Paradise Bay, the last cove before Gozo

Paradise Bay has a brochure name and, if you go looking for its official profile, very little to show for it. Neither Heritage Malta nor the Malta Tourism Authority has a readable page about it. So I’ll tell you what can be checked, and I’ll be clear about what can’t.

Where Paradise Bay is

At the very top of the main island, beside Ċirkewwa, the terminal where Gozo Channel’s ferries leave for Mġarr and some of the Comino boats depart. That makes it the island’s last cove before the channel. No official source I’ve been able to read says which local council it falls under, so I’ll leave it at “by Ċirkewwa”, near Mellieħa.

There is an official bathing water profile for Paradise Bay, published by Malta’s environmental health directorate, but its server returns an access error and it couldn’t be consulted. I’d rather not repeat second-hand what it says, and once it can be read, this page will grow.

Getting to Paradise Bay

Here the facts are solid. Plenty of Malta Public Transport routes reach Ċirkewwa terminal. Valletta is linked by the 41 and 42, Buġibba by the 221, Sliema by the 222 and the airport by the TD1, which runs via Mellieħa, Buġibba and Rabat. The 101 leaves from there for Mġarr, calling at the northern beaches and villages from Popeye Village to Għadira Bay.

Inside the terminal you’ll find public toilets looked after by Gozo Channel, snack machines and live departure boards. I have no official source for whatever facilities there may be at the cove itself, so I won’t promise any. For passes and fares, see my guide to the Malta bus.

Protected water for divers

What is well documented is the sea around it. The Malta Tourism Authority, explaining why Malta was voted the world’s best diving destination at the 2025 boot Düsseldorf awards, names the Ċirkewwa Marine Park as a protected area. For divers, this tip of the island is familiar ground, and dive centres must be licensed by the MTA. I cover it in diving in Malta.

If you only want a look below the surface with a mask and snorkel, bear in mind that most of Malta’s coast is rock, as the Spanish Foreign Ministry points out, and that it’s always worth checking the MTA’s flag code before going in. Purple warns of jellyfish and double red means no swimming.

Is Paradise Bay worth it?

My view, on what I know, is that it works as a swim while you wait. If you’re travelling to or from Gozo via Ċirkewwa and have time on your hands, heading down to the cove makes perfect sense. The sunset photo between the rocks on this page is the best reason to stay late.

For a full beach day, I’d go elsewhere. Mellieħa Bay (Għadira) has sand, shallow water and facts you can check, and Golden Bay has a direct bus from Valletta. To weigh up every option, the best beaches in Malta guide puts them side by side.