Top 5 Best Beaches in Malta: Madwarna, Experiences that matter!

We are an Island

For starters we are an Island, so you could almost take any opportunity to jump into our blue seas from any accessible point…. Always being careful of weather and currents! Malta is an all-year round destination, and we have many brave locals and foreigners who continue swimming throughout December and January. We used the word “brave” for the respect of these fearless souls taking the leap into a cold 15-degree sea… some would say they are crazy, others say it is healthy, so we’ll go with the healthy label =)

Of sands and rocks

When we think of beaches most of us think of sitting on a comfortable sunbed sipping on a cocktail on some exotic white beach. Now exotic can mean unusual, and we have a number of unique sea side locations to take your dip. Sandy beaches or normally more popular than the rocky ones, and this does not mean the sea is necessarily nicer. I will list our top 5 beaches in Malta below in no order or preference, and I will try to describe the experience in each of them.

You will find many articles with best beaches, and I suppose beauty or preference is in the eye of the beholder, so it is not a one beach fits all situation. These are some our favourites.

Riviera

This is a true gem of golden coloured sand, amongst picturesque clay cliffs… but there’s a small catch… around 180 steps lie between you and this paradise! Remember Newtons law (what goes up must come down)? Well in this case what goes down must come up, and the steps motivate you to extend your stay a little longer at the beach, and normally keeps away the crowds. This is also a lovely beach for sunset so worth staying later if you can. Situated in the North of Malta and reachable by public transport.

Golden Bay

This beach is an easily accessible golden sand coloured beach. Larger than its neighbour Riviera, and also beautiful. This beach, just like riviera is even more of a gem in winter, spring and autumn, as there are normally less crowds and more relaxing. You can take a kayak from here and explore the rocks and inlets of the nearby bays (check if kayak rental is open, or you can always get them to bring you one to the beach). The nearby kiosk is open year-round and has a variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner snacks and meals, which you can enjoy on the sand. It is more easily assessable than Riviera so normally fills up faster.

Comino Santa Maria

Till a few years ago this beach was probably one of the least visited sandy beaches on the islands. Then they decided to allow somebody to take care of the beach and make available facilities such as showers, sunbeds and umbrellas and a small kiosk. It remains unspoilt considering you can only get to it by boat. The beach is in one of less visited bays on the small Island of Comino, which sits between the main Island of Malta and its sister Island of Gozo. Worth the visit but start early or stay later and check/book the return boat trip required to travel there and back! To get to Comino you need to travel to most north part of Malta by public or private transport and get a boat from Marfa or Cirkewwa. Important to check about these boats, availability, price, and timings. Check return boats too as we do not recommend getting stuck on Island for the night, as there are no facilities.

Ramla Bay

Or Ramla Il-Hamra as we call it in Maltese, “Ramel” meaning sand in Maltese and “Hamra” is the colour red, so the translation would be “The Red Beach”. Goes without saying that the sand on this beach has a red tinge and is located on the sister Island of Gozo. The sand dunes continue inland and a stream flows through the beach and sand dunes. It’s a gem and the largest sandy beach on Gozo Island. The surroundings and the bay are also beautiful.

St. Peters Pool

This is a rocky “beach” or “pool” as it is in an enclave in the South part of Malta. St. Peters Pool grew in popularity a few years ago thanks to the “diving dog” titti. Yes, that’s right a cliff-diving dog his owner became an attraction not to be missed. Youtube this and see what the entertainment was about. Poor titti passed away in January 2019, but the “pool” is still nice a blue and a great place to test your diving skills (please do this carefully as inexperienced swimmers can get injured).

To conclude, Malta is so small you can visit most beaches within a short time. You can also take a dip in the med from almost any coastal area, just be mindful of rough seas and strong currents, it’s not worth the risk getting hurt, when you could sit back and stick to sunbathing or sipping on a fresh cocktail. By the way, did I mention we have some really cool beach clubs in Malta? Until next time!