Popeye Village
Filmed as Sweethaven harbour
📍 Popeye Village, Anchor Bay (Il-Bajja tal-Ankra), Mellieħa, Mellieħa, Malta
Scene breakdown
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Sweethaven harbour
1980Popeye rows his little boat into the cove and steps ashore in the rickety town of Sweethaven.
Popeye -
The Oyl family boarding house
1980Popeye takes a room at the Oyls' boarding house, where he first gets to know Olive Oyl.
Popeye Olive Oyl -
Sweethaven streets and wharf
1980The crooked lanes, stilt houses and jetties of the set serve as the whole town for the film's street scenes and musical numbers.
Popeye Olive Oyl
Real-world history
The Sweethaven set was built at Anchor Bay from mid-1979 by a crew of about 165 people, using some 19 timber buildings and a breakwater to shelter the cove; filming ran from January to June 1980. Rather than being taken down, it became a family attraction. A boulder that fell from the cliff in storm Helios in February 2023 damaged part of the site, which reopened that June.
Logistics & accessibility
Admission: A privately run theme park with a paid ticket; prices and what is included (shows, small museums, boat trips, seasonal water activities) change by season, so check the official Popeye Village Malta website. It opens daily, with shorter hours in winter. Many visitors also photograph the village for free from the clifftop road across the bay.
Parking & accessibility: On-site car park at the attraction; local buses run from Mellieħa village down to Anchor Bay. It is a short drive from the Ċirkewwa ferry terminal.
Best time to visit: Late afternoon for the classic view from across the bay, or opening time on a summer morning before the coach groups arrive.