Malta National Aquarium
A tunnel through the main tank puts sharks and rays over your head as you walk, and the other tanks in this starfish-shaped building at Qawra Point show Mediterranean species from the sea around Malta.
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Stay on the Buġibba seafront and you can take a bus out every morning, swim off the rocks at Qawra Point in the afternoon and eat on the promenade at night.
Town guide, Malta. Meridian Dispatch.
Ninety seconds on St. Paul's Bay
Buses 31, 45, 48 and TD13 run from the Valletta terminal to Buġibba and St. Paul's Bay. Route 31 has separate tables for Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Buġibba, near the square, keeps bars, restaurants, the waterfront and the buses a short walk away. The square is the busiest spot, so a room set back from the street is the quieter choice.
Routes 31, 45, 48, 186, 212, 214, 223 and TD1 are among its departures. Route 212 runs to Sliema, and route 223 runs to Għajn Tuffieħa, ending at the Riviera and Tuffieħa stops for Golden Bay. Routes 221 and 222, for Mellieħa, use the seafront stops.
Yes, by steps. Getting in is harder in winter. The rock is sharp around the shore and under the water, so water shoes or sandals are needed, and the site has no shower.
It opens every day from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:30. It stands on Qawra Point.
Route TD5 is the direct airport link to Buġibba, with six trips daily in each direction. Route TD1 also starts at Malta International Airport, MLA, and ends at Ċirkewwa, with calls along the way at Qawra, Buġibba and San Pawl il-Baħar. A third option, route 214, goes to Buġibba via Rabat and Mosta.
Yes, if you plan day trips by bus: Buġibba is the north coast's busiest base.
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Buġibba and Qawra fill the headland between St Paul's Bay and Salina Bay, on Malta's north-east coast. The older seafront of San Pawl il-Baħar runs round the bay to Xemxija at its head, under a ridge of terraced fields.
35 metres
Buġibba and Qawra are lined with large resort hotels and apartments. The two picks here sit either side of the bay: Lure, in Mellieħa village up the hill, about 10 minutes by taxi, and the Hyatt Regency on St George's Bay in St Julian's, about 20 minutes down the coast road.
In St. Julian's
In Mellieħa
In St. Julian's
Grouped by what each place is best for, from the rocks at Qawra Point to the wetlands and towers round the bay.
The aquarium, the Perched Beach and the swims at Qawra Point are on the seafront, a walk from Buġibba Square. Wignacourt Tower stands at the head of the bay, and Xemxija, Simar and San Pawl Milqi are a short bus ride inland.
A tunnel through the main tank puts sharks and rays over your head as you walk, and the other tanks in this starfish-shaped building at Qawra Point show Mediterranean species from the sea around Malta.
Read the guideRestored sports cars, saloons and motorcycles fill halls in date order on a back street in Qawra, with period signs and toys between them. It opens daily, with shorter hours at weekends.
Read the guideThe oldest surviving Knights' watchtower on Malta, on the seafront at the head of the bay, with a small display on the island's chain of towers inside. Volunteers open it on Monday to Saturday mornings, so call ahead.
Read the guideOlive presses and settling vats of a Roman farm on the slope above Burmarrad, under a 17th-century chapel. Heritage Malta opens it by appointment only, so book ahead.
Read the guideAbout 4 km of dirt paths on the ridge above Xemxija Bay, past an old road, rock-cut beehives, Punic tombs and cart ruts. It starts at a sign reading The Roman Road; carry a map, because the signs skip some stops.
Read the guideSalt pans and a brackish wetland at the head of Salina Bay, beside the coast road. Salt is still harvested in summer, and waders stop on the pans in the migration seasons.
Read the guidePools and reedbeds in the Pwales valley below Xemxija, with herons, kingfishers and chameleons in the tamarisks. It opens from September to May, on Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00 and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
Read the guideMore than 15 small rock-cut tombs from the late Roman and Byzantine period, on the slope above Salina Bay. Visits are by appointment, booked by email with Heritage Malta, and a member of staff opens the site for you.
Read the guideSand laid on a rock platform on the Buġibba promenade, with ladders and ramps into water that deepens fast. Beach services run from 15 June to 15 September; skip it on rough days, when the rocks get slippery.
A few megalithic blocks and the outline of a small temple, kept in the grounds of a seafront hotel in Buġibba. It is a short look on a walk along the promenade.
A statue of Christ on the seabed off Qawra Point, beside the scuttled ferry Imperial Eagle. Both are boat dives for experienced divers, and wind or swell can stop the trip.
Two low islets at the mouth of the bay, with a statue of St Paul on the larger one. There is no landing stage, so go round them on a boat trip from Buġibba, and swim off the boat on a calm day.
A square watchtower of 1658 on Għallis Point, at the mouth of Salina Bay. It opens by appointment, and the outside is easy to see from the coast road.
A curved concrete wall built in 1935 to hear aircraft coming, now on a private telecoms site at Magħtab. You see it from the public road across the fields, and binoculars help.
The promenade runs from Buġibba Square past the Perched Beach to the tip of Qawra Point, where the aquarium stands and steps lead into the sea.
A tunnel through the main tank puts sharks and rays over your head as you walk, and the other tanks in this starfish-shaped building at Qawra Point show Mediterranean species from the sea around Malta.
Read the guideRestored sports cars, saloons and motorcycles fill halls in date order on a back street in Qawra, with period signs and toys between them. It opens daily, with shorter hours at weekends.
Read the guideSand laid on a rock platform on the Buġibba promenade, with ladders and ramps into water that deepens fast. Beach services run from 15 June to 15 September; skip it on rough days, when the rocks get slippery.
