lot of foreign students along with the locals who come and enjoy this sandy beach. The area is also full of English schools where a lot of foreign youths from different countries come here to study English.
Transportation: Bus line 14 and 120 Paceville Station
The Roman Baths or Fond Ghadir is located in Sliema along the coastline, it is the rock-cut pools situated beneath the Surfside Restaurant. It is very close to the open sea currents yet protected and safe. Each pool is equipped with stairs making it easily accessible. The pool was dug around the 19th to early 20th century even though the name "Roman" makes it look like it was made in the 16th century.
Sliema does not have any sandy beach but this rocky pool is one of the favourite spots for the tourists to enjoy. You will find the ladder to go down underneath along the coastline. If you do not wish to swim, you can just go down and stroll along the rock, sit back, relax, and enjoy the sea currents. Along the coastline it is full of restaurants and bars where you can spend a memorable evening here before heading back to your hotel.
Transportation: Bus line 13, 13A, 14, 16, 21, 110, 202, 212, 222, 225, 233, N13, N212, and X2; Ghadir Station
Words and Photographs by Aphinya Kasemsukphaisan