The coastal hike from Golden Bay to Gnejna Bay was one of my favourite walks in Malta. This gem, on Malta’s northwest coast, is the perfect day escape from the more commercialized areas on the island. That’s to say, a coastal hike with amazing views, sandy beaches and an escape from crowds of people is sometimes exactly what you need. Golden Bay to Gnejna Bay ticks those boxes! A little break from the bustling areas of Sliema/St. Julian’s, where I was staying, was what I needed anyway.
I hadn’t yet found a walk in Malta that really gave me that hike and views ‘WOW’ vibe I love so much. The day I went on the Golden Bay to Gnejna Bay coastal hike, however, that changed.
Golden Bay to Gnejna Bay is a short coastal hike, only around 2.3km each way. You’re not setting yourself up for a full day of walking, but a day of walking and exploring (relaxing on) some of Malta’s best sandy beaches. It’s the perfect combination of hike and beach, so go prepared for both (do bring some sturdy footwear, such as trainers, alongside flip-flops)!
How to get to Golden Bay
– Public Transport (bus) to Golden Bay
- Take the bus to Ghajn Tuffieha Bus Terminus, which is just a few minutes walk away from Golden Bay beach.
- Direct buses run from Malta’s main areas (where you’ll likely be staying) such as Valletta, Sliema, St. Julian’s, St. Paul’s Bay, Mellieha.
- Valletta: Bus line 44 (approx. 1 hour)
- Sliema/St. Julian’s: Bus line 225 (approx. 1 hour)
- St. Paul’s Bay: Bus line 223 (approx. 20-25 minutes)
- Mellieha: Bus line 101 (approx. 20 minutes)
Take a look at bus timetables here on the Malta Public Transport website.
Do note that Malta’s buses tend to be overcrowded, sometimes so much so they will drive straight past, leaving you waiting on the next one. Moreover, the buses are notoriously late. A lot of the time the schedule doesn’t mean much. But they will turn up eventually and the bus is cheap (a one way ticket costs €2.50, or there is the option to purchase a Tallinja card). For more information on fares check out Bus & Card Ticketing – Malta Public Transport.
Be thankful for the transport network, but be wary you may be wishing for a faster way to get around the island. So, that being said, you can drive to Golden Bay….
– Drive to Golden Bay
- Hire a car and drive to Golden Bay for the fastest, most comfortable journey.
- Parking, both free and paid, is available at Golden Bay. Do, however, keep in mind the parking can fill up fast due to the popularity of this beach.
Accommodation in Golden Bay
If you really like the look of this area, wishing to spend your Malta trip surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches (unlike the rocky beaches that are predominant on this island), you can actually stay in Golden Bay.
RADISSON BLUE RESORT & SPA, MALTA GOLDEN SANDS is a five star hotel sitting on the cliff-edge above Golden Bay Beach. Here you can stay in the prime spot of amazing views and beaches on your doorstep, while enjoying all the hotel has to offer.
Coastal Hike From Golden Bay to Gneja Bay
After taking the bus from St. Julian’s, I arrived in Golden Bay to the most welcoming of scenes.
From Ghajn Tuffieha Bus Terminus, a restaurant, Apple’s Eye, awaits any hungry visitors. The road then begins to descend and soon there is a small store supplying any extras you might need – water, snacks and so forth. From here, the view opens out over Golden Bay Beach. Continuing to walk down and round then leads to a car park, where there are free public toilets available and you can see the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Malta Golden Sands in its prime position.
Golden Bay Beach can be accessed from the bottom of the car park. There are more food options available here too, Pebbles Beach Bar if you want something more upmarket, or you can grab something to eat from the food kiosk at the entrance to the beach.
Golden Bay
On seeing Golden Bay Beach from the walk down, there is no question about the beauty of this spot. Golden Bay Beach is one of Malta’s largest sandy beaches. It is stunning with its position in the bay, enclosed by cliffs, with nature all around. Thanks to this, and the accessibility of this beach, it is very popular and therefore super busy.
For me, I preferred to admire Golden Bay Beach from a distance. When down on the beach, I felt the beauty was overridden by the crowds of people. It just wasn’t my vibe on this particular day – on a different day I’m sure I would have gladly taken my place on the sand and joined the others. I was, however, in exploring mode, wanting to walk and see, than actually lay on the beach.
Welcome to the ‘hiking’ part of the Golden Bay to Gnejna Bay coastal hike.
A walk across the beach took me to the cliffs on the left (when facing the Med), where a trail climbs up and provides the most stunning view of Golden Bay Beach. Already the overall vibe becomes more peaceful, despite being just some steps from the beach itself. This was the vibe and views I was here for, and this was only just the beginning.
From the top of the cliff overlooking Golden Bay, a short walk on some easy trails leads to the Għajn Tuffieħa Tower. (The tower has endured some storm damage, so scaffolding was surrounding it when I saw it). This watchtower stands near the edge of the cliff, overlooking the next bay, Għajn Tuffieħa.
Għajn Tuffieħa Bay aka Riviera Beach
The view over Għajn Tuffieħa Bay is stunning. You can even see Gnejna Bay through a dip in the cliffs.
Riviera Beach is another sandy beach. This beach is long, but not nearly as wide as Golden Bay. The further along you go, the sandy beach turns into a mix of bigger pebbles and sand.
