Go to Gozo

My hop on-and-off trip to the island of Gozo

Before coming to Malta, I knew that I wanted to do as much exploring as I could, and what better way to do this than by visiting the beautiful island of Gozo.

Gozo is located from the north western tip of Malta, just a short ferry ride away from the Maltese island. The downside to doing a bus tour such as this, is that you have to make your own way to Gozo by ferry, and then begin your tour from the pick-up point at the harbour. However, this full round trip will not cost you a lot of money, and I actually think that it is a great deal.

My boss suggested that I use the hop on-and-off service as it gives you more flexibility than that of the local bus routes, and you know that you will always be able to get a seat, as people are rarely seen to overfill these buses. The buses also have free Wi-Fi which is great for those who may need it. But, you are more likely to absorbing the wonderful surroundings as opposed to being on your phone for the duration of the journey.

One thing that I was incredibly annoyed about however, is that I forgot to bring my camera and my phone quality just wasn’t the same.

However, I have still been left with some lasting memories of Gozo and this spectacular island that I believe all should go and visit during their time in Malta.

When arriving to Gozo from the ferry you are welcome with some gorgeous views of the Mgarr harbour, which is also the start and end of the looped bus tour journey. Mgarr is a lovely place to have a stroll around and you can really immerse yourself into your own thought when walking round the waterfront. Before hopping on the bus and starting my journey I wanted to take a tour by foot myself around the front peninsular of the harbour, where I could also watch the world go by. You also get the grand view of the Fort Chambray at Gozo, which has remained very well preserved and is a spectacle to behold. I took a stroll further around the water front and revelled in the beauty of the Lourdes Chapel located close by to the Fort Chambray.

I then moved on to the bus tour beginning of my journey. I hopped on the bus and managed to snag a seat upstairs. I would recommend sitting at the top of the bus as you get a much better view of your surroundings than you would do if you were sat on the lower deck of the bus. Also, the air-conditioning was very temperamental that day, so I’m not sure how comfortable one would have been if they had to sit downstairs on an older double-decker bus.

After beginning the journey from Mgarr we moved onto the city of Xewkija, which is the fourth-largest city in Gozo. It has some marvelous architecture, including its Rotunda. I hopped off the bus and wanted to head for the Church of St John the Baptist, which is as grand as the pictures show. This building allows you to take either the winding stairs or lift to the top of the dome, where you can experience some of the best views of Xewkija countryside. This village reminded me a lot of my hometown as it was surrounded by lush greenery and my favourite… cats. I did not spend a lot of time in Xewkija as there was not actually much to do here, however, the architecture and views surrounding the village area are one to be marvelled at. I popped into one of the quaint little corner shops and purchased a bottle of water before continuing my journey.

Next stop on the tour was Savina Creativity. This stop I would not say is a must-have for your journey, but it also nice to experience of the typical traditional Maltese food at the Magro Food Centre. We were given a free tour of the Savina Kitchen and given samples of some local produce. The honey was especially beautiful and some of the best honey that I had ever tasted. The centre is quite commercial, and I am not too sure as to the entire ‘point’ of the centre, but it is a great way to stretch your legs after a bus journey and see some local produce being made.

Next came the journey to Victoria, the capital of Gozo. I can see why this place is such a big tourist attraction as it is a glorious city. Steeped in religious history this city is great for those who want to experience some great architecture and scenic views. The citadella itself sits on a defensive hill, which makes it a nice climb to walk up and see. The views from this point are spectacular and one can receive 360-degree views of the surrounding city. After reveling in the landscape, I headed down towards the St George’s Square, which houses the stunning St George’s Basilica. There are some restaurants and cafes within this square, but they were completely packed full and very over priced for what they serve. However, this is to be expected in a city centre, as this was a bustling and vibrant tourist destination. The heart of Gozo museum is also situated in St George’s square, which I believe if you have the time, you should definitely go and visit. But, it was time for me to head back and catch the bus onto the next stop.

The next stop on the bus was Ta’ Dbiegi, the crafts village located in the village of Gharb. I decided to skip this village as my boss had told me that there wasn’t too much to do there and can be quite commercial in terms of cost. So, to keep things on a lower budget I decided to stay on the bus tour and head to the next stop.

I was incredibly excited for our next stop. We would be heading to Dwejra, where the infamous scene from Game of Thrones was filmed. The arch window unfortunately fell recently due to heavy storms, so I was unable to see this rock feature, however, there was still a lot to see and do.  This is probably the stop where I spent most of my time as I was able to explore a lot of areas of the sea front and also further inland.

