Last Updated on August 20, 2023
In all honesty, if you are looking for a typical beach holiday in Malta, the best beaches are either in the north of Malta, or on the island of Gozo. There are a couple of beaches in St Julian’s and in this guide I’ll show you what each beach is like and which one I think is the best beach in St Julian’s!
Disclosure: I was visiting Malta as part of a complimentary press trip with Jet2Holidays. However opinions are my own.
Beaches In St Julian’s Malta
St George’s Bay Beach | Westin Rock Beach | Balluta Bay | Exiles Bay Beach
St George’s Bay Beach
There are 4 main beaches in St Julian’s, with the largest and most popular beach being St George’s Bay Beach near the Paceville area. St George’s Bay has a sandy beach with clear calm water perfect for swimming.
It’s close to various restaurants and food kiosks along with a couple of nearby water sport companies. Pembroke Water Sports offers boat, canoe, paddle boat and stand up paddle board rentals. Bay Street Shopping Complex is also just around the corner.
A section of the beach is ‘private’. It is the Beach Club for the nearby InterContinental Malta hotel. Guests staying at the hotel, have access to complimentary sun loungers, umbrellas and towels. They also have a restaurant here.
Westin Rock Beach
Another public beach in St Julian’s is tucked behind the Hilton Malta. The Westin Rock Beach, isn’t really a beach as such, the clue is in the name, it’s mainly just rocks. The water is clear but the access isn’t great. There’s a hand rail but even under the water it’s rocky too.
Some rocks are flat, so you can sit on them but I would be VERY careful, as there was a LOT of broken glass and rubbish. Personally I would be tempted to give this one a skip. There are also not really any facilities nearby.
If you are looking for something adventurous, Rush Watersports has lots of ‘extreme’ sports and water toys on offer and is located just around the corner.
The Hilton Malta has a private man-made sandy ‘beach’ area around their main swimming pool. This is however set back from the coast, not next to the ocean.
Balluta Bay Beach
Along Sliema Promenade is Balluta Bay Beach. This is a small sandy beach surrounded by rock steps. During my visit to Malta, the beach was almost completely covered in seaweed. But as a natural occurrence, this is something that can come or go depending on tides.
Being in a bay like St George’s the water is calm, great for swimming. Alternatively, Neptunes swimming club is open for guests during the summer months. As well as the outdoor pool, their sun deck has access to the sea for open water swimming.
There are plenty of restaurants and cafes surrounding Balluta Bay with several hotels located in this area. The impressive Balluta Parish Church also overlooks the beach.
Exiles Bay Beach
Continuing on Sliema Promenade, Exiles Bay Beach is actually on the ‘border’ where St Julian’s meets Sliema. Exiles Bay Beach has a very small section of sandy beach, providing access to the sea for swimming, but there’s not really any space to lay down a towel, you’d have to sit on the rocks instead.
It’s right next to an accessible playground and Ġnien Indipendenza park. There are free public toilets in the park and some nearby ice creams kiosks and restaurants.
St Julian’s Beaches FAQ
Yes, the largest and most popular beach is St George’s Bay Beach near the Paceville area in St Julians Malta.
Yes, you can swim in St Julians Malta. The best places to swim are St George’s Bay Beach or the smaller Balluta Bay Beach. Alternatively Neptune’s Swimming Club is open to guest during the summer months and is an open air swimming pool in Balluta Bay.
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