Walk the wooden film set built for the 1980 Popeye musical, still standing above Anchor Bay, then give children the live shows and climbing playhouses the village runs alongside it.
Landmark, Mellieħa. Meridian Dispatch.
The village opens daily at 9:30, and closing time changes with the season. As of November 2026, it closes at 17:00 in low season (6 November to 30 April), 17:30 in mid season (May, and 1 October to 5 November) and 18:00 in high season (June to September).
Route 101 runs directly from Cirkewwa ferry terminal to the stop named Popeye, number 1005. Passengers crossing from Gozo land at that terminal and board the same bus there.
The lookout on the cliff above the bay is free to visit at all hours, takes in the whole village and has a small free car park beside it. The film set, shows and play areas lie inside the ticketed village.
Yes. A small collection of gentle rides suits younger children, while older children tend to spend their energy exploring the buildings and climbing ladders between levels.
Popeye Village sits beside Anchor Bay, a short way west of Mellieħa in the north-west of Malta. By car it is about 15 to 20 minutes from the Ċirkewwa ferry terminal, where the boats from Gozo land.
Only in the high season, from June to September, when the Summer Package adds splash pools, an inflatable assault course on the water, a floating deck for sunbathing, sunbeds and umbrellas. The mid and low seasons centre on the film set and live animation shows instead.
Yes. The low season runs from 6 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, with the village open daily and closing earlier than in summer. The film set stays open through the winter, with activities for all ages around the village.
Yes. Entrance tickets for the film set are sold online directly through the official Popeye Village website, popeyemalta.com, which sets out what each seasonal package includes, from the summer water activities to the low-season Comic Museum.
The official site of Popeye Village is popeyemalta.com.
popeyemalta.com →Rustic, ramshackle wooden buildings fill a cove at Anchor Bay, just west of Mellieħa. This is Popeye Village, also known as Sweethaven Village. Robert Altman's production built it in 1979, with Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall starring.
The set took seven months to finish, using logs and planks imported from the Netherlands, roof shingles from Canada and eight tons of nails.
Production stills hang around the village, and the cinema screens a 15-minute documentary on how the set was built.
Around the set, the place now runs as a seaside family fun park. Children can meet the movie's main characters, among them Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto and Wimpy, and the playhouses let them clamber through the buildings.
Film set entrance tickets can be booked online on the official site. Every season's entry names the set, the live character shows and the cinema, and the rest depends on when you come.
In low season, the list adds the Comic Museum and a scavenger hunt. Mid season, in May and again from October, adds traditional games, mini-golf and silversmith demonstrations.
The Summer Package brings in the water: an inflatables assault course, a floating sun deck and splash pools, along with mini-golf, sunbeds and umbrellas.
Boat rides also run from the village, but no season's list names them, so call 2152 4781 before you count on one.
From Gozo, the ferry to Cirkewwa takes 25 minutes and the drive south towards Mellieħa another 15 to 20. Follow the signs to Anchor Bay and Popeye Village.
Summer sunbeds are limited and go first come, first served, so do not count on one for each of your party.
Mellieħa's ridge gives you a quiet night above the bay: the sand is about 3 km downhill, and the Parish Church terrace looks back over it in the evening.
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