This section said eight bays allow dogs. The official list has 16 dog beaches, and two of the eight bays we named are not on it.
Malta is known for its beaches, but most of them are not what visitors picture. Of the sixty-nine bays listed on this site, twenty-three have sand of any kind.
The rest are rock. Thirty-one have no facilities at all.
Most swimming here is off rock
Thirty-nine of the sixty-nine bays are rocky. Several more are a mix of pebble and rock.
This is not a problem once you expect it. Most rocky bays are flat limestone shelves with metal ladders bolted into them, so getting in and out is easy.
Take something to sit on. The rock is hard and it gets very hot in summer.
Thirty-one bays have nothing at all
Thirty-one of the sixty-nine have no toilets, no food, no drinks and no parking. Twenty-five have toilets.
Twenty-eight sell food and drink. Twenty-six have parking nearby.
If you are going somewhere small, take water with you and expect to find nothing there.
The sandy bays are mostly in the north
In Malta the sand is concentrated in the north. Golden Bay, Għajn Tuffieħa, Għadira, Paradise Bay, Armier and Ġnejna are the main ones. Pretty Bay is in the south and St George’s Bay is in St Julian’s.
In Gozo the sandy bays are Ramla l-Ħamra, San Blas, Xlendi, Marsalforn and Ħondoq ir-Rummien. In Comino they are the Blue Lagoon, Santa Marija and San Niklaw.
Where the facilities are
Golden Bay records thirteen facilities, more than anywhere else. Għadira Bay, Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Armier and Marsalforn all record ten or eleven.
These are the bays to pick if you want sunbeds, food and a toilet without planning ahead. They are also the busiest in July and August.
Dogs and step-free access
Sixteen beaches are official dog beaches, and dogs are banned from every other sandy beach all year.
Eleven bays record some accessibility provision. They are Exiles, Għadira, Armier, Buġibba Perched Beach, Qawra Point, St George’s Bay, Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Xlendi, Marsalforn, Pretty Bay and Golden Bay. These are the larger serviced bays, which is where ramps and parking tend to be.
Check the page before you go
Every bay on this site has its own page listing what it has and what it does not. Forty-nine of the sixty-nine are in Malta, sixteen are in Gozo and four are in Comino. Check the page before you travel, especially for the smaller ones.
