Popeye Village, Malta
Sweethaven was built for a single film in 1979 and nobody ever took it down. It sits in a sheltered, swimmable bay in the north of Malta, and it earns its keep with young children more than with adults chasing the islands’ older history. Tickets, photos and everything nearby are below.
What the place actually is
Three things worth knowing before you book.
The film set
A real 1979 film set
Built for Robert Altman's musical Popeye and left standing once the cameras stopped.
The bay
A sheltered, swimmable cove
Anchor Bay is calm enough to swim in, which turns a walk around a set into a morning out.
Who it suits
Best for young families
Children under about ten get more from it than adults chasing Malta's older history.
Popeye Village in pictures
Plan your visit
Three pages that cover the rest: what to expect, how to get there, and the questions people actually ask.
The coast around Anchor Bay, then the rest of Malta
The order below is deliberate. The beaches and swimming spots come first, then the boat trips, diving and sea caves that reach them, then everything else the islands are worth giving a day to.
Where a card below carries a score or a price, both belong to the booking partner selling it, read on 3 September 2026. This site hosts no reviews and collects no ratings of its own, and partner prices move, so treat them as approximate.
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Blue Lagoon, Comino
The water everyone has already seen a photograph of. Timing, and how you get out there, decide whether it delivers.
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Mellieħa Bay (Għadira)
The big shallow sweep of sand closest to Anchor Bay. Kind to small children, and packed once the season starts.
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Crystal Lagoon
Deeper, darker and far quieter than its neighbour, and reachable only from the deck of a boat.
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Blue Grotto
Weather-dependent boat trip into the sea caves, plus a free clifftop viewpoint that's worth the stop on its own.
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Grand Harbour cruise
The best view of Valletta and the Three Cities is from the water, and there's a cheap ferry alternative to the tour.
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Ċirkewwa dive site
The shore dive everyone in the north does first: wrecks within swimming distance and water you can usually see through.
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Santa Marija Caves
Sea caves on Comino's north shore, snorkelled or dived off the side of a boat rather than reached from land.
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Gozo day trip
Slower and greener than Malta, one short ferry away. Whether a single day does it justice, and what you give up.
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Marsaxlokk
A working fishing village, not a set piece. The Sunday market is the reason to time your visit around it.
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Dingli Cliffs
The highest point on the island, and the best sunset on it. Almost no facilities, so bring what you need.
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Malta National Aquarium
The north's indoor answer when the sea is off. Small by world standards, but it buys an afternoon with children.
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