St Paul's Bay (Malta): Travel Tips and Things to Do (2024)

St Paul’s Bay is a village located in the North of Malta along its Northern coastline. Its municipality includes the neighbouring villages of Buġibba and Qawra, as well as a few smaller localities, which include Xemxija and Mistra.

Traditionally, St Paul’s Bay was known as a fisherman’s village, similar to Marsaxlokk, although it’s lost a little of its character with the area’s development as a popular tourist destination.

The village’s name refers to Saint Paul’s shipwreck. According to the Bible, he was shipwrecked on an island while travelling from Caesarea to Rome, and it is believed that this island was Malta. Saint Paul is believed to have introduced Catholicism to the Maltese.

Being a quieter town in comparison to its neighbours, St Paul’s Bay still retains a little Maltese village life, with a higher concentration of Maltese people living there permanently. Buġibba and Qawra are a little more popular among foreigners living in Malta, and more summer residences are bought by the locals there as well.

The village is home to one of Malta’s water polo clubs and holds a festa (village feast)in July, offering a little taste of Maltese culture.

Accommodation-wise, there are fewer options here, and you’re more likely to find privately rented out apartments and a few B&Bs at most.

What’s St Paul’s Bay like and should I stay there?

Of the three neighbouring villages, St Paul’s Bay is probably the quietest, even though a fair bit of traffic passes through its main road. Although quieter and less touristy, it’s not really a typical Maltese village anymore, although you can still find remnants from its past as a small fisherman’s village.

Traditionally a summer resort for locals, many still have holiday flats and flock to this little seaside village during the summer months. The town has an old church, a core Maltese community and features older-style traditional houses (unlike the more touristy neighbouring towns of Buġibba and Qawra.

You can find pretty much anything in terms of daily needs, while public transport connections are good. Evenings by the sea can be a big plus if you enjoy that, and you can find various good restaurants around town to enjoy fresh local fish, for example.

If you’re looking for all-inclusive comfort, you won’t find many options here, however. It would only really make sense to stay here if you’re a couple looking to explore Malta and wanting to take benefit from the good location but without being right in the centre of the busiest parts of the area. Renting an apartment or room via Airbnb is probably your best bet, and you can find good options here.

Things to do and Points of interest

• Wignacourt Tower was the first of six watchtowers to be built under the reign of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt (of the Knights of the Order of St John who ruled the island for centuries and left their mark on the islands). Its construction was completed in 1610 and is the oldest surviving tower in Malta. The tower underwent restoration in 2015 and is open to the public on Mon-Tue and Fri-Sat (10 am-1 pm).
• St Paul’s Bay is the only village in the area where a traditional Maltese festa (village feast) is held to celebrate Our Lady of Sorrows, usually at the end of July. It’s a fairly modest festa compared to some of the larger villages on the island, but you can still get a taste of what it’s like with band marches, processions and fireworks.
• Xemxija and its bay are worth a visit, although really only for those looking to go for a stroll and maybe a bite to eat – There are a few nice restaurants along its main road, as well as a wine bar called Veccja with an outside terrace and view over the bay.
• Malta doesn’t know many nature reserves, with a big part of the island having been developed (and sometimes over-developed). At Xemxija, you can find one of these nature reserves called Is-Simar. It’s a reserve managed by Birdlife Malta and is a Special Area of Conservation within the EU Natura 2000 network. The reserve is open to the public from September until the end of May on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sundays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Entrance is free of charge, although usually, a small donation is left to help support the reserve.
• Interested in taking a boat tour? You can easily hop on a tour of the beautiful Blue Lagoon Bay from the St. Paul’s Bay seafront. Sea Adventure Malta is the recommended (tried-and-tested) provider. It’s the most comfortable option, especially during the busy summer season. Alternatively, if you don’t mind having to find your own spot on the shoreline, you can take the iSeeMalta ferry as well. It’s cheaper and more flexible in terms of timing.
• The same provider (iSeeMalta) makes it easy to do sightseeing outside of the St. Paul’s Bay area with hop-on/hop-off connections both overland (bus) as well as over water (ferry). You can get their hop-on/hop-off land and see tickets here.

