The best beaches on Gozo, red sand and rocky coves

Gozo isn’t an island of long sandy beaches, and the Ministry for Gozo is the first to say so. There are only a few, and the rest are pebbly coves and flat rock ledges. What they all share is the water, so clear the Ministry compares it to the Caribbean. This page ranks the ones I’d choose, with what the Ministry says about each. For the rest of the country, see the best beaches in Malta.

Red sand in the north-east

The north-east coast is where the sand is, and it’s red. Ramla Bay is, in the Ministry’s words, widely considered the best beach on Gozo and perhaps in all Malta, and it’s the island’s largest stretch of sand. Its full name, Ramla il-Ħamra, means the red sandy beach. Its dunes are protected as a Natura 2000 site, it’s undeveloped apart from a few cafés and a stall at the entrance, and Roman villa remains lie under the sand. You reach it from Xagħra or Nadur. The protected area, listed by the EU as L-Inħawi tar-Ramla, covers 7.42 hectares, which is why you’ll find almost nothing built on it, and I hope it stays that way.

San Blas is its little sister, a cove of reddish sand about 100 metres long. You walk down from Nadur on a steep lane closed to traffic, and in summer a jeep does the run for a small fee. There are sunbeds and a kiosk at the bottom. Of the small ones, it’s my favourite.

Ħondoq and Marsalforn, the easy options

Ħondoq ir-Rummien, a short way from the centre of Qala, is sand and pebbles facing Comino, with sunbeds, showers, toilets and kiosks. The Ministry recommends it for families, snorkelling and watersports, and mentions a hidden cove beyond, Bemberin, reachable only by boat or a tricky coastal path. The MTA listed it among its Blue Flag beaches in 2019.

Marsalforn is the most practical if you don’t have a car. There’s sand opposite the police station, tucked behind the breakwater, which the Ministry recommends for young children, and rocks for those who’d rather jump in. Next door are Qbajjar and Xwejni, two shallow pebbly bays beside the salt pans. The MTA listed Marsalforn as a Blue Flag beach in 2019 as well.

Rocky coves in the south and west

When the wind comes from the north, the south is your shelter. Xlendi is a small sand-and-pebble cove between cliffs, with the village and restaurants around it; at the end of a steep staircase in the rocks is Caroline’s Cave, and beyond lies the tiny inlet of il-Kantra. Mġarr ix-Xini is a narrow inlet at the bottom of a gorge, with a watchtower of 1661, reached by a steep, narrow road or by boat; it’s where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt filmed By the Sea.

In the west and north there are two special spots. Wied il-Għasri is a gorge ending in a pebbly cove you can only reach by steps cut into the rock, so it’s not for anyone with mobility issues. The Dwejra Inland Sea is a lagoon joined to the open sea by a tunnel of about 100 metres, where fishermen take visitors out on boat trips. The Ministry also mentions Daħlet Qorrot, San Filep and Xatt l-Aħmar, the last one a favourite with divers.

Before you swim

The Ministry reckons the water reaches 16°C or so in spring and around 27°C in summer, and one piece of advice I rate highly. Because the island is so small, if the wind is up on one coast, a calm bay is only a few kilometres away. I’d check the wind direction before choosing a beach.

MTA-managed beaches fly safety flags. Red over yellow marks a lifeguarded zone, green calm water, yellow medium hazard, red high hazard and double red no swimming, while purple warns of jellyfish. And one rule worth knowing, noted by Spain’s foreign ministry, is that nude and topless bathing aren’t permitted in Malta. The 2026 Blue Flag list wasn’t available to me, so this year’s holders are unconfirmed. For a few days of beach-hopping, staying on the island changes everything, since you’re on the sand before the day-trippers; I compare the bases in Gozo hotels.