Northern Malta Information

Your comprehensive guide to Everything Malta

The North part of Malta is the lesser developed area of the island and it is where the majority of beach, diving and walking opportunities may be found. Please refer to the dedicated sections of this website for a detailed review on each.


Paradise Bay		Maltese countryside

Mellieha’s centre has been able to escape most of the fast development associated with the north’s package-holiday boom. Its Parish Church dedicated to Our Lady of Victories, sitting atop a high ridge, is a pictographic site especially when viewed from Mellieha Bay. There are a couple of devoted religious connotations to this church including child healing waters in the Grotto of the Madonna and votive offerings in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha by locals looking for divine intervention. The ‘festa’ here is also one of the most celebrated starting on August 30th and culminating on September 8th commemorating the end of the Great Siege by the Ottoman Empire in 1565.

The Northern part of Malta is also home to the two most ‘touristy’ locations on the island – Bugibba and Qawra. The fast development of the area have left them quite shabby looking and they are a magnet for tourists interested in cheap packaged vacations. Bugibba and Qawra are packed with hotels, bars and restaurants but do not expect to find any 5-star rated accommodation here. It is an ideal hang-out for tourists looking to pass their time roasting under the sun with a beer in hand and to get involved in the night-filled activities during the summer and shoulder months (it is dramatically quieter in low season). A number of locals have their ‘villeggiatura’ (summer house) in the locality and so it is an interesting sociology experience to see them mix with foreigners in line dancing, bingo, karaoke and the other usual suspect activities. All this can be soaked up while walking along the 5km coastal promenade stretching along the whole St. Paul’s Bay peninsula.