The Best Beaches
in Malta

Malta is three islands of limestone and clear water, and it pays to know what kind of coast you are dealing with before you pack the car. Most of Malta and Gozo is rock and low cliff, edged with deep clear water that the locals swim straight off the ledges, and only a handful of true sandy beaches, almost all of them in the north and west. The famous turquoise of the Blue Lagoon on Comino is the headline, but it is a channel between islands rather than a beach, so manage the picture in your head.

The honest read is that Malta's sandy beaches are small, popular and quick to fill, so the relaxed empty shots belong to early mornings and the shoulder months rather than an August afternoon. The reward for the size is the water, genuinely some of the clearest in the Mediterranean, and a swimming culture that treats a flat rock and a deep pool as the equal of any sand. Below we rank the beaches on the sand, the water, the setting and the kind of day each one delivers.

One thing a local always checks is the wind. When the Gregale blows from the northeast or the Majjistral from the northwest, the exposed northern and western bays churn and the Comino boats can stop, while the sheltered south and east stay calm. Read the forecast, swing to the lee coast on a blowy day, and the islands almost always have somewhere flat to swim.

Who should skip what? If you want a proper sandy day with shallow warm water for children, the long shelving sand of Mellieha Bay and the breadth of Golden Bay are the easy choices, and Ramla on Gozo adds space and a wild feel. If you want the famous colour and a snorkel, the Blue Lagoon is unmatched but rocky and crowded, so treat it as a swim and a photograph rather than a place to lounge all day. The classic mistake is arriving at the Blue Lagoon at noon in August and expecting room to breathe.

Logistics reward a car, an early start and an eye on the wind. The best beaches are spread across three islands, the sandy ones are small and fill by late morning in summer, and the boats to Comino depend on the sea state. Match the beach to the day, the sheltered sand for families and easy swimming, the rock pools of the south for a calm clear dip, and Comino early for the colour. Come in June or September and most of the squeeze disappears.

Malta's beach season runs from late spring deep into autumn. July and August bring the hottest, driest days, the warmest sea and the heaviest crowds, the highest prices and the busiest sand, so June and September are the sweet spot with warm water and more room. May and October are quieter and pleasant on warm days, though the sea is cooler and the wind more changeable, so check before planning a day at the exposed bays. Our full calendar breaks the year down month by month.

The beaches feed the clubs, and in Malta the scene is built around pools and lidos as much as sand, because so much of the coast is rock. The loudest, most famous is Cafe del Mar at St Paul's Bay with its infinity pool and sunset DJs, while smarter, calmer lidos and beach clubs sit around St Julian's, Sliema and the west coast bays. Our full directory compares every club by area and vibe, with any minimum spend confirmed when you enquire.