A few megalithic blocks and the outline of a small temple, kept in the grounds of a seafront hotel in Buġibba. It is a short look on a walk along the promenade.
St Paul's Islands lie at the mouth of the bay with no landing stage, so the way out is a boat trip from Buġibba. Divers go down off Qawra Point.
Sand laid on a rock platform on the Buġibba promenade, with ladders and ramps into water that deepens fast. Beach services run from 15 June to 15 September; skip it on rough days, when the rocks get slippery.
A statue of Christ on the seabed off Qawra Point, beside the scuttled ferry Imperial Eagle. Both are boat dives for experienced divers, and wind or swell can stop the trip.
Two low islets at the mouth of the bay, with a statue of St Paul on the larger one. There is no landing stage, so go round them on a boat trip from Buġibba, and swim off the boat on a calm day.
The Knights' towers guard both bays, a Roman farm lies above Burmarrad, and a concrete listening wall stands in the fields at Magħtab.
The oldest surviving Knights' watchtower on Malta, on the seafront at the head of the bay, with a small display on the island's chain of towers inside. Volunteers open it on Monday to Saturday mornings, so call ahead.
Read the guideOlive presses and settling vats of a Roman farm on the slope above Burmarrad, under a 17th-century chapel. Heritage Malta opens it by appointment only, so book ahead.
Read the guideAbout 4 km of dirt paths on the ridge above Xemxija Bay, past an old road, rock-cut beehives, Punic tombs and cart ruts. It starts at a sign reading The Roman Road; carry a map, because the signs skip some stops.
Read the guideMore than 15 small rock-cut tombs from the late Roman and Byzantine period, on the slope above Salina Bay. Visits are by appointment, booked by email with Heritage Malta, and a member of staff opens the site for you.
Read the guideA few megalithic blocks and the outline of a small temple, kept in the grounds of a seafront hotel in Buġibba. It is a short look on a walk along the promenade.
A square watchtower of 1658 on Għallis Point, at the mouth of Salina Bay. It opens by appointment, and the outside is easy to see from the coast road.
A curved concrete wall built in 1935 to hear aircraft coming, now on a private telecoms site at Magħtab. You see it from the public road across the fields, and binoculars help.
Salt pans fill the head of Salina Bay, reedbeds fill the valley below Xemxija, and an old road climbs the ridge above it.
About 4 km of dirt paths on the ridge above Xemxija Bay, past an old road, rock-cut beehives, Punic tombs and cart ruts. It starts at a sign reading The Roman Road; carry a map, because the signs skip some stops.
Read the guideSalt pans and a brackish wetland at the head of Salina Bay, beside the coast road. Salt is still harvested in summer, and waders stop on the pans in the migration seasons.
Read the guidePools and reedbeds in the Pwales valley below Xemxija, with herons, kingfishers and chameleons in the tamarisks. It opens from September to May, on Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00 and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
Read the guideTwo museums under cover in Qawra, and the tower and the reserve that open on set days, for the days the swims are off.
A tunnel through the main tank puts sharks and rays over your head as you walk, and the other tanks in this starfish-shaped building at Qawra Point show Mediterranean species from the sea around Malta.
Read the guideRestored sports cars, saloons and motorcycles fill halls in date order on a back street in Qawra, with period signs and toys between them. It opens daily, with shorter hours at weekends.
Read the guideThe oldest surviving Knights' watchtower on Malta, on the seafront at the head of the bay, with a small display on the island's chain of towers inside. Volunteers open it on Monday to Saturday mornings, so call ahead.
Read the guidePools and reedbeds in the Pwales valley below Xemxija, with herons, kingfishers and chameleons in the tamarisks. It opens from September to May, on Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00 and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
Read the guideStart at the tip of Qawra Point with the Malta National Aquarium. Give the walk-through tunnel its time, then step out onto the terrace, which looks across the bay to St Paul's Islands.
Then swim from the rocks below it, where steps lead into the sea inside the bay. Bring water shoes for the sharp rock. For sand instead, walk back along the promenade to Buġibba Perched Beach, where ladders and ramps lead into the water.
After lunch, take a boat trip from the Buġibba waterfront round St Paul's Islands. The islands have no landing stage, so the boats circle them, and on a calm day you can swim off the side in clear water.
Late in the day, walk the seafront round to Wignacourt Tower, at the head of the bay in San Pawl il-Baħar. Volunteers open it on weekday and Saturday mornings, so if the door is shut, keep it for another day and stay on the promenade as the light goes over Xemxija.
Keep a second morning for the ridge above Xemxija. The Xemxija Heritage Trail starts at a sign reading The Roman Road and runs about 4 km past rock-cut beehives, Punic tombs and cart ruts. From September to May, finish at Simar Nature Reserve in the valley below, open on Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00.
Malta has one airport, at Luqa, south-east of St. Paul's Bay. Route TD5 runs direct to Buġibba a few times a day, TD1 passes through on its way to Ċirkewwa, and a taxi is the direct way.
Route TD5 is the direct link between the airport and Buġibba, with six trips a day in each direction, every day, so check the times before you land. Pay on board by cash or contactless card.
Route TD1 runs between the airport and Ċirkewwa, with stops in San Pawl il-Baħar, Buġibba and Qawra on the way.
Buy a fixed-fare ticket at the booth in the Welcomers' Hall.
Request the car once you land, then walk to the pickup point the app shows outside arrivals. Bolt sometimes moves that point, so check the app again as you leave the terminal.
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The official pages this guide was checked against.
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