Why Mellieha is the Home of Hiking in Malta

To me, it’s always interesting when you find a different way to explore a destination. Malta is the perfect example. There are many things to do in Malta, but the island’s history and beaches are usually its main draws. One thing that people may not think of is hiking in Malta, and yet it’s been a favourite of mine each time I travel there.

You see, there’s some fantastic countryside in Malta to explore and on an island of this size, hiking is a great way to get about. My interest started after hiking in Gozo during my first visit with its raw, natural scenery. Hoping to replicate that experience, I decided to base myself in the small town of Mellieha, possibly my favourite place to stay in Malta. Gozo may still be the king of hiking in my books, but for the main island you can’t beat hiking from Mellieha.

The Town of Mellieha

Before I show you some of the excellent Malta walking trails that lead from Mellieha, let’s briefly look at the town itself. Mellieha is a small hilltop town in the north of Malta’s main island removed from Valletta and its trappings. Now, while St Paul’s Bay may be the largest settlement in northern Malta, Mellieha feels a little like its upmarket neighbour.

Make no mistake though, Mellieha is quite a small place and doesn’t have many attractions of its own. But what it does well is act as a gateway to some brilliant places in the quiet north. Because of the shape of the island, it’s pretty much all coast up here, which is never a bad thing in Malta. From Mellieha you can reach beaches, towers, cliffs and small fishing villages, all of which are essential elements to Malta’s scenery.

While in Mellieha, I definitely recommend staying at the Solana Hotel & Spa. There are a few really nice hotels in town, and this is one of them, especially with its rooftop pool and wellness centre.

Popeye Village and Anchor Bay

Now to the hikes and let’s start with an easy walk that should only take you about 45 minutes each way. The walk takes you a few kilometres down the hill from Mellieha to Popeye Village on Anchor Bay. Popeye Village was a set built in Malta for the filming of the Popeye movie and now serves as a little theme park for tourists.

The walk over to the kitsch attraction takes you past traditional, rustic farmland once you turn off at the main beach of Mellieha. Reaching Popeye Village won’t take long so you can extend it by continuing along the cliffs to the south. It’s here that you can experience a typical Malta coastal walk. You’ll find barren, rocky cliffs where you can get as close to the edge as you dare. These spots show that even in a country as small as Malta, there’s wilderness to be found.

Red Tower and Rdum il-Qammieh

Standing at one of the many viewpoints in Mellieha you’re bound to spot distinct outline of a Tower on the next hill to the north west. That tower is the Red Tower or Saint Agatha’s Tower and the next destination you can walk to from Mellieha. The walk takes just under an hour to reach the tower, but if you want, you can head past the tower and all the way to the edge of the coast, which will take roughly 1 hour 20 minutes.

Again, you’ll want to follow the road down the hill out of town down to the beach at Għadira Bay. From there, follow the road up the hill, you’ll soon find yourself at the foot of the Red Tower. One unfortunate aspect of this walk is that you’ll need to walk in the emergency lane of the road for a little until the side path starts.

Having climbed the hill and found yourself at the foot of the Red Tower, you may decide that this walk was enough. But from the tower you can also get all the way out to the Radar Station at Rdum il-Qammieh and the nearby cliffs. This part of the walk is mostly flat and honestly, the views you get over at Rdum il-Qammieh are the highlight of this walk. Some areas have pretty interesting cliffs, while at other points it’s a gradual drop down to the water’s edge.

One reason I know that this is one of the good Malta walk is by how busy it was the day I went. It seems Rdum il-Qammieh is a popular spot on Sundays among locals looking to stretch their legs and I couldn’t believe how popular this area was. Most walks I’ve done in Malta there’s been barely another soul in sight, but not here. The crowds didn’t take away from the experience either

Golden Beach

Next we have what is probably my favourite hike from my time in Malta. That may be because it’s one of the longest hikes here and really takes you into some rugged, gorgeous countryside. On it you’ll journey southwest of town across the open landscape to crumbling cliffs and the gorgeous sands of Golden Bay. It’s a fairly flat hike that covers around 11km return, and yet I saw barely anyone on the trail which is crazy.

