The Malta to Gozo ferry, from Ċirkewwa to Mġarr

Getting to Gozo is much easier than it looks on the map. The boat is cheap, sails often and you don’t even buy a ticket beforehand. The slow part is getting to the port, so that’s what I’d plan.

How the Gozo Channel ferry works

Gozo Channel runs it, from Ċirkewwa on Malta’s northern tip across to Mġarr, the harbour on Gozo. The crossing takes about 25 minutes and runs every day. The company says it has three ferries in service and carries over 3.3 million passengers a year, and Gozo’s tourism ministry reckons sailings run as often as every 30 minutes by day, with timetables changing by season.

The hour-by-hour timetable loads separately on the company’s site and I couldn’t read it as text, so I’m not giving specific departures. With that frequency, I wouldn’t worry. The current schedule runs from 19 May 2025 to 8 November 2026.

What does it cost, and when do you pay?

This is the part that surprises people. The ticket is always a return and you pay for it in Gozo, on the way back. At Ċirkewwa you walk on without paying or validating anything, and at Mġarr, where the passenger terminal is open 24 hours, you buy the ticket before boarding the return sailing.

A foot passenger pays €4.65. Children between 3 and 12 pay €1.15, a ticket sold only at the Gozo office. Babies under 3 travel free but still need a €0 ticket, and bikes cost €1.15. From November to March there’s a night fare for departures from Mġarr after 20:00 and before the first boat, €4.05 per passenger.

You can also buy online. That ticket is good for one return trip within six months, with no fixed date or boat, but every passenger needs their own, printed or on a phone. One PDF with the whole group’s tickets won’t do.

Do I need to book?

No, and you can’t. Gozo Channel boards in order of arrival. With a car, at busy moments you might have to wait for the next sailing, but with departures that frequent I wouldn’t see it as a problem.

Getting to Ċirkewwa

This is the long bit. From Valletta, the 42 runs to Ċirkewwa via Mosta and Mellieħa, along with the 41 and the X300. From Buġibba there’s the 221, and from Sliema the 222. From the airport, the TD1 leaves hourly for €3.50, and taxis charge a fixed €32. Gozo’s tourism ministry allows around an hour from the airport to Ċirkewwa, and between one and two by bus depending on the time of day. If you’re starting in Valletta on foot, I’d look first at the Gozo fast ferry, which leaves from the Grand Harbour.

At Mġarr the Gozo buses are waiting. The 301 and 303 go to Victoria, the capital, and the 322 to Marsalforn. The harbour has its own page in Mġarr, Gozo’s port.

Taking a car

A car and driver pays €15.70 return, €12.80 at night in winter, and vehicles of 5.3 to 5.5 metres pay €20.70. At Ċirkewwa, cars queue in their own boarding area. With a hire car, check that the insurance covers damage during the crossing and on Gozo. For British drivers there’s the bonus that you’re already used to the left-hand side, and what else to check is in car hire in Malta.

The terminals at Ċirkewwa and Mġarr have facilities for people with disabilities, and Gozo’s tourism ministry says crew and terminal staff are happy to offer extra help. The vessels are designed so wheelchairs can move around the public areas.

My plan for Gozo

Timing matters more than tickets here. Leave early, because the bus ride north is the slow part, and keep an eye on the clock for the return, although at Mġarr you can simply join the next sailing.

For one day, I’d go on foot, taking an early bus to Ċirkewwa and using Gozo’s buses or a hop-on hop-off once there. For two days or more, car on the ferry and a night in Victoria or Marsalforn. What I’d see on that day is set out in Gozo day trip. For Comino, small boats cross from Mġarr in about 15 minutes, as covered in the Comino ferry.