Aħrax Tower

Tower

Tower · Mellieħa, Malta 35.9956°N 14.3644°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Aħrax Tower

Best time

Clear, calm daysCoastal path is best then

Effort

Stairs insideStaircase to upper floor

Access

Bus via MellieħaThen local bus or walk

What it is

What is the Aħrax Tower, the White Tower in Mellieħa?

A small watchtower that Grand Master Martin de Redin built to watch over the Comino channel, the sixth of his 13 coastal towers. Besides the White Tower, it also goes by Armier Tower and Ta' Ħoslien Tower.

The battery

What is the battery beside Aħrax Tower?

A gun position added in 1715, more than half a century after the tower of 1658. It has a semicircular gun platform, a blockhouse against the tower's western wall, and two walls tying the tower to the platform.

By bus

How do you get to Aħrax Tower by bus?

Buses run from Valletta and Bugibba to Mellieħa, roughly 1 to 1.5 hours from Valletta. From Mellieħa a local service reaches Armier Bay and the headland, or the walk takes 30 to 45 minutes.

The White Tower stands on the hill at L-Aħrax, at the northern tip of Malta, with Coral Beach on the slope below you and the channel to Comino and Gozo straight ahead.

What makes it special

The tower is a small limestone watchtower, still intact, with the battery added in 1715 right beside it.

Look up at its machicolation, the stone gallery that juts out from the wall. Of the 13 coastal towers in its series, this is the only one built with one.

The battery's semicircular gun platform, with a parapet for guns firing over the top, is joined to the tower by two walls.

Inside, the ground floor stored cannon balls and gunpowder. The upper floor housed the commander, three soldiers and a bombardier.

The whole tower is lit after dark, which makes it easy to pick out on its hill in the evening, and the lighting also helps keep the site secure.

Visiting

At the blockhouse, use the door on the west side to get in. From there an arched passage, cut through the thickness of the tower's wall, leads into the ground floor.

For the upper floor, go back out and use the second door, on the south side of the same building, which opens onto a staircase.

Upstairs, step out onto the viewing terrace, which looks across the Gozo-Comino Channel towards a dark sky area.

Back outside, Armier Bay is a short walk down the hill from the tower.

Tips

On the walk along the Marfa Ridge, take the coastal path on clear, calm days and the inland route when the wind blows. The old fortifications on that coast make handy landmarks.

The last stretch can be a narrow, rough path across the garrigue, so wear shoes with a good grip.

The headland has nowhere to stay beyond a few private villas, so base yourself in Mellieħa town, a short bus or taxi ride away.

Know before you goAs of November 2026, Din l-Art Ħelwa volunteers run the tower and its opening hours vary, so the doors may be shut when you reach it.