The start of the walk isn’t particularly scenic as you walk out of town along a local road. But things pick up once you hit the dirt walking track and reach the Ghajn Znuber Observation Tower. From the tower the trail continues out to the edge of the coast where you’ll find crumbling cliffs and endless sea views. You really have your pick of trails at this point, but the one along the cliffs is by far the most picturesque.

Eventually, you’ll wander into the small beach village of Golden Bay behind it’s main resort. Golden Bay has one of the nicest beaches anywhere in Malta, plus plenty of great viewpoints around.

The best though is the next headland down the coast where you’ll find Għajn Tuffieħa Tower. From the tower you can also see down the coast to the great coastal cliff scenery out past Għajn Tuffieħa Beach. It’s just another 10 minutes on foot to the tower and after already hiking for over an hour, it’s barely any extra effort.

Coral Lagoon

Want to visit the most northerly point on the island of Malta? Well you can with a hike to the Coral Lagoon. The hike follows the long peninsula at the island’s northern end to the last settled areas and continues right to this fascinating sea cave. Sections of the walk aren’t that interesting, but the end features a great Malta coastal walk that you won’t want to miss. All up, the walk to Coral Lagoon is about 1.5 hours each way and covers almost 15km.

Like many of the walks here, first you’ll need to head down past Għadira Bay beach. Up the other side of the hill, you’ll want to go east when you near the Red Tower. From there it’s a rather plain, uninteresting walk along the one loan road that goes out to the end of the peninsula.

But it does pick up once you turn off towards Armier Bay. It’s best to head for Armier Bay Beach, because from there you can follow the coast to the end. You’ll also get to see some the humble fishing village homes that line the island’s north coast.

Passing yet another old tower, this time It-Torri l-Abjad, the craggy coastline leads you right up to the Coral Lagoon cave. This sea cave has a precarious feeling to it, especially when you cross over the rocky bridge across its opening. Nearby Coral Beach is also quite pretty and worth a stop.

Rather than return the way you came, I highly recommend following the coast south to the Chapel of Immaculate Conception. It’s not the most noteworthy church, but the view off the cliffs is sensational. There’s more views to be found, this time across to Mellieha, if you take the minor trail on the southern side of the peninsula back.

Fort Campbell

Finally, we have another short walk, but one that’s no less interesting. Now I actually did this walk from St Paul’s Bay when I was staying there, but you practically walk through Mellieha on it, so you can just as easily start here. This walk explores the countryside to the east of the town that stretches all the way out to Fort Campbell. It’s a comfortable 4km walk each way and a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Walking out of Mellieha it’s not long before you’re on an empty road passing modest, traditional Maltese homes. We’re talking simple yards and even the occasional horse. But after not too long you’ll pass the local church and the old abandoned site of Selmun Palace.

Turning right at the palace is when things start to get good. It’s here that you get the quaint stone fences and the sweeping views down cascading fields to St Paul’s Bay. To me, it’s this kind of view that’s a classic example of the Malta countryside and something you only see by leaving Valletta.

At the end of the road is Fort Campbell, a somewhat eerie abandoned fortress from the days of British rule. After wandering through the fort a little, do a loop around it to find the viewpoint overlooking St Paul’s Island.

Tips for Hiking in Malta

By now, a few things should be pretty clear to you. None of these hikes are too long, with most taking no longer than 2 hours one way. It should also be obvious that hiking in Malta is a little different to elsewhere in Europe. Rather than mountains and altitude, it’s all about coastline and meandering. But it is worth noting that because Mellieha is on a hill, pretty much all these walks end with a steep up hill climb to get back.

There are also benefits to doing these outdoor activities somewhere like Malta. A big one is that all these walks and hikes are possible when visiting in winter. I mean, that’s when I did them. Summer may be a lot harder with the heat. However, if you’re smart about it, I don’t see why you couldn’t still hike in the mornings.

Although you won’t need serious hiking gear for any of these places, I do recommend doing a little planning, It’s worth packing food, water and sunscreen for most of these walks, even in winter. Golden Beach is the only place where you’ll find food at your destination.

Are you surprised that hiking is a great activity when visiting Malta? Have you gone on any other Malta hikes you’d recommend people try? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.