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Visitor guide

Discover Gozo

Greener, quieter and more relaxed than Malta, Gozo packs an astonishing amount into a small island. Here's how to get here and what not to miss.

The island

Malta's gentler sister island

Gozo — Għawdexto the locals — is Malta's smaller, greener sister island. Life here moves at a gentler pace, with rolling countryside, honey-coloured villages and a coastline made for swimming, diving and long, lazy lunches.

Getting here is part of the fun. The Gozo Channel ferry sails from Ċirkewwa in the north of Malta to Mġarr Harbour in around 25 minutes, and a fast passenger ferry links Mġarr with Valletta. Once you've arrived, the whole island is yours to explore — and that's where we come in.

Good to know

  • Capital: Victoria (Rabat)
  • Size: ~67 km², 14 localities
  • Getting there: ~25-min ferry to Mġarr
Must-see

The island's highlights

A few of our favourite places — ask us for directions and the best time to visit when you pick up your wheels.

The fortified walls of the Cittadella rising above Victoria, Gozo
Park below, explore on foot
01Victoria

The Citadel

Crowning the hill at the very centre of the island, the Cittadella has watched over Gozo since the Bronze Age, and its golden bastions are visible from almost every village. Inside the walls you'll find the 17th-century cathedral, a maze of silent alleys, little museums and gun posts with 360° views that reach the sea in every direction. Come up an hour before sunset, when the limestone glows and the church domes light up across the valleys below.

  • Five minutes' walk from our garage in Victoria
  • Free to wander — the museums are ticketed
  • Cafés in the cathedral square for a shaded stop
The megalithic stones of the Ġgantija temples in Xagħra
Best by car or e-bike
02Xagħra

Ġgantija Temples

Older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza, the twin temples of Ġgantija were raised around 3,600 BC and are among the oldest free-standing monuments on Earth. The name comes from ġgant — Maltese for giant — because islanders were convinced only giants could have shifted the five-metre megaliths. The excellent visitor centre tells the story before you walk the temple terrace itself, gazing out over the green Ramla valley.

  • Ten-minute drive from Victoria, parking on site
  • UNESCO World Heritage since 1980
  • Pair it with Calypso Cave and Xagħra's village square
The Inland Sea at Dwejra with its cliffs and fishermen's boats
Best by car
03San Lawrenz

Dwejra & Inland Sea

Gozo's wild west coast saves its best drama for Dwejra: a lagoon of still, salty water connected to the open sea by an 80-metre tunnel through the cliff. Local boatmen will run you through the cave and out beneath towering rock faces — keep an eye out for Fungus Rock and the site of the much-missed Azure Window. Divers rate this stretch among the best in the Mediterranean, and the sunsets here empty the day's worries completely.

  • Twenty-minute drive from Victoria, easy parking
  • Boat trips through the tunnel in season
  • Pebbly entry — pack swim shoes
The red sand of Ramla Bay seen from the hills above
Best by car or taxi
04Xagħra · Nadur

Ramla Bay & Calypso Cave

Ramla l-Ħamra — 'the red sands' — is the island's largest beach, a sweep of copper-coloured dunes at the foot of a lush valley, with shallow, family-friendly water. From the ridge above, Calypso Cave looks down over the bay: legend says this is where the nymph of Homer's Odyssey kept Odysseus enchanted for seven years. One look at the view and you'll understand why he stayed.

  • Parking right behind the dunes
  • Kiosks and sunbeds through the summer
  • The drive down the valley is a treat in itself
The narrow gorge of Wied il-Għasri winding towards the sea
Great by bike
05Żebbuġ

Wied il-Għasri & the Salt Pans

A sliver of turquoise pinched between two cliffs, Wied il-Għasri is reached by a staircase cut into the rock — on a calm day the snorkelling in the gorge is unforgettable. Follow the coast road east and the Xwejni salt pans spread out like a chessboard along the shore, still harvested by hand every summer just as they have been for 350 years.

  • A flat, scenic 15-minute ride from Marsalforn
  • Sea salt sold from the little hut in season
  • Save the swim for calm days — it's a narrow inlet
Xlendi Bay with its cliffs and clear water at dusk
Best by car or bike
06Seaside villages

Xlendi & Marsalforn

Gozo's two seaside villages each have their own character. Xlendi sits snug at the end of a deep gorge, its restaurants wrapped right around the water; Marsalforn sprawls along a wide bay with a promenade made for evening passeggiati. Both offer easy swimming off the rocks, long lazy lunches and that end-of-the-day glow Gozo does so well.

  • Twenty minutes apart by car — do both in a day
  • Swimming ladders and lidos along the rocks
  • Book the waterfront tables ahead in summer
Ta' Pinu Basilica standing alone in the countryside near Għarb
Best by car
07Għarb

Ta' Pinu Basilica

Malta's national shrine rises alone out of open farmland, its 61-metre campanile visible for miles around. The basilica grew from a tiny chapel where, in 1883, villager Karmni Grima heard a voice that turned the spot into a place of pilgrimage — popes have visited twice. Don't miss the room of ex-voto offerings and letters, or the mosaic-lined parvis glittering in the sun.

  • Free entry — modest dress appreciated
  • Climb Ta' Għammar hill opposite for the view
  • Ten minutes on to Wied il-Mielaħ afterwards
The secluded sandy cove of San Blas Bay near Nadur
Best by car
08Nadur

San Blas & Daħlet Qorrot

Ramla's little sister, San Blas is a pocket of red sand at the foot of terraced citrus groves, reached down a steep concrete path — the climb back up is the price of having it nearly to yourself. Around the headland, Daħlet Qorrot is a doll-sized cove where fishermen still keep their boats in huts cut straight into the rock. Together they're the unspoilt northeast at its best.

  • Limited parking at the top of the lane
  • No facilities at San Blas — bring water
  • Daħlet Qorrot is perfect for a quick dip
The Wied il-Mielaħ window, a natural limestone arch over the sea
Best by car or bike
09Għarb

Wied il-Mielaħ Window

When the Azure Window fell in 2017, Gozo's other window quietly inherited the crown. Wied il-Mielaħ is a perfect limestone arch standing over the open sea at the mouth of a quiet valley, with a viewing platform and barely a soul around. Come in the late afternoon when the low sun warms the rock — and keep it to yourself.

  • Fifteen-minute drive from Victoria via Għarb
  • A great turnaround point for a north-coast ride
  • Best light late in the afternoon

Photography via Wikimedia Commons — Matthew Benn, FritzPhotography, Koichi Shibata, William Shewring, Wolljuergen, Diego Delso, Xanella22 & Wusel007 (CC BY-SA).

Getting around

Pick the right way to explore

No trains or trams here — the freedom of your own wheels is the best way to see Gozo. However you like to travel, we've got you covered.

By car or scooter

The most freedom — reach every beach, temple and clifftop on your own schedule, with room for the family and the beach gear.

Rent a car

By bicycle

Slow travel at its best. Quiet country lanes and coastal paths, with e-bikes to make light work of Gozo's hills.

Hire a bike

By taxi

Sit back and let a local driver do the work — perfect for airport transfers, evenings out or a relaxed island tour.

Book a transfer
VICTORIA GARAGE ✶ GĦAWDEX ✶ EST. 2006 ✶
✶ Victoria Garage Gozo

Ready to start exploring?

Sort your wheels before you arrive and step off the ferry straight into your Gozo adventure.

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