Car hire in St Paul’s Bay

The old village core, the harbour and Wignacourt Tower

St Paul's Bay, San Pawl il-Baħar in Maltese, is where this stretch of coast began: a fishing village that grew around a small harbour long before the hotels arrived further round the bay. The bay takes its name from the Apostle Paul, whose shipwreck on Malta is traditionally placed at the islands just off this coast, and the older streets around the parish church still feel like a village rather than a resort. On the seafront near the harbour stands Wignacourt Tower, built in 1610 as the first of Grand Master Wignacourt's coastal towers and one of the oldest watchtowers still standing in Malta, now open as a small museum. Add the boats in the harbour and the quieter residential bays along this side, and it is a very different base from the strip next door.

Not the Bugibba strip: the quieter side of the bay

A naming point that trips up plenty of visitors: San Pawl il-Baħar is the name of the whole locality, which also takes in Bugibba and Qawra, but St Paul's Bay town is the specific older quarter on the western side of the bay. Bugibba is the lively promenade-and-hotels strip; St Paul's Bay proper is largely residential, with locals' cafes, the harbour and evening walks along the water instead of bar streets. If your accommodation says Bugibba or Qawra, those pages cover your side of the bay; if it says St Paul's Bay or Xemxija, this is the right one. The good news either way is that the whole bay is one continuous seafront, so you are never more than a few minutes' drive from the livelier end when you want it.

Xemxija and the gateway to the north

Across the head of the bay, Xemxija climbs the hill on the road north, and above it the Xemxija Heritage Trail strings together a remarkable stretch of small sites, including a section of Roman road, ancient apiaries and cart ruts, all walkable from the village. St Paul's Bay is also the natural gateway to Malta's north: the main road through it carries on to the sandy beaches around Mellieħa a short drive away, and on to Ċirkewwa for the Gozo ferry, while the Pwales valley road from Xemxija drops you at Golden Bay on the opposite coast. With the car you collected at the airport, roughly 30 minutes to the south, all of it is on your doorstep; see how pickup works on our Malta airport car hire page, or compare bases on our Malta car hire guide.

Car hire prices in Malta by class

Wherever you stay, the price is the same all-in figure: VAT, the airport fee, collision damage waiver, third-party cover and unlimited mileage are included, and the car is collected at Malta International Airport, Park East, 08:00 to 02:00 every day.