Beaches in St. Paul’s Bay

Although a seaside town, the mostly rocky coastline doesn’t offer a lot in terms of large sandy beaches. In fact, there are only a few small bays that are suitable for swimming, namely the following (which are easy to find on Google Maps):

• Bajja tax-Xama is the only real spot that has a bit of a sandy beach, but it’s too small to spread out your towel to sunbathe. Having said that, it’s a beautiful and convenient spot to get into the sea, and it rarely gets busy.
• Bajja ta’ l-Għażżenin is a popular swimming area for locals who love spending a day by the sea there. Although rocky, there are a few handy ladders by the shore that make it easy to enter the water. Feel like joining the locals? Grab a Ħobż Biż-żejt (traditional local ftira sandwich with tomato paste, olive oil, capers and tuna chunks as the main ingredients) from the little kiosk called Simenta. That kind of snack is best enjoyed with a can of Cisk (local lager).
• If you’re a little more adventurous, plan a little hike to get to the top of Xemxija Hill (not a major challenge, don’t worry) to reach a little gem of a bay called Fekruna Beach. Also, mostly rocky, it’s a beautiful place for a swim in the natural rugged surroundings there. Make sure you wear sturdy shoes because you’ll need to be able to get down to water level safely, making your way down the hillside.

How to get there

Via public transport

It’s pretty easy getting to St Paul’s Bay, as it is one of the major localities in Malta. Using the country’s only type of public transport, a system of bus routes, you can easily get to St Paul’s Bay, with most routes passing through the village and terminating at Buġibba bus terminus.

It takes around one hour to get to St Paul’s Bay by bus from the airport, and ticket prices are pretty cheap, at €2 per ride during the day. You can buy tickets (and multi-day cards) at the airport Arrivals Hall from a ticket booth or ticket machine, but if you have a VISA credit or debit card, you can also pay for single rides on board the bus.

Main bus routes:

• From the airport: Routes X1 and X3 (1h)
• From Valletta: Routes 31, 41, 42, 45,48, 49 and 250(45-60 mins)
• From Sliema and St Julians: Routes 203, 212, 222 and 225 (45-60 mins)
• To Mdina: Route 186 (30 mins)
• To Golden Bay and Għajn Tuffieħa (popular beaches): Routes 223 and 225 (20-25 mins)
• To Mellieha Bay (popular beach): Routes 41, 42, 221, 222 and X1 (30 mins)

Using an airport transfer

Getting a Malta airport transfer can be a pretty convenient option. A private taxi ride will set you back around €20, while a shared shuttle bus (which is likely to be packed heading to St Paul’s Bay during the summer season) costs around €14 for 2 adults (one-way fares in both cases).

By car

It’s pretty easy getting to St Paul’s Bay from different parts of Malta, with road signs pointing to the village’s name. It normally takes 30-45 minutes to get to St Paul’s Bay from the airport by car (or by taxi).

Get more detailed info here: How to get from Malta Airport to St. Paul’s Bay

Parking can be difficult in St. Paul’s Bay, so here are a few local tips to make it a little easier:

• You will find some parking spaces in the street (only park inside bays marked in white) and public parking in front of Is-Simar Nature Reserve.
• If you are staying there, check with your hotel or Airbnb if they offer private parking for their clients.

Additional parking is available in the neighbouring towns of Buġibba and Qawra.

St Paul’s Bay history

Based on archaeological finds, it seems the area of St Paul’s Bay was inhabited as early as 4000 BC, with remains having been found of a megalithic temple in Buġibba. So-called cart ruts (tracks cut into the rock, presumably used for transportation of heavy loads on carts) and a punic tomb were discovered in the area as well.

St Paul’s Bay is thought to have been an important harbour during the Roman period. On the hill of Xemxija, one can find remains of a Roman road, while on the seabed of its bay, Roman ship anchors were found.

The area was considered unsafe and vulnerable by the late Middle Ages, with corsair raids becoming increasingly common. The Knights of the Order of St John built several fortifications in the area to help safeguard the population of Malta. The Wignacourt watchtower and Qawra Tower at Ta` Fra Ben were built in the first half of the 17th century and still stand today.