A stroll along the coast of Sliema and St Julian's in Malta

The first day on Malta, a halcyon day it’s been, I decided to dedicate it to exploring the towns of Sliema and St Julian’s.

As I usually do when the sea is within smelling distance, I left my hostel early in the morning and headed coastwards. Soon I was standing in front of Marsamxett Harbor, facing Fort Manoel and the lofty building-tops and church domes at the opposite side of the bay. I turned to the east and started walking down along the coast.

A long, pleasant stroll it was, constantly switching directions as I circumvented the numerous promontories and bays. The wide Mediterranean Sea was my constant companion, changing her hues from bright blues and greens to a blurry greyish as the sun moved in and out from the numerous little clouds permeating the sky.

At times I was walking along broad promenades below complemented-with-swimming-pools luxurious apartment buildings and posh restaurants. At other times right beside the splashing waves along forlorn rocky coastlines.

Every now and then, I would briefly leave the coast to check out the narrow streets and picturesque old stone houses with their colorful doors and overhung balconies in-towns. Eventually, I ended up at the north end of St Julian’s, whence I took the way back. Here are some of the highlight sights I encountered along the way

The Strand Promenade

This is a nice long promenade along the Marsamxett Harbor. Views to Fort Manoel and the lofty building-tops and church domes of Valetta across the bay are stunning. If you’re interested in taking a cruise, this is the place to go. There is a cruise agency booth at every 10 meters or so. There is also a frequent ferry service to Valetta operating from here.

sliema malta man fishing — Man fishing at Marsamxett Harbor

sliema malta couple sitting by the beach and looking at valetta — Sunbathing while staring at Fort Manoel and Valetta

sliema malta ferry to valetta — Valetta-Sliema ferry

panoramic view of valetta and Fort manoel from sliema malta — Panoramic view of Valetta and Fort Manoel from Sliema

Fort Tinge

At the tip of the promontory by the entrance of Marsamxett Harbor, there you see Fort Tinge. This is one of the world’s oldest polygonal forts, built by the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 95. It makes an interesting contrast with the modern deluxe apartment buildings standing beside it.

sliema malta swimming pool resort — Luxurious apartments near Fort Tinge

Garden Battery

A little further ahead, on the north coast of the promontory, there is this artillery battery, built by the British in the late 19th century.

Gnien George Bonello Dupuis Playground

This is a nice little park hosting a playground with an interesting design. If you have kids, I suppose they’d be pretty happy to hang around.

Sliema Point Battery

Another British Battery, nowadays hosting a restaurant named Il-Fortizza.

malta sliema point baterry fortizza restaurant — Battery-Restaurant

Sliema Beach

Though it shows on the map as a beach, I wouldn’t call it such, insofar as we define a beach as a sea sediment depository. It’s just a rock basically. Though, as it’s pretty flat and smooth and wide, it is pretty appropriate for chilling, sunbathing, swimming, and all sorts of stuff people usually do on a beach. Most importantly, it is nondescriptly beautiful.

sliema malta beach and sea view — The rocky ‘beach’

sliema malta training by the beach — Exercise ground above the beach

sliema malta rocky shore — Picturesque cove by Sliema beach

The Independence Garden

Here’s a lovely park overlooking St Julian’s Bay.

sliema malta independence garden — Playground in Independence Garden and view to St Julian’s

Balluta Bay

This has been one of my favorite spots on Malta. There is a small sandy beach; one of the very few in the whole country. There is a small square with a great view of St Julian’s Bay. A fountain and a small cheap cafe making tasty pies and stuff are found on the square. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral is also located here and gives an air of grandeur to the bay.

st julian malta balluta square fountain — Balluta Square

sliema malta our lady of mount carmel church

Spinola Bay

This is the innermost part of St Julian’s Bay. Lots of small boats are scattered all around it, which contributes to making it the most picturesque of all views I got to see today.

Portomaso

This is a posh area occupied by extremely-expensive-looking apartments, restaurants, and yachts. Also, the Portomaso Business Tower is found here; I suppose the only skyscraper in Malta.

st julian malta medieval cannon in modern area — Portomaso marina

st julian malta skyscaper and palm trees round about — Portomaso Business Tower

St Julian the Hospitaller Church

Lastly, here’s a small church dedicated to that bloke the town owes its name to. He supposedly was a hunter who got lured by a debauched spirit, dispatched by Satan, into killing his parents. Later on, God forgave him and made him a great Saint of the Catholic faith.

st julian the hospitaler church malta — St Julian the Hospitaller Church

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