Mellieha Malta the Charismatic Town of Maltese Northern Region

Mellieha Malta is known as one of the large villages of the country. It has the largest sandy beach and everyone calls it Ghadira “a-deera”, meaning stagnant water and referring to the nature reserve further inland.

Located at the northernmost villages of the main island Malta and its resorts are very attractive to tourists.

Mellieha Bay

Mellieha Malta situated on top of a hill providing some beautiful panoramas of beaches and village scenes not seen frequently in the Maltese islands. About an hour drive from Malta International Airport to the city, Mellieha is the last city that you’ll see before going to the island of Gozo.

The village is around 10 minutes drive away from Cirkewwa, where you can easily hop on the ferries to Gozo and Comino.

Today, I will show you some of the fascinating features of Mellieha Malta. This small village will truly fall in love with all its beautiful places.

What to visit in Mellieha Malta

There are some places that you must visit when you come to Mellieha Malta. Some of them are The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha, Anchor Bay, and Popeye Village, The Red Tower or St. Agatha’s Tower, Tunnara Museum, Mellieha Air Raid Shelter, The White Tower and many more.

The Red Tower
Known as St. Agatha’s Tower, stands guard over Mellieha Bay. Like all other watchtowers along the coastline, it was built as a signaling post for communication, in this case with towers in Gozo. It was capable of housing 30 soldiers.

The White Tower
In Maltese “Torri l-Abjad”, it is a small watchtower overlooking Armier Bay in the limits of Mellieha, Malta. It was built in 1658 as the sixth of the De Redin towers.

Ghajn Tuffieha Tower
Also known as Ghajn Mixkuka Tower or “Torri t’Ghajn Mixkuka”, sometimes spelled Mixquqa) a small watchtower in Ghajn Tuffieha, limits of Mġarr, Malta. It was completed in 1637 as the second of the Lascaris towers.

Cliffs with Cave Dwellings

Driving to the center of Mellieha after our visit to the famous landmark of the country Popeye Village. The first thing that caught our attention was these cave dwellings on the cliff.

According to history, these are traces of ancient works. It must be a residential place built before and now became an abandoned place.

Taking photos of the environment was a lot refreshing as you could imagine. The extreme right side of the city is the ocean that gives a brighter light to the city. It’s really amazing to see this kind of view from an underrated city!

Anchor Bay, and Popeye Village

An entertainment park based on the real film set used in Paramount Pictures 1980’s. Popeye the film starring Robin Williams and filmed in Malta. Nearly 40 years on, the set still stands as a major tourist attraction.

The first place that we have visited in Malta was the Film Set Location of Popeye. You can read more of our fabulous experience on my list of the post: Discover Popeye Village the Film Set location of Popeye. 

Parish Church of Mellieha 

After our tour at Popeye Village, we headed to the city center of the small town of Mellieha. The city was quite busy that day, we parked the car just 10 minutes away from the Parish Church of Mellieha located in the main square. I took some photos of the view of the village (residential view) and we went to visit the church.

The Mellieha Parish church is a 19th century baroque style building built in traditional Maltese stone. It is dedicated to the birth of The Nativity Of Our Lady with a feast celebrated annually on the 8th of September.

It has five bells brought over from Milan, and  five paintings by the famous Maltese artist Giuseppe Cali.

The Parish Church was quite busy that day. There was a special mass and so my hubby and I waited till it’ll be finished so we can enter and see the interior part of the church.

Looking at its dimension, the parish stands really high and has a two-bell tower. Among all 365 chapels and churches, this Parish church is a unique one. Indeed, it is linked with the sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha, the oldest in Malta.

Some of the view from the Parish

Wandering in the area of the Parish, the outside part has a small park where people can relax. You can actually stay here and enjoy the superb view of the Mellieha Bay and its residential view.

Mellieha’s landscape is truly one of a kind. From the Parish, you will see this view on its left side featuring some of the cliffs and the bay as well.

Residential View 

The main square of the city which where the Parish Church and the Sanctuary located is encircled with residential buildings. Getting to the Parish will take you into different levels, the lower level is filled with houses and the top hill is with bars, restaurants and the city’s tourists attractions.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha Malta

It’s a small Augustinian monastery, the sanctuary dates back to the 16th century. According to local legend, the cave was visited by St Luke and St Paul when they were shipwrecked on the island.

The crypt within, originally one of the many natural caves found in this area. was excavated by Mario de Vasi, a Sicilian wine merchant who contributed to the erection of the statue of Our Lady of the Grotto.

Moving on to the sanctuary after the visit inside the Parish, the way to it was either the normal road or the stairs at the right side of the Parish. taking some photos of the sanctuary at the top what quite impressive. It looks like a drone shot!

This shot was taken when I was at the top of the hill of the city. The Parish Church as you know is situated just above the Sanctuary. If you go here don’t miss this perfect view cause you’ll surely love it!

The Sanctuary’s Square

As we enter into the sanctuary’s square, we were amazed by the beauty of it. We entered the interior part but it was dark inside as there were people praying at the same time.

I didn’t take any photos of the inside with respect to those people who were there. But the place is sacred as the history says that Pope John Paul II blessed the place during his visit to Malta in May 1990.

The huge solitaire tree will grab your attention in this square. Beside it is the statue of Mary with baby Jesus on her right arm. The fountain is sealed with a barrier so that people won’t destroy it.

My Favorite Edge

Just after the entrance of the sanctuary’s main square is this secret little garden where I fall in love with the picturesque angle. It was so rare that I have entitled it as my favorite edge of the place.

This corner reminds me of a scene from a film that I really adore. It’s really beautiful having this kind of place where you can see one of the most beautiful sceneries in Mellieha Malta.

Entrance of the Square

At the entrance of the square, you will see a big gate separating the place from its modern roads and buildings. As we went outside of the sanctuary square, the environment was quite different. It was more lively and modernize of course compare to the ancient design of the main square of the city.

Stepping some few steps outside, I can already see some people waiting at the bus stop. Restaurants and bars and many other enterprises. By that time, we were searching for a grocery store. I have asked the staff of a restaurant nearby and he instructed me about the nearest grocery store in the area.

Ending our visit to this charming city of Mellieha Malta, we went to get some food at the nearest supermarket (Valyou Supermarket) and headed to our hotel. The visit was fantastic! One of the best experiences here in the country for sure.

Other Places to visit

Ghadira Nature Reserve
With its rare habitat, is the only place in Malta where you can go bird watching. Located inland from Mellieħa Bay, it has been in operation since 1978.

Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park
Offers miles of coastal walks across rocky paths with superb views of the cliffs and the sea. The wild habitat in the park offers a look at the typical arid Maltese countryside, with its variety of wild plants and fauna.

Mellieha Air Raid Shelter
The Mellieħa air raid shelter is the largest of 46 shelters dug in Mellieħa during World War Two, reaching a length of over 500 meters.

Mellieha Malta Feast
If you happen to be in Malta around the 8th of September, then you might want to visit the Mellieħa village feast. The feast is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories and fills Mellieħa full of life during the feast with musical concerts, fireworks, folk singing, food stands, and art exhibitions as well as religious processions.

How to get to Mellieha? 

Mellieha is 22 km away from the Malta International Airport. Taxis are available from just outside the terminal, as well as the X1 Public Transport Bus which leaves at frequent intervals and takes just over an hour to get you there.

Between Mellieha and Valletta. There’s nearly 23 km of distance from each other. A number of buses take you directly between the 2 destinations, such as bus routes 41, 42 and 44.

For more information visit Mellieha’s official site. 

Visit Mellieha Malta