Mellieha, a picturesque town in the North of Malta
Mellieħa is a village located in the Northwest part of Malta. Mellieħa took its name from the ancient Punic and Roman salt-terms, as Mellieha means salt in Arabic. Mellieha is one of Malta’s most attractive tourist and summer resorts with beautiful sandy beaches and blue sea. Mellieha has Malta’s largest sandy beach, Għadira, which is perfect for families with small children, as the water remains shallow for a considerable distance from the shore. Mellieħa also has a lot of splendid seaside hotels, good restaurants and many traditional souvenir shops. During the summer months the population increases significantly due to many Maltese having summer residences in Mellieha, but the all year around inhabitants are around 7250 people in an area of 22.6 km2.
According to archaeological discoveries, the town has been inhabited from Neolithic times to the Byzantine era, but the area was deserted after the Arab conquest. It was only during the time of the Knights, that Mellieha was once again inhabited. Mellieha was really developed under the British colonization who gave leases to encourage people to settle. Today Mellieha is still popular with foreign house buyers. The people of Mellieha are famous for their friendliness and hospitality and most people who visit Mellieha feel welcomed and at home.
Mellieha’s main Village Feast “Il-Vitorja” is held in the beginning of September and it reaches its peak on 8th September. During this popular feast, the village is full of activities such as musical concerts, fireworks, folk singing, food stands, and exhibitions and of course many religious processions in honour of Our Lady of Victories. The Mellieha village feast is a great experience to both tourists and locals.
For tourists choosing to spend their holiday in Mellieha it is worth renting a car, as it is about 20/30 minutes from St Julian’s.
Mellieha: Things to do and see
Ghadira Bay: Easily accessible, this spot is a favourite with families, who tend to stay out for the day. There are sun beds and umbrellas for rent, but there is still space on this wide beach for anyone wishing to bring their own equipment. There are plenty of snack bars and small cafes and the beach offers different types of water fun, such as pedal boats rental, parasailing or large floating play areas.
Ghadira Natural Reserve: The nature reserve encloses two types of habitat that are very rare in Malta: wetland and salt marsh. The area was declared a bird sanctuary in 1978 after BirdLife Malta presented scientific data to the government showing the ornithological value of the wetland (read more here).
Armier Bay: The sandy beach at Armier stretches around the shore of an open bay and is just a short drive away from Ghadira bay. This sandy bay has a lovely view over the Islands of Comino and Gozo. Bars and small restaurants provide the necessary beach facilities.
Popeye’s Village: This popular attraction is the film set of the 1980 film, Popeye. Popeye’s Village has daily shows for the tourist as well as rides for the younger children, slides, trampolines and a Lido. http://www.popeyemalta.com/
St. Agatha’s Tower: This Tower, guarding the bays of Mellieha and Ghajn Tuffieha, is more known as the Red Tower. It was built to act as a signalling post in 1647 for communication with the island of Gozo, so it’s natural that it dominates the skyline of Malta’s Marfa Ridge. It originally housed cannon, 30 men and enough food to withstand a siege for 40 days (read more here).
White Tower Bay: White Tower Bay is enclosed by a fortification wall that was built by the knights.