My boss had told me about the Fungus Rock that was still standing at the waterfront, this was a wonderful formation to see and made for a great view out into the sea. I decided to set down by the bay and eat some lunch that I had pre-packed before my journey. I would recommend taking some packed snacks or lunch with you, as some of the destinations can be quite remote, meaning there is little opportunity to purchase food along the way. With the wonderful view of the waters before me it made for the perfect scene for a picnic lunch. I had to wait quite some time for the bus to come around which meant that I could go and have a further stroll along the water front.

Note that there may some buses that are too full or take a while to come around on the journey, but they more often than not will run on time, so that is something to take into account.

After a very hot bus journey up to Ta’ Pinu took us to quite a desolate place. The only thing there really to see is The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although beautiful, I would recommend staying on the bus and heading to the next stop. Especially if you have young children.

The next stop on the journey was Fontana Cottage, which housed one of the best markets I had been to in a long time. The array and plethora of wonderful local produce in this traditional style market, was simply awe inspiring. I could really immerse myself into Maltese culture as the bustling vibrancy of the market was simply wonderful to be a part of. I decided to purchase a jar of jam that I could take back home with me, as I needed something to commemorate my trip. What better way than with jam, right?

Our next stop on the bus would take us to the remarkable, Xlendi Bay. This bay was visually stunning, although very busy that day. I decided not to head down onto the sands but to perch on some of the rocks that were towards the back end of the beach. This is a very popular snorkelling and swimming spot, so I would recommend people to visit here for the full day if they can do and make a proper beach day out of Xlendi. You would not be disappointed. I pulled out my book and began to enjoy the wonderful warm weather along with the sounds of the crashing waves.

But, the bus was due soon, so I had to head back to the stop located near the water front head back towards Victoria and change to the Blue line which would continue our journey to Marsalforn. If you feel that you have done the sight seeing you wished to do on the purple line, then you can get the bus coming back towards Mgarr and ahead back to the ferry port. However, there was more that I wanted to see so I decided to hop on to the next line and experience some more of Gozo.  

I did not stay in Marsalforn for long as there was not much to do there besides take in the sea side views, so I took the beautiful stroll around the water front and peered in to some of the local bars and cafes surrounding the water’s edge. I stopped for a glass of orange juice at one of the local cafes on my route, which was incredibly refreshing since being in the blaring sun for quite some time. After a nice little respite, I headed back towards the bus to continue my journey. By this point I had been travelling and exploring for around 3 hours, which makes it a really good day out for all those wanting to participate.

Probably my favourite part of the trip was seeing the Ggantija Temples located in Xaghra. The temples are older than the pyramids of Egypt, making them a site that is steeped in history and heritage. The temples were believed to have been built by giants, which one can relate to when one sees the great size of the limestone that was used to create this structural masterpiece. There have been some remains of animal bones found at the site which has suggested that ritual ceremonies were performed here. I spent a lot of time exploring all areas of this wonderous masterpiece and I would highly recommend that people take the time to appreciate and visit this site, as it has a lot to offer its visitors. I solemnly walked back down the stairs to the entrance of the Ggantija temples as I was actually pretty sad to be leaving, but I knew that I had to complete the rest of the tour before the buses stopped running. By now it was getting to 1.30pm so I still had some more things I wanted to see before the buses terminated at 3.45pm.

The next stop on our tour would be to Ramla Bay. I had brought my swimming costume for this as I had heard some great things about this extensive and grand Bay. I was not disappointed what so ever. I managed to find a very secluded spot that was on the far stretch of the Bay, where I was able to paddle in the sea and cool off from the blaring sun. It was a well-deserved break and Ramla Bay has become one of my new favourite beaches. The Bay itself is very picturesque and has some amazingly clear blue waters, which are wonderful to swim in. I would really recommend this Bay if you are a family as there is a lot of room for people to lie down and erect umbrellas and chairs etc.

I decided after a long break that it was time to make my way back to Mgarr and skip out the penultimate stop at Nadur. Nadur is a quaint little village, but it does not have a lot on offer for its visitors, so I would only really visit here if you have a pre-concepted idea to do so. It is not a must on the list, so do not be disheartened if you do not have the time to visit here.

I made my way back to Mgarr to which my total journey lasted around 4 hours. This is a great little break from the island of Malta and allows you to explore some of the best hidden gems that Gozo has to offer, along with some its busies and bustling cities.

For €18 thecity sightseeingtour bus is great value for money and offers amenities on board, as well as the chance to visit some of Gozo’s great sights.

I would say that if you are sitting at the top deck of the bus, then reapply sun cream liberally as you could be liable to burn from the blaring sun. If you have smaller children then skip out some of the unnecessary stops that might not be vital to your trip, as these are not very child-friendly, as there is not much for them to do.

I would personally skip

• Ta’ Dbiegi

• Ta’ Pinu

• Nadur

However, the other sights and activities on offer during this tour were definitely worth the money and I would recommend for anyone to use this service as it is reliable and well organised.