Għajn Tuffieħa Bay is a quieter, more peaceful beach option. Don’t get me wrong, it still gets busy, but not as much as Golden Bay.
There are many stairs down to/up from the beach, it therefore requires a little more effort to get to than Golden Bay, putting some people off.
Food-wise, there is a restaurant/bar, Singita Miracle Beach, which sits at the edge of the beach.
Public toilets are not available at this beach, you would have to purchase something from Singita and go there!
I walked along the beach, had a little chill time, then decided it was time to hit the trails again. This was easily done as the trails are just on the embankment, steps away from the sand. As I got further along I climbed a little further up from sea level, and got the lovely view below back over Riviera Beach, Għajn Tuffieħa Bay.
From here, the coastal hike leads to Il Qarraba Viewpoint.
Il Qarraba Viewpoint
Il Qarraba Viewpoint is a headland with a prominent rock formation. From here, stunning views over Għajn Tuffieħa Bay on one side, and Qarraba Bay on the opposite, make this a highlight point of the coastal hike.
I took a walk around Il Qarraba viewpoint – you can actually walk around the rock formation (well, I lost the path a little so went halfway round), and found that well worth doing. Just by doing this, going that little further from the main path (the front of the rock), you get a quiet space to enjoy the views.
Walking around the point gives even more viewpoints of the stunning coastline on offer, with Golden Bay visible in the distance.
Qarraba Bay
So, from Il Qarraba viewpoint there is the view over the next bay, Qarraba Bay. Thanks to the clay cliffs and limestone rocks, Qarraba Bay has a unique look. Consequently, the views are stunning.
While there were some people sunbathing on the rocks at the bottom of the cliffs, I personally would not fancy trying to hike down and up there, but clearly it is doable! Kayaking from Gnejna Bay to Qarraba Bay could be an excellent way to reach these more remote beach/rock areas. The cliffs down are steep, and can be slippery!! Super beautiful to look at though!
From Qarraba Bay to Gnejna Bay
After Il Qarraba viewpoint, continuing along the coast gets a little more difficult in terms of the path itself. From the viewpoint, the path continues up along the edge of the cliffs. Looking at the image below you can see it doesn’t fully look like a path, but it is! Be careful and take your time.
While the viewpoint is relatively busy, the trails beyond this are very quiet, most choosing not to tackle them and continue to Gnejna Bay.
There are more stunning views on offer which can be enjoyed once completing that climb, and the path continues.
You can see the trails snaking through the cliffs, leading to Gnejna Bay. The second image below shows one of the trickiest parts of the route. While it doesn’t look difficult on the image, it is a lot steeper than it looks and the terrain makes it quite slippery underfoot. But once it’s done you realise it’s not so bad as it initially looks.
The path then becomes relatively straightforward again, and Gnejna Bay soon comes closer into view.
Gnejna Bay (beach)
Arriving into Gnejna Bay, the sandy beach lies just past the limestone rocks. Gnejna Bay is a great spot for swimming, snorkeling, watersports.
Parking is available here so it can get busy, but still nothing compared to Golden Bay.
- If driving, you could park here and begin the walk from Gnejna Bay instead of Golden Bay (you would still need to go back again so you’d experience the walk in both directions anyway)!
- There is no bus stop which directly serves this beach, the closest stop is Riviera. This means for some tourists, they are less likely to visit this beach – those who don’t want the added walk (not me or you interested in the coastal hike!). This is good as it makes it quieter in that sense!
There are free public toilets by the car park, and there is a food kiosk – Grill & Chill. While not a fancy restaurant, it is perfect for some beach eats! There are tables set up on the beach, there is a wide variety of food choices and it is SO reasonably priced (much cheaper than you would get at Golden Bay or Riviera Beach).
While Gnejna Bay Beach is not as beautiful as Golden Bay or Riviera Bay, I did enjoy that it felt more remote in a sense. It just wasn’t nearly as busy, and felt like a complete contrast to the other beaches.
By the time I reached Gnejna Bay, I was so hungry. Grill & Chill therefore called to me, for once I hadn’t brought lunch with me (as I normally do on solo budget traveller life). I was so impressed with the food prices here and getting to sit on the beach, enjoying a late lunch snack was perfect!
…..and back
After eating and spending some chill time at Gnejna Bay, it was time to head back. I still had more plans for the day (to hit up the Popeye Village viewpoint as it’s just a short bus ride from here, so it made sense to do this in the same day!). I therefore didn’t spend as long as I could have actually on the beaches themselves.
There was a bus I needed to catch, so I began going back the way I came, since there is no bus stop at Gnejna Bay.
The way back was another little adventure, as at one point I ended up taking a higher route. This provided yet more incredible views of the bays below, from an angle I hadn’t yet seen! Do try to mix up the routes on the way out/back, I loved experiencing both!
From this higher route, I actually headed back to the bus stop Riviera, instead of going back to Golden Bay. This saved time to help me not missing the infrequent buses, but is a good tip if you don’t want to walk all the way back to Golden Bay.
Overall, I had a great day exploring along this part of Malta’s coast on the hike from Golden Bay to Gnejna Bay. The views were amazing and it was just so good to hit some quiet trails, and have a respite from the crowds of people that seemed to have been everywhere so far on my Malta trip. Getting to experience Malta’s sandy beaches was of course a big highlight too!
(This post contains affiliate links. I will receive a small commission for any bookings made through these links, at no extra cost to you).
