A day trip to Gozo from Malta, independently and unhurried

A Gozo day trip can go very well or rather badly, and it’s usually settled by which boat you catch first. Leave late and you lose the morning to buses and spend the afternoon clock-watching. Leave early, don’t try to see everything, and a single day on Gozo gives you far more than you’d expect.

Which boat, depending on where you’re staying

There are two ways across. The Gozo Channel ferry leaves from Ċirkewwa, at Malta’s northern tip, takes about 25 minutes and carries cars. There’s no booking and nothing to pay on the way out, because the €4.65 return is collected at Mġarr when you come back. Full practicalities sit in my Malta to Gozo ferry guide. If you’re staying in Mellieħa, Buġibba or Qawra, that’s your boat.

If you’re in Valletta, Sliema or St Julian’s, the maths changes. Getting to Ċirkewwa by bus is the biggest time sink of the day; the Ministry for Gozo already quotes one to two hours by bus from the airport. From there I’d take the Gozo fast ferry, which leaves Valletta’s Grand Harbour and reaches Mġarr in about 45 minutes according to the operator. It’s foot passengers only, so any hire car stays on Malta.

My day on Gozo, stop by stop

Off the boat at Mġarr, I’d head straight for Victoria. The harbour bus runs every 30 minutes and drops you below the Citadel. This is the stop I’d make earliest, because the ramparts, with the island spread out beneath you, are far better before the mid-morning groups arrive. The Discover Gozo combo, €13 and valid for 30 days, covers all three Heritage Malta sites up there.

For lunch I’d drop down into the old quarter, between It-Tokk and St George’s Square, which is where the Ministry for Gozo itself sends day visitors to eat. After that, the Ġgantija temples at Xagħra, which on the same combo include Ta’ Kola Windmill. Allow about an hour; the bus stop is two minutes from the entrance.

I’d save the end of the day for the sea. A path drops from Xagħra to Ramla Bay, whose red sand the ministry rates as Gozo’s finest. If the ferry times are tight, I’d settle for the Calypso Cave lookout on the edge of the village, which looks straight down on the bay.

With a car, the day opens up

Take a car across on the Ċirkewwa ferry (€15.70 return including the driver) and you gain the flexibility to swap Ramla for Dwejra in the west, or to stop at Ta’ Pinu on the way. Driving is on the left, so no adjustment needed if you’re from the UK. The Spanish Foreign Ministry’s advice for hire cars is worth passing on, namely to make sure your cover extends to the crossing and to driving on Gozo.

Personally, I think a car makes more sense on a second visit than on a first. UK drivers can use a photocard licence in Malta, according to the UK government’s travel advice, though it also warns that some roads are in poor condition. For the Citadel, Ġgantija and Ramla, Gozo’s buses are enough, and you avoid hunting for a parking space in Victoria at lunchtime.

Coach tour or DIY

Done independently, the day comes to just over €25 per adult for ferry, buses and tickets, before lunch. An organised tour has to justify the difference with something that’s awkward to arrange yourself, like a boat trip along the coast or simply not having to worry about getting back in time. If you’ve bought Malta Public Transport’s Explore Flex card, there’s a Gozo HighSpeed return add-on and another called “2 Islands”, both worth pricing up.

What I wouldn’t squeeze into one day

I wouldn’t try Comino and Gozo on the same day, even though boats from Mġarr reach the smaller island in about 15 minutes. Nor the whole of the west, with Dwejra, Wied il-Għasri and Ta’ Pinu, which turns the day into a string of car parks. Evening plans are out too; the October operas in Victoria start at 19:30, which only works if you sleep on the island. If you come away wanting more, the full ranking sits on my things to do in Gozo page, and my advice for next time is simple, give it a night.