Things to do in Gozo, from the Citadel to the western cliffs

Gozo fits into a day, which is exactly why it so often gets seen badly, in a hurry and in whatever order the coach tour dictates. Here’s my list of things to do in Gozo, scored and ranked, and the logic is simple. At the top is whatever has no equivalent on Malta itself; further down is what’s lovely but a bit like something you’ll already have seen.

Top of the list, the Citadel and Ġgantija

The Citadel in Gozo is the fortified town that crowns Victoria. It was already fortified in the Bronze Age, around 1500 BC, and the Knights of St John rebuilt its southern flank between 1599 and 1603, after the Ottoman raid of 1551. Inside stands Lorenzo Gafà’s cathedral, built between 1697 and 1711, whose flat ceiling carries a 1739 painting that tricks the eye into seeing a dome. Walking the ramparts costs nothing, and the three Heritage Malta sites still open (the Visitor Centre, the Old Prison and Gran Castello) share a €5 combo ticket.

The Ġgantija temples sit on the Xagħra plateau, north-east of Victoria. They’re two structures inside a single boundary wall, dated by Heritage Malta to between 3800 and 2000 BC, and one of the megalithic temple sites on UNESCO’s list since 1980. A visit takes about an hour and includes the 18th-century Ta’ Kola Windmill. I’d go first thing, before the ferry crowds arrive.

The west, which feels like another island

Dwejra Bay is, to my mind, the most dramatic corner of Gozo. The Inland Sea is a lagoon that connects with open water through a roughly 100-metre tunnel, and local fishermen take visitors through by boat. Fungus Rock is the islet where the General’s Root grew, prized so highly by the Order that they smoothed its sides to stop anyone climbing it. Above stands a 1652 tower, and underwater lies the Blue Hole, which Gozo’s tourism ministry counts among the great dive sites.

What you won’t see is the Azure Window. It collapsed in a storm in March 2017, and the arch still standing on the island is at Wied il-Mielaħ, at the end of its valley. Near Għarb is the Ta’ Pinu basilica, a Romanesque church built between 1920 and 1932 out in the fields, which interests me as much for the setting as for its origins, the voice of the Virgin that Karmni Grima said she heard there in 1883.

Beaches and coves worth the detour

The Ministry for Gozo rates Ramla as the island’s best beach, with reddish sand, no buildings and protected dunes. It’s reached on foot or by road from Xagħra or Nadur, and the Calypso Cave viewpoint sits above. Wied il-Għasri, on the north coast, is a gorge that ends in a pebble cove with steps cut into the rock, while Ħondoq ir-Rummien, near Qala, is the easiest swim on the east side, with facilities and Comino straight ahead.

With a car, Mġarr ix-Xini deserves half a day. It’s a narrow inlet between dry hillsides, guarded by a 1661 tower, and hardly anyone fits it into a day trip. The Ministry for Gozo notes the Knights’ galleys used it, and that in 1551 the Turks shipped off their Gozitan captives from here, which gives a quiet cove a darker edge.

What I’d save for another visit

The Xewkija Rotunda is striking for sheer size, its dome 27 metres wide and 75 metres high, but if you’ve already seen Mosta’s, I’d leave it for next time. Xlendi is pleasant for dinner and a swim, though heavily built up. And the Xwejni salt pans near Marsalforn work better on the way to something else than as a destination in their own right, unless you’re there between mid-May and September, when the salt is harvested.

Splitting Gozo over one or two days

With one day, I’d do Ġgantija in the morning, lunch in Victoria, the Citadel in the afternoon and, time allowing, Ramla before the last ferry. With two, I’d give the second day entirely to the west, with Dwejra, Ta’ Pinu and Wied il-Għasri, and finish with a swim at Ħondoq or Xlendi depending on where you’re staying. Without a car, remember that Gozo’s buses run hourly and almost all go through Victoria, so check your return before you set off.