Birżebbuġa, the other shore of Marsaxlokk Bay

Birżebbuġa doesn’t make many postcards, and there’s a reason. It faces the same bay as Marsaxlokk, but from the shore where the Freeport grew, along with the neighbourhoods of the people who work there. What it does have is one of Malta’s most unusual visits and a sandy beach right in the middle of town. That’s enough for a stop.

A fishing town with a freeport next door

Visit Malta calls it a quiet fishing port and small resort on the western side of Marsaxlokk Bay, whose population swelled with workers from the Malta Freeport and its container terminal. The NSO gives it 12,916 residents at the end of 2025, of whom 4,416 are foreign.

Fishing is still part of the picture. The FAO says about 40 per cent of Malta’s registered boats work out of Marsaxlokk and Birżebbuġa, either side of the harbour, separated by the headland of Fort San Luċjan, home to the national fisheries science centre. The FAO was working with 2004 fleet data then, so I read it as a general idea only.

Għar Dalam, the reason to come

If you do one thing here, make it Għar Dalam. Heritage Malta calls it Malta’s oldest prehistoric site. Its layers held the bones of elephants, hippos, deer and bears that reached Malta from Sicily when the sea was lower, some over 160,000 years old, and in the top layer the first traces of Neolithic farmers. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-17:00, and adults pay €6.50 for the combined ticket. Since 23 September 2026 the visit has also included the restored valley of Wied Dalam.

The rest of the local heritage is on hold. Borġ in-Nadur, a Bronze Age village half a kilometre from the cave with a wall up to 4.5 metres tall, has been shut since 30 July 2026 because of road works. And the Roman villa of Ta’ Kaċċatura, with what Heritage Malta calls the only surviving Roman concrete roof on the island, is permanently closed.

If you only have a couple of hours, I’d give almost all of them to the cave and the new valley walk, then finish with a paddle at Pretty Bay before the bus back.

Where to swim in Birżebbuġa

At Pretty Bay, and here’s the curious bit. Visit Malta says that for decades it was a Maltese bathing spot without a grain of sand, where people got into the water from flat rocks or purpose-built platforms. The sand arrived with the dredging works for the Freeport, which were used to fill the bay. Today it’s a beach right in the centre, with shops and restaurants around it.

If you prefer rock, Visit Malta recommends the stretch of coast towards St George’s Bay for sunbathing and snorkelling. That St George’s Bay is a fishermen’s inlet and has nothing to do with the one in St Julian’s, despite the shared name. Next to its chapel of St George there are prehistoric cart ruts.

One warning worth repeating. The name Birżebbuġa is easily confused with Żebbuġ, a separate town in central Malta, and with Żebbuġ on Gozo. Double-check which one your bus or taxi is heading for.

Market, buses and beds

Thursday is market day, from 06:00 to 13:00 according to Visit Malta’s shopping guide. It’s a proper village market without Marsaxlokk’s fame, which is exactly why I find it interesting if your dates line up.

By bus, Malta Public Transport’s official list has six daytime routes terminating in Birżebbuġa, the 80, 82, 82A, 82B, 205 and 210, plus a night route, the N82. The Playmobil FunPark in Ħal Far recommends the 82A or 82B from Valletta, and for arrivals by air, the airport and the park both point to the 119. Timetables are on the official journey planner, and fares in my guide to Malta’s buses.

For a bed, the MTA register lists two three-star hotels, the CA Sand Dune with 100 rooms and South 32 with 32, plus two guesthouses and 73 holiday lets. To eat, the same register gives 14 restaurants, 21 snack bars and 7 bars, and for the more famous fish there’s Marsaxlokk across the bay. It’s an option if you want a beach and a quiet south. If you’ll be touring the whole island, Valletta puts you closer to nearly everything.