Beaches in Malta: Ghajn Tuffieha Bay and Golden Bay

Two of my favourite beaches in Malta are Golden Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha Bay, they both sit next to each other and are only walking distance apart. They are situated on the Western part of Malta, with Golden bay having most of the facilities, like places to eat and toilets and the large 5 star Radisson Golden Sands Hotel and thus this beach gets much more populated especially in mid summer. You can hire all sorts of equipment for watersports from this beach and there is a diving school also located on site.

If you are looking for an un-crowded beach, somewhere to get a little peace and quiet Ghajn Tuffieha Bay may be just what you are looking for, this beach is also great for snorkeling. Because Ghajn Tuffieha Bay does not have any facilities, it tends to be much quieter and though it cannot be described as a nude beach, I have seen nudists at the far end of the beach before. If that is not your thing, you can easily stay away from that area and you would probably not even notice them.

You have to climb over 100 steps or you can choose to climb down hillside paths to get to Ghajn Tuffieha bay and so would not be suitable for anyone who has dificulty in climbing. To get to Golden Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha Bay you can take the bus Route 47 from Valletta or alternatively route 652 from Sliema.

Topless Beaches in Malta

P'tit cul maltais
Originally uploaded by jdlechere

I have had a number of people asking me if the beaches in Malta are topless, or indeed if there are any nude beaches in Malta.

From the research that I have done, I think officially public nudity is illegal in Malta, but having said that I have seen some people go nude on some remote beaches like Gnejna Bay.

As for topless sunbathing, most people turn a blind eye to topless bathing, but again it tends to be done at the more remote beaches of Malta and Gozo.

So to answer your question, I would say that it is ok, as long as you don't wander the streets or go into the bars topless! For me though this is definitely not a reason not to visit Malta and it's wonderful beaches.

The Best Beaches in Malta

Ghajn Tuffieha Bay - Malta
Originally uploaded by GeertVG

Whenever I go on holiday, like most people I like to do some research on where I am going. For my upcoming trip to Malta (in about 2 weeks time now! \o/) I have been trying to do some research on where are the best beaches in Malta.

Now I don't know about you, but I reckon that a good beach guide should at least contain:

A description about the beach
What facilities you can find at the beach
How to get to the beach
Photos of the beach - so you can get a good idea of what it looks like.

Now you won't believe how hard this is to find! There are plenty of guides to the best beaches out there, but to find a good one, especially for Malta was tough, but I did find one and not only did it have all that i wanted, but also contains videos from Youtube on the beach.. excellent!

Check out The Beach Holiday Guide to the best beaches in Malta

Pretty bay, Birzebuggia

Pretty bay, Birzebuggia
Originally uploaded by ngari.norway

Excellent photo of a beach called Pretty Bay, in the south of Malta near the town of Birzebuggia.

This beach was actually a stony beach, the sand has been artificially added when the port (freeport was constructed)

I think it is the only sandy beach on the southern part of Malta.

What to see and do on your holiday in Malta

So with my holiday in Malta fast approaching, I leave in the middle of March, I thought I would do a little research to find out what else there is to see and do in Malta, besides lazing on the beach and scuba diving!

Malta Attractions
Malta have a very rich history and culture, in fact the islands of Malta and Gozo are blessed with an abundance of fascinating historical and archaeological sites, some of which preceded the building of the Pyramids!

Museums in Malta
If you enjoy visiting museums, in Malta you are in for a treat, with such a rich heritage, much of it preserved in museums there are plenty of places to visit. Each museum contains exquisite artefacts from various fields and eras be it art, archaeology, natural history, war time. And if that is not enough even more treasures can be found in the 364 churches built on the island!

So which museums do you visit?

An excellent place to start is the National Museum of Archaeology in Malta which houses a collection of artifacts from the unique prehistoric periods in the history of the island which begins with the first people to arrive in 5200 BC.

The museum is located on Republic St, Auberge de Provcence Valletta

I will also be visiting St. John's Co-Cathedral which also adjoins the St John's Co-Cathedral Museum

The church which was built between 1573-1577 by the Knights of Malta is said to contain marble tombstones where great Knights were buried as well as two great masterpieces by the artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The museum next to the church holds many more woks of art including Tapestries and many great paintings.

Winter Sun Holidays in Malta

Yay! I am off to Malta in the middle of March 2008 and I can hardly wait.

So why a winter sun holiday in Malta?
I have been asked a few times why I decided on Malta as a destination to visit in March, well a few reasons really.

Cheap Flights to Malta
Traveling out of Season you can often really get some great deals, not only did I get a cheap flight to Malta, but booking the flight and hotel through Lastminute.com I managed to get the flights and 8 nights accommodation at the four star Paradise Bay Hotel with a sea view for £350 which I think is a real bargain. Even though this is a cheap holiday to Malta, I still felt a little gutted because if I had made my mind up a few days earlier I could have had the same flights and hotels for £280!! (I was booking the holiday in February about a month in advance)

Scuba Diving Malta
I have a PADI open water diving license which I got on a trip to Mombasa in Kenya a few years back, and which I have not used since then, so I was also looking for a holiday destination with some warmish water not too far from the UK, Malta has a few diving schools and companies on the islands, the one I have chosen to go with is called Paradise Diving Malta which is located within the premises of the Paradise Bay Hotel which I was staying at, one of the reasons for choosing the hotel! For 7 dives and a refresher course, I have been quoted a very reasonable 220 Euros which includes the full diving kit. During the summer they make all of our dives by boat diving off Malta, Gozo, Comino and Cominetto. The dives include visiting four different ship wrecks, numerous caverns, chimneys and reefs. As they say on their website, Paradise Diving Malta has some excellent dive sites that are about 10 to 20 minutes away by speedboat and they cater for all levels of diver.

The Weather in Malta
Because the island archipelago is south of Italy and not far from Africa, it has a very Mediterranean feel to it's climate, similar to that of Southern Greece. Generally the weather is warm, sometimes hot in late summer Autumn.

I will post a few more articles once I get back from my holidays in Malta with my conclusions. For now check out the Beach Holiday Guides to Holidays in Malta