Gozo is without a doubt one of the most beautiful islands we have ever been to.
Perfectly situated in The Meditteranean Sea, there is so much to quickly love about Gozo; including the spectacular views and amazing weather.
Sure, it’s home to some of the worst drivers you will ever come across, but don’t let that put you off!
Instead, the chaotic, small windy roads on Gozo simply add to it’s charm as an old fashioned island to visit.
As a part of our month spent living in Malta, we had plenty of chances to explore Gozo and the many wonderful things to see and do there.
So, if you’re in the process of planning a visit to this wondrous little island, here’s my in depth Gozo travel guide to help you in planning your own unforgettable stay here.
First up ...
There is one way to get to Gozo, and that is by ferry from Malta.
It runs very regularly all year round, though the routes do pick up in frequency during the busier summer months.
If you are driving yourself over to Malta, then you can check out the timetable here.
Despite being such a small island, there are quite a lot of ways to get around Gozo.
One of the most popular is to hire a car and drive yourself around.
If you are coming from the main island of Malta, then I can highly recommend hiring a car from Compass Car Hire, located in St Paul’s Bay.
They are the only car company in Malta that we could find which had positive reviews on Google, and it’s unsurprising why.
They offer fair rates and don't rip you off for ridiculous damage fees.
The one piece of advice I would give you when hiring a car in Malta or Gozo, is to get one as small as possible.
The roads in Gozo are extremely narrow and windy, so the smaller the better.
Also, only hire a car if you are a confident driver; not only are the roads pretty daunting and busy (especially in summer) but the drivers in both Malta and Gozo are awful.
They do not indicate and accidents are pretty common, so be warned.
Other methods of getting around Gozo include:
Check out our guide on getting around Malta for more ideas on Gozo transport options.
Despite being so small, we were shocked to search Booking.com and find so many great places to stay!
Also, they are all very reasonably priced, with really nice accommodation with great views and breakfast included, coming in between 30 and 50 Euros a night.
We stayed at Fieldend B&B, a really lovely homestay, located in the northwestern end of Gozo.
The location is perfect if, like us, you plan on spending two days in Gozo.
It’s close to many of the island's best sites, and is in a great location for the sunset.
The breakfast was also amazing; with as much as possible homemade by the hosts themselves; including the chocolate spread, hummus and peanut butter.
You can check out prices and availability here if you are interested, I highly recommend it.
Here are a few other top choices for great accommodation & hotels in Gozo …
One of the best places to visit in Gozo is the ancient Citadella, located in the capital city of Victoria.
The buildings and defences you see today date back as far as the early 1600s, though the area has been inhabited for many hundreds of years before that.
It really is a magnificent site and the local authorities have done an incredible job of restoring the Citadel, yet maintaining as much as possible of the original churches and other buildings.
You could easily spend half a day here, exploring the many museums located within its walls and taking in the epic views on offer from atop the walls.
It’s free to enter the Citadel, walk the walls and even go inside of many of the attractions.
However, you will have to pay if you wish to enter certain sites, like the cathedral and Archaeology museum.
Up until March 2017, the Azure Window was widely hailed as the gem of Gozo!
It has been featured over the years in numerous television shows and movies, and we knew about it from Game Of Thrones (in the scene where Dhanerys Targaryn married Karl Drogo).
Well, as is the will of nature, this gorgeous natural arch was actually destroyed in 2017 as a result of natural winds and waves continually breaking over it.
I was surprised to find that there is no clear indication that a massive stone archway was even there.
Either way, it’s still a great spot to visit for a few different reasons; notably because it’s one of the most scenic picture spots you’ll find anywhere in Gozo, offering spectacular coastal views of the cliffs in both directions.
You also have the Blue Hole located right in front of it, one of the most popular spots for diving in Gozo. You’ll also find a restaurant here, as well as Dwejra Tower.
Another great reason to visit Dwejra Bay and the remains of the Azure Window is that you can take a boat ride out from the Inland Sea (for just 4 Euros) that takes you through a small cave and to the spot where the arch once stood.
For just 4 euros I highly recommend taking this short ride, as you get the chance to gain a unique perspective looking back at the dramatic cliffs.
You also get to see inside the caves and to look at the purple coral growing off the rocks there.
It’s a great experience as you get to see the beauty of the cliffs from a whole new angle, and also get to speak to a knowledgeable local guide who can answer all your questions.
Don’t worry, the Azure Window is not the only sea arch on Gozo.
Instead, Wied il-Mielah is another pretty epic sea arch, located just 15 minutes away.
Like the Azure Window, there is no entry fee to see Wied il-Mielah, and the views here are very nice.
The top of the window is still very thick, and many people choose to walk out and over it.
Possibly the most stunning man-made structure on the island is the Ta Pinu Basilica (otherwise known as The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu).
Even if you’re not religious, it’s hard to deny the epic beauty of the basilica, a pilgrimage point for thousands of Christians every year; this is easily one of the top 3 things to see in Gozo.
It’s so strange that such a large and commanding building is located with little else all around, except small homes and rugged cliffs and fields.
It’s free to go into the basilica and walk around and there’s plenty of parking outside.
For such a small island with relatively few inhabitants, you will be surprised to see just how many grandiose, intricately designed churches there are all over Gozo.
Even before you disembark the ferry, you can see 3 or 4 large, ornate churches from the bay.
It’s free to enter them and it’s hard to go even 10 or 15 minutes without seeing another massive church in some small town on Gozo.
Here are 5 noteworthy churches that we stopped at off on our 2 days tour of the island.
There are small bays lining all of the coasts around Gozo, but Marsalforn is one of the most built-up and nicest ones to visit.
We visited for lunch and ate at Il Kartell, located right on the front.
If you’re a fan of fish dishes, then you will be spoilt for choice as the whole island is famed for its great-tasting, fresh fish dishes.
I’f you’re looking to spend a few days visiting Gozo, then Marsalforn could be a really nice place to base yourself for a few days as there are plenty of really nice restaurants and hotels here.
Such as these great value hotels ...
On your way further up the northern coast of Gozo, it's worth stopping and snapping a few travel photos at the Marsalforn salt pans.
They stretch for 3 kilometres all along the front, and it’s possible to drive the whole way along them.
They’ve been managed here by locals for roughly 350 years and, in the hottest, summer months, you will see local families out tending their pans; collecting their salt and taking it off to be sold.
It’s been supporting these families for generations, and there is a small shop here where you can buy some local produce and learn more about the history of the pans.
There are wonderful beaches all around Gozo, in fact it's one of the best reasons to visit the island in the first place.
Arguably the nicest sandy beach is located at Ramla Bay.
The sand here is a golden-orange colour, and it’s a relatively flat yet sizable beach.
It’s actually one of the flattest and calmest bays all over the island, and was long used as the coastal point for boats to dock before transporting their wares to the Citadel.
When we visited, it was a little too cold to go in the sea (plus there were jellyfish!), but in the warmer months, apparently the ocean is full of locals and tourists alike, all out cooling off from the midday sun; a great place to relax.
Other notable beaches and bays that we saw on our Gozo trip, most of which are mainly used by locals, include:
Note: All of the spots above (except Xlendi Bay) are only accessible by very small, windy roads; many of which have steep inclines down the mountains. They also have very little parking, so in the summer months I imagine driving to these spots is very challenging.
If you want to get the best views of Ramla Bay, then you should 100% head up to Tal Mixta cave.
This is a fascinating spot, accessible either by walking straight up the cliff from Ramla Bay, or driving along a long windy road.
When you drive here, you park up a couple hundred metres away and then walk right to the cliff's edge almost, where you see a small tunnel-entrance that leads down into the cave.
It’s a great spot, and a famous one for those of you looking to capture those Instagram-worthy shots down over Ramla Bay.
I was fascinated to learn that Gozo is home to ruins dating back thousands of years!
One of the best preserved Unesco World Heritage Sites are the Ggantija temples, which is now blocked off with a visitor centre and is one of the few tourist attractions in Gozo you have to pay to see.
Inside, you get to visit and walk around the ruins of a temple dating back more than 5,500 years old!
That means they were built here BEFORE the Pyramids Of Egypt!
I really recommend visiting, and as part of your entrance price, you also get tickets to visit the nearby Ta’ Kola Windmill; which was built in the 1700s and is today a museum.
This ended up being one of my favorite spots anywhere in Gozo.
We chose to stop here for lunch on our second day, and what a view!
Best of all, you can go for a nice leisurely walk along the cliff face, all the way down to Xlendi Bay if you wish.
There are lots of walking routes in the area, and we saw plenty of people out enjoying the views while we were there.
Just one piece of advice, don’t drive all the way to the cliffs!
This is what we did, and luckily for us there was only one car at the end and we could still turn around.
It is a very narrow track that leads to the front, but no parking there except for one car.
Instead, I recommend finding a quiet spot somewhere away from the cliffs and then walking along the narrow road to them.
Before leaving Gozo, another set of Cliffs that are worth visiting are Ta Cenc.
It’s an amazing spot to watch the sunset, and you also get to enjoy views of Malta in the other direction.
You can drive down the road running alongside the cliff and park your car up at this point here.
From here, there are a few walking paths that run out towards and along the cliffs.
If you’re a lover of wine, then one of the best things to do in Gozo is to head to one of the local wineries.
There are a few across the island, and two of which I know are open for visitors.
It’s best to book a visit in advance, and when there you get to tour the vineyards, learn more about how the wine is made and, of course, sample a few glasses!
For more information, it’s best to contact the owners directly through their websites:
On a visit to Gozo, one thing you simply can’t afford to miss out on is a visit to the Blue Lagoon, located on the nearby Maltese island of Comino!
We visited the Blue Lagoon as a part of a day trip from Malta, though cruises operate from Gozo as well.
As a part of the cruise, you get to sail out between the coves and caves on Comino, as well as having a few hours to swim and relax in the warm blue waters.
What’s nice is that, The Blue Lagoon isn’t the only spot around Comino that you can swim in.
Instead, you can also walk across the small island to other nearby bays and swim in there as well!
If you are heading to Malta, then I can recommend the tour we took with Sea Adventure.
It only costs €20 and we took on our own food and alcohol for the day.
They also have glass windows in the base of the ship, which made for a great way to spot even more fish and other marine life on the way to Blue Lagoon.
Check out the cheapest tour prices here with:
A few final top travel tips for visiting the gorgeous island of Gozo.
Sure you can!
If you want to experience all of the best things to do on Gozo island, but don’t want the stress of hiring a car and driving yourself around, then there are tonnes of tour options which take you to many of the best sites.
For booking tours, your best choice is to go through either GetYourGuide or Viator, who have a wide selection of tours for seeing Gozo’s best attractions.
Here are some of the most popular tours:
To make the most of everything on offer, the best time to see Gozo is on a nice clear sunny day.
As it’s located in the heart of the Mediterranean, there is great weather almost all year round in Gozo and their winter isn’t anywhere near as bad as that in western Europe (which is why you find so many British expats living in Malta).
The hottest months are July and August, where temperatures reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius and above!
We spoke to plenty of locals who said that this is too hot, even for them!
Also, it is around these months that lots of tourists flock to the island during the summer holidays.
We visited in March and I can honestly say we had a wonderful time here!
Though it was officially only early-Spring/late Winter, the weather was incredible and there was hardly any wind.
We had the added benefit that there were very few tourists anywhere so we had many of the best Gozo attractions all to ourselves.
With that said, you may want to try and visit Gozo in the shoulder months of March-May or September-October for nice weather and fewer tourists.
We had a month living in Malta, so had plenty of time to fit everything in; but don’t worry you don’t have to spend this long!
To see all of the sites listed above, you’re going to need at least 3 days in Gozo.
2 days to see everything on the island and another day to do your visit to Comino.
If you can spare 4 days on Gozo then that is tonnes of time to see everything and also have a really chilled out pace to your sightseeing.
Gozo is relatively cheap compared to most countries in Europe.
In fact, what’s nice about Gozo is that many of the things to do here are free or extremely cheap.
For example, our boat tour out around Azure Window cost just 4 Euros, and they could easily charge a lot more.
The same goes for trips to Blue Lagoon, which are very reasonably priced.
If you’re looking to spend each night in a nice mid-range guesthouse or Airbnb, then you’re probably looking at around €40-€50 a night for two people.
So for a 3 night stay, you will probably end up spending somewhere around €80-€100 a day per person, assuming you stay somewhere half decent, rent your own car and eat out twice a day.
If you are visiting the incredible island of Gozo, then you’re going to need to take time to see Malta as well.
Packed with even more wonderful things to see and do, it’s worth spending a few days on Malta before flying home.
For help planning the rest of your trip, here are some other guides that we put together …
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