St Peter's Pool is a natural hollow in the limestone on Malta's Delimara Peninsula β flat rock platforms, deep clear water and no facilities of any kind. It is one of the more photographed swimming spots on the island, and one of the easier to ruin with bad timing: arrive at noon in August and you'll share the rocks with several hundred people. Arrive early and it's remarkable.
- 01St Peter's Pool is a natural limestone swimming hole, not a sandy beach β flat rock platforms, deep clear water and cliff jumps at various heights.
- 02The only practical access is by car (limited parking on the Delimara road) or by boat from Marsaxlokk harbour.
- 03Early morning is non-negotiable in peak summer: the platform fills up fast and there is zero shade on the rocks.
- 04Cliff jumping is popular but entry points vary in difficulty and depth β check conditions before you jump, especially after storms.
- 05It works well combined with a visit to Marsaxlokk village, which is a short boat ride or coastal walk away.
What is St Peter's Pool?
St Peter's Pool is a natural indentation in the limestone shelf on the eastern tip of the Delimara Peninsula. The rock has been shaped by centuries of wave action into a series of flat platforms and deep pools that connect to the open sea. The water is clean, clear and surprisingly deep in places β typically 3β5 metres in the main swimming area.
It is not a beach in any conventional sense. There is no sand, no shade and no facility of any kind. The limestone platforms serve as sunbeds, jumping points and entry steps. What makes it worth the journey is the quality of the water β vivid blue-green depending on the time of day β and the sense of swimming somewhere genuinely raw rather than managed.
How to get there
By car, the route runs from Marsaxlokk through the village of Delimara to the end of the peninsula. The last kilometre is a narrow road ending in very limited roadside parking. In peak summer (JuneβAugust), spaces fill by 08:30. If you arrive after 09:00 on a hot weekend, you will likely be parking a 20-minute walk from the pool.
Bus access is impractical β there is no direct route to the pool. The nearest stop is in Marsaxlokk village, from where it is a 20-minute walk along the coast path.
A hire car makes the parking situation manageable with an early start and opens up the wider south coast: Pretty Bay, Marsaxlokk Sunday market and the Blue Grotto on the drive west.
By boat from Marsaxlokk
The boat option is slower but considerably more relaxed. Rima Cruises Malta run a dedicated St Peter's Pool tour from Marsaxlokk harbour β a one-hour trip covering the Delimara Lighthouse, Fort St Lucian, the saltpans and Hofriet Cave before dropping at the pool. The small-group format (nine participants maximum) means you get a local guide rather than a packed deck.
The same operator runs a 30-minute water taxi (β¬12/pp) for those who want a drop-off and swim rather than the scenic route. Both depart from Marsaxlokk waterfront, and pairing the visit with an hour in the fishing village before or after the boat is an easy way to make a half-day of the south coast.
Cliff jumping
The limestone edges around the pool offer natural platforms at various heights. Lower entries are around 3 metres; some of the higher points reach 5β6 metres. Locals know which entry points have reliable depth; visitors should check carefully before jumping, particularly after storms when water levels and debris can shift.
The cliff jumping is unsupervised and at your own risk. There is no lifeguard and no emergency contact on site. Children should not jump without adult supervision and a proper assessment of the depth below β what looks deep from above can be shallower than expected at certain tidal states.
When to visit
Early morning is the answer to most timing questions about St Peter's Pool. Before 09:00, the rocks are quiet, the light is good and the water has usually calmed overnight. By 10:30 on a July weekend the platform is busy.
Late afternoon (after 16:00) is the second-best window once the day groups have left. The pool stays swimmable well into September and even October on warm years β the south coast gets good afternoon sun and crowds thin sharply after August.
St Peter's Pool rewards the effort of getting there early. The south coast is the quieter side of Malta: the saltpans and Delimara Lighthouse make a good coastal walk, and the drive back west through Ε»urrieq passes the Blue Grotto. For a broader picture of Malta's swimming spots, best beaches in Malta covers the island from north to south.
Featured image: Marika Caruana / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
