Popeye Village, Anchor Bay's film-set village

Popeye Village is one of those places that makes more sense from outside than from within. A village of crooked, brightly painted wooden houses clinging to the water at Anchor Bay, built for a film and never taken down. Whether the ticket is worth it depends almost entirely on having children with you.

What Popeye Village is

It’s the original set of the 1980 film Popeye, according to the company that runs it. It stands at Anchor Bay, within Mellieħa, and its postal address confirms it (Triq Tal-Prajjet, Il-Mellieħa). VisitMalta’s listing adds that the set was built at Anchor Bay during the last seven months of 1979, and that Robin Williams played Popeye. Today it runs as an open-air museum and family park, open all year round.

Anchor Bay is a small, fairly isolated cove, a kilometre west of Mellieħa according to VisitMalta. Fishermen still use the little quay the film crew left behind, a steep slope leads down to the water, and the sea is usually calm, though the official listing says it’s only suitable for good swimmers. That setting, among rocks and clear water, is for me the real draw, more than the set itself. Malta’s other sets and screen locations are gathered in films shot in Malta.

Is it worth going in?

This is where people get it wrong in both directions. With children, yes. Popeye Village isn’t a cinema museum, it’s a family park with shows, games and, in summer, water. From 1 June to 30 September, the €25 adult ticket covers water inflatables, a floating sun deck, splash pools, mini-golf and live shows, plus a limited supply of sunbeds and umbrellas. For a family, that’s half a day sorted.

Without children, I wouldn’t pay. The houses look perfectly good from outside, and the picture everyone wants is the whole village above the cove, which you take from outside, not from within. I’d put the money towards dinner in Mellieħa.

Out of summer, the offer changes. From 1 October to 5 November 2026, entry drops to €18 and you get the set, shows, mini-golf, traditional games, a documentary and silversmith demonstrations. From 6 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 it’s €15, with the Comic Museum and a scavenger hunt added.

With time to spare, I’d head for the Majjistral Nature and History Park, which VisitMalta places by Għajn Tuffieħa, in the middle of the Natura 2000 stretch of the north-west coast. It has clay slopes, boulder scree and cliffs, bays such as Ġnejna, Għajn Tuffieħa and Golden Bay, corbelled stone huts (giren), cart ruts and defences left by both the Knights and the British. VisitMalta suggests walking it between October and April, when the autumn rains bring the landscape back to life. It’s the perfect antidote to a set made of painted timber.

The practical side matters too. The Popeye Village website says to book online to beat the queue, and the season you visit decides what you get for your money, which is why the table above is worth a look before you go.

2026 prices and opening hours

It opens every day at 9:30. In high season it closes at 18:00, in May and from 1 October to 5 November at 17:30, and in low season at 17:00. Children aged 3 to 12 and pensioners pay €16 in summer, €14 in mid season and €12.50 in low season. The full table is above.

The park’s own website suggests booking online to skip the queue. It sells direct, so I see no point in going through a middleman. The company also says the park has plenty of parking.

Food, swimming and what to know before you go

There are several food outlets inside, according to the park’s information page, so you don’t need to leave for lunch. In summer a beach lido with sun decks is added to the water inflatables. Almost the whole visit is outdoors, with steep ramps and plenty of stairs, so in the height of August I’d bring a hat, water and sun cream and go first thing.

A few rules I didn’t expect. Small dogs up to 10 kg are allowed, always on a lead. Drones are banned, adults can’t come in wearing a full Popeye costume, and photo shoots have to be booked in advance by email. Wheelchair users and visitors with limited mobility can ask to be driven down to the set to avoid the ramp.

Getting to Popeye Village

On public transport, route 101 is the key. It leaves Ċirkewwa and stops at Popeye Village before carrying on to Golden Bay and Mġarr. Coming from Valletta or Sliema, you change onto it around Mellieħa or at Ċirkewwa. Passes and fares are in my guide to the Malta bus.

I’d pair it with a beach. Golden Bay is on the same route 101, which also stops at Għadira Bay. For more ideas with children, see my guide to Malta with kids.

How I see it

For me, Popeye Village works as a summer family treat and as a free photo the rest of the year. If you’re travelling solo or as a couple, catch the view of the village from outside as the evening light drops over the cove, then move on. Same postcard, no ticket.