Gozo: A one day whistle stop tour!

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We had one day to visit this island located just 30 minutes on a boat north of Malta.  One day was more than enough to see the sites on this charming little island.

But would I book a weeks holiday here?.. unlikely, but I could certainly handle a weekend!

I’m all for peace and quiet but this island is just a little too laid back for me to come here for any substantial length of time. It would of course be a travesty to see this unique little island spoilt by tourism, but just a few more bars and restaurants to help quench the desire for being sociable would be well received.    Having said that, we had an absolutely lovely day on the island and is well worth a visit.

We took the ferry across (Gozo Channel Line) with our hire car.  Running every 45 minutes from Cirkewwa at the top of the island and taking no more than 30 minutes for the crossing, it really was pretty straight forward getting here.  Don’t think you have got away without paying when no one asks you to buy a ticket and you drive straight off.  The tickets are sold to you upon your return trip and are approximately 16euros

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Travelling to Gozo in the summer months you can expect temperatures in the very late 20’s/ early 30’s.  Blue skies, blue waters and a quaint Italian influence to the architecture on this well kept island. In complete contrast to its neighbouring island of Malta, uniformity with its buildings across the island, gives it without doubt the more elegant feel of the two.

Stop 1: Hondoq Bay (by Qala)

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This little bay was pitched as ‘what it lacks in size it makes up in beauty’. Perhaps it’s just that I am well travelled that I failed to entirely see that.

Yes the water is a lovely colour, but the beach is all pebbles and very small, it has large concrete blocks in the middle of the beach, the beachside is all concrete with a cafe which is a little ‘naff’ looking

One good thing to do here is to jump off of the concrete jetty into the sea which is great fun, but other than that you will be ready to move on within 30-40 minutes. If you’re short on time when visiting Gozo, this could be one of the beaches to miss.

You can take a boat trip from here over to Comino and the Blue Lagoon which is worth visiting if you are yet to do this.  This trip can also be taken from Malta if you are only on Gozo for the day.

Stop 2: Victoria (Rabat)
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What a charming little town in the centre of the village.  Cobbled streets, a few shops line the main through road and as luck would have it, we attended during their ‘Festa’ whereby they display their religious statues (patron saints) from the local churches proudly in the streets on ornate pillars and the town is decorated with colourful bunting and lights.  Each village/town has its own ‘Fest’a for its parish patron saint and these take place between May and September.  I wouldn’t consider myself religious in anyway, but I can appreciate a grand sight such as this.
Cathedrals can be sited throughout Gozo which you randomly stumble across whilst driving around the island.  Gozo is home to some truly stunning buildings

 

Stop 3: Ramla Bay

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The best beach in Gozo/Malta combined! and it really does have reddish sand!

A nice size sandy beach, very relaxed and loungers/umbrellas are NOT squashed up all in lines (my pet hate). You can spread out a bit and it makes for a much better environment.

The water is very warm and shallow but stick to entering the water on the left side of the beach as it turns to a painfully pebbled sea bed from the middle onwards.

The statue in the middle of the beach is a little quirky. Not seen one on a beach before!

This is a lovely rural looking beach with only a couple of cafes situated behind it and hidden out of view when sat on the beach.

You can entertain yourself with water sports from the beach with kayaks, banana boats, Pedloes etc., but they are all kept to one side, so relaxing and swimming is easily achieved.

A really nice laid back feel to this beach and worth a visit to see the reddish sands.

Stop 4: San Lawrenz, Inland Sea and Azure Window
Inland Sea, Gozo
What a lovely little spot, hidden away from the bustle. When you head down the steep hill following the sign to the boat rides it opens into a quite amazing  tranquil wonder of the Inland Sea. The lagoon is back dropped with a stunