Għadira, the beach on Mellieħa Bay

Għadira is the long beach on Mellieħa Bay and, to my mind, the friendliest sandy beach on the island of Malta. It doesn’t have Golden Bay’s fame, but it has two things Golden Bay lacks, shallow water that makes it easy with children and a bird reserve right behind it.

Mellieħa’s big beach

The bay opens out below the town of Mellieħa, which looks down on it from the top of the ridge. VisitMalta describes it as the largest of the thirteen pocket beaches around Mellieħa, sheltered between two headlands, with gently sloping sand and clear, shallow water. That’s why it calls it the island’s most popular family beach, and I wouldn’t argue.

That easy coastline was also a weakness. VisitMalta’s page on Mellieħa says that 15th-century hamlet, so visible from the sea, emptied out for fear of pirates and wasn’t lived in again until the 1700s. I enjoy the bay more knowing that. The Red Tower in Mellieħa you can see up top was built by Grand Master Lascaris in 1647, with a cannon and 30 men.

The Għadira bird reserve

Behind the sand lies the Għadira nature reserve. BirdLife Malta, which runs it, describes it as a seven-hectare reserve on the outskirts of Mellieħa, a bird sanctuary since 1978, a Ramsar site and a Natura 2000 site. The full protected area is larger, 97.74 hectares going by the Natura 2000 figures published by the EU’s environment agency.

What almost nobody knows is the calendar. The reserve opens from September to May. In winter, on weekdays, only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 13:30 to 17:00, and at weekends from 10:00 to 16:00. It’s closed at Christmas, New Year, Good Friday and Easter, and entry is free, with a donation. In summer, just when the beach is busiest, the reserve is shut. That’s why Għadira shines for me in spring and autumn, with a gentle swim and birds behind you.

It isn’t the only protected area nearby. The EU’s Natura 2000 register adds two more around Mellieħa, Ramla tat-Torri and Irdum tal-Madonna at 74.91 hectares, and the Wied il-Miżieb valley at 24.65. A little further west there’s also the Majjistral park, right on the Natura 2000 coast. For a corner of the island with so many hotels, the north keeps a surprising amount of open country and untouched coast, which you notice as soon as you step off the beach.

The tower above adds to that sense of place. Under British rule it was manned through both world wars, and VisitMalta’s page adds that the Armed Forces of Malta later fitted it out as a radar station.

What’s swimming at Għadira Bay like?

Sand and shallow water, the two things anyone travelling with small children is looking for. No official source I’ve read publishes the 2026 Blue Flag list, so whether it flies one this year is anyone’s guess. The MTA does publish its safety flag code, which I’d always check before the first swim. Purple, for instance, warns of jellyfish.

In high season I apply the same rule as along the whole north coast. Early or late. And if you fancy another sandy beach, Golden Bay is on the same bus route.

Getting to Għadira Bay

From Valletta’s terminus, route 49 runs to Għadira Bay. From Ċirkewwa, the 101 calls at Għadira Bay on its way through Mellieħa, Popeye Village and Golden Bay. Staying in town, it’s a short ride away. Summer fares are €2.50 a journey, and the rest is covered in my Malta bus guide.

A day in the north

This is how I’d shape the day. A swim at Għadira first thing, up to the Red Tower before the real heat, and the afternoon on the beach or in the town of Mellieħa. Between September and May, the reserve fits neatly in between. Just remember it shuts at Christmas, New Year, Good Friday and Easter even within its season, so check the date if you’re visiting over the holidays. To weigh it against beaches on all three islands, see how the best beaches in Malta stack up.