I love a good coastal hike and Malta doesn’t disappoint. I’m going to tell you about 4 hikes in Malta that I did, as well as explain, step by step, the walking routes….to be fair, not much explanation is needed as you simply follow the coastline lol. Ok, what I will be doing is telling you how to get to the start of each one, the points of interest along the walk, distance, time and your finish point.
Why go hiking in Malta?
Malta is 155km round and you can pretty much walk along almost all of the coastline. Not just any coastline, but a coastline of rugged goodness. Limestone cliffs, rock arches, caves, coves, and secluded bays.
There are bus stops all along the coast making it easy to divide the hiking into sections, making each hike as long or as short as you want. I kept my hikes to under 3 hours, so they are perfect to fit into your day and leave enough time to do other things.
Some of these hikes also take you to ‘points of interest’ so essentially you will be sightseeing.
I did them during autumn/winter which was perfect weather. Nice and warm. Spring would probably be nice as well. I think summer would be uncomfortably hot. However, these hikes are short enough, you could probably get away with it. Just make sure you take plenty of water.
Anyway, lets get into it……
Malta hiking trails
Marfa Ridge walk
This route takes you through wooded areas, farmed land and olive trees, fortified structures, secluded bays and my personal favourite, breathtaking cliff views.

The trail loops around the northern most part of Malta and has the advantage of starting and finishing at the same location. It’s very very easy to navigate. You basically start at Mellieha (Ghadira) Bay and head north till you hit the red tower.
Just fyi: Mellieha Bay is the largest sand beach in Malta. To be honest, I had no desire to spend any time there. It’s quite busy and is more family friendly with shallow water till about 50m out. I don’t do family friendly lol.
St Agatha’s tower (the red tower) was built in the 1647 to strengthen the northern coastal defences. From here you get views across all of Malta.

Next turn left or right (I went left) and loop around following the coastline till you get back here. There are a lot of dirt tracks on this one (if you go off-piste) and areas with sharp rocks…..I was highly regretting wearing trainers. You will also walk along Slug’s bay on this hike, a nice secluded beach area.



Logistics:
Start and finish – Mellieha/Ghadira bus terminal (at Mellieha/Ghadira Bay).
From: Valletta Bus 44, 45, 50, 452. Silima Bus 645. Bugibba Bus 48
Distance – 15km
Time – Aprox 3 hours. Everywhere I read about this online says 4-5 hours. I think that’s a bit generous. I took 3 hours including stopping lots to take photos.
Difficulty – Easy. The most strenuous part is the uphill at the beginning as you walk towards the watch tower.
Tips – Wear hiking boots. Take detours off the track (this is where the hiking boots come in handy). Trainers will be suitable if you stick to the path. Take swimwear so you can jump in the water at Slug’s bay.

Map data: Google.
Comino island (Blue lagoon)
Comino is a very small island (3.5sq miles) and this hike (although id pr

So, once you arrive at the blue lagoon you will probably want to stay there.
Don’t.
If you go and do this hike, when you arrive back, the Blue Lagoon will be your reward. Don’t worry, it’s a very short hike so you will be back here soon.
When you get off the boat, walk up to the path and turn right. Walk along with the blue lagoon on your right……and take lots of pictures.

As you continue on leaving the blue lagoon behind you, you will then reach an abandoned hospital. This was where cholera victims were kept in isolation.
Once you are suitably creeped out, continue till you reach St Mary’s battery. Fun fact, this is one of the 3 surviving coastal defence battery’s. Here the path will turn left. This is where you cut through to the other side of the island passing by an abandoned pig farm.
Stick to the hiking trail that cuts through the middle
There will be opportunity to take paths to the right taking you back to the ocean. These are dead ends. I wasn’t going to waste time on dead ends on this hike. I didn’t want to delay my time getting back to the blue lagoon.
You will soon reach the coast at Santa Marie bay. This is a sandy beach and way less busy than the blue lagoon.
Actually, I lied earlier. Here I turned right which does lead to a dead end, but it was a nice little detour on rocky ground with aqua blue water just like at the blue lagoon.
This is where you should come if the blue lagoon is too busy for you.
Anyway, once you are done here follow the path left. You will then walk past the one and only resort of the island before arriving back at the blue lagoon.

Now that you have finished the Comino island hike and are nice and sweaty, getting in the blue lagoon will be that much sweeter. You can find more info about this area in my blog post visiting Comino and the blue lagoon.
Logistics:
Start and finish – At the blue lagoon (get here by boat from the main land)
Distance – 6.5km, a bit more if you take detours.
Time – 1.5 hours
Difficulty – Easy
Tips – Take swimwear to get in the water. Trainers will be fine for this hike.
Dingli to blue grotto hike
I picked this route because I wanted to see both the Dingli cliffs and the Blue Grotto.
I’m going to be honest here, I was a little disappointed with the Dingli cliffs. I discovered that walking along the cliffs doesn’t actually give you the best views of them. I mean, they are nice but I have seen way better cliffs that aren’t advertised. Personally, I was expecting a little more from something that is recommended as a must see. I think from the ocean they would be more impressive.
Gosh, does this make me a cliff snob? lol.
Saying that, this was my favourite of all the hikes I did in Malta.



This hiking route is a little bit more complex, and me telling you to follow the coast will not do. If you follow every path you see you will end up at dead ends or private land. A hiking app would be really useful for this one as it tells you where private land is and shows you the trails. I will also explain it all for you, so here we go.
For the first bit of the hike, you will be walking along

Follow this till you reach a chapel then you will be on a road again. Continue along the road and bear left when the road forks. You will notice paths leading off this road however they lead onto private land or dead ends, so stick with this road for a bit. Once you reach a T-junction turn right. At the roundabout take the exit on the right and follow the road down. Once you hit the coast at Ghar Lapsi you will find some buildings and restaurants.
This is where the fun begins.
As you continue walking along you will hit a fence saying DANGER. Well, this is where you enter. It was a bit odd because there was a large opening which is really just asking to be entered, and a few locals were going on runs in there.
Disclaimer: Enter at your own risk, I can not be held responsible for any injury as a result of you entering. I am simply telling you what I did. I am experienced at hiking so know what I’m doing. If you do enter then take someone with you for help if injury occurs.
There, now that I’ve got that out of the way….
This part of the

You will then reach a flat and be out of the danger zone lol. Now keep walking till you reach an arch in the water then turn left and walk up the hill.
At the top of the hill, you will be at Hagar Qim temples. I didn’t stop here because I was hungry and wanted to finish the hike so I could go eat.
Obvs you could stop here and sightsee.
Once you hit the main road turn right and at the end where the road bears left you will be at the Blue Grotto.

Logistics:
Start – Dingli. Bus line 201. Get off at Dahar.
Finish – Blue Grotto. From here you can get Buses 201 and 74 from Panorama bus stop.
Distance – 13km
Time – 3 hours
Difficulty – Moderate. It’s quite a hilly route.
Tips – You will walk on a bit of asphalt but also a lot of dirt paths and rocky areas so I would recommend hiking boots. I was wearing trainers but that was a mistake lol. Use a hiking app.

Map data: Google
Marsaskala to Marsaxlokk
This walk takes you from a seaside village to another in the south east of Malta.
Marsaskala is a quiet authentic village with a picturesque bay and laid back atmosphere. Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village known for the fish market on Sundays and Luzzu (brightly coloured boats).
Starting in Marsaskala, the walk begins hugging the side of the port along a nice easy path. As you leave the village you will soon make your way uphill along dirt tracks and through farmland. I would recommend using a hiking app for this one so you can easily follow the trail because it’s not always obvious. The route is a mix of dirt tracks and asphalt, sometimes having to take small detours away from the coastline to avoid private land…..I did find myself at dead ends a few times.

You will navigate some narrow paths along cliff edges with EPIC views.
Then a nice little surprise towards the end….
St Peters pool

I had not heard of this place. Towards the end, I saw a sign pointing here and thought I’d have a look to see what it is. It is a natural (and secluded) swimming pool. The signs will direct you left and then down. It’s quite a fair bit down, so
Logistics:
Start – Marsaskala (Bus 91, 92, 93 from Valletta)
Finish – Marsaxlokk
Distance – 10km
Time – 2.5 hours
Difficulty – Moderate. There are a few uphills so a reasonable level of fitness is required.
Tips – Use a hiking app so you can follow the trail. If you go blind you will hit dead ends. Take swimwear for a dip in St Peter’s pool at the end. You can get away with trainers for this one.

Map data: Google
Final thoughts….
Well, there you have it. 4 amazing coastal hikes in Malta. Now I must say, there is so much more of the coastline to see and If you follow one of my guides then I encourage you to go further. See more than I got to. Maybe even check
I made a Malta YouTube video which is
Pin it for later – 4 amazing coastal hikes in Malta

13 comments
Malta envy!! Thanks for these hikes. I pinned them into my travel board. Malta has been on my radar for some time now, so I know who to talk to when it finally happens for me:)
amaaaaazing!!! Yes, defo hit me up! iv got 2 more blogs coming about it as well. I highly recommend Malta 🙂
Love your post! I’m thinking about some hiking somewhere in November and haven’t decided yet where to go. But your pictures definitely made an impact on my choice! …I think Malta it is… 😍.
Oh my gosh, amazing! And November will be the perfect time. Not too hot, but still nice and warm. Actually, it was in November that I went there! Hope you have a great time, Malta is beautiful.
Thanks so much for the info, I’m travelling to Malta in 2 weeks and I really want to explore nature a bit during the trip.
Your blog looks awesome 🙂
You must be there now, or very soon anyway. So lucky! It’s beautiful. Have a great time!
I did these walks last week. They were indeed impressive. Thanks for the blog. George
Amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
I live in Malta and I love this post! We were hiking reading your article😊thank you for sharing all the info!
Wow. Hearing that from someone that lives there makes me so happy. Thank you so so much!
This is amazing!!! Your blog has inspired me to visit Malta! Are you aware of the best places to do snorkelling? I’m not very good at swimming so this would have to be a guided snorkelling tour.
We are planning a weekend girls trip to Malta (Late January). If we had time for only one hike, which one would you recommend? We love the blue waters and rocky cliffs. TIA!
Hi Amber! I hope im not to late!Oh gosh, I think I would pick dingli blue grotto. Saying that Marsaskala Marsaxlokk has more of that turqoisy blue water. Coming island/blue lagoon is the most gorgeous for water, but it’s not as cliffy as others. If you wanted to add a swim then this would be the best one. But it’s a bit cold this time of year, so maybe not. I don’t think I have helped much haha. Ok, Im going to pick dingly blue grotto. It has more ruggedness. Or maybe actually Marsaskala Marsaxlokk, that one has cliffs and more turquoise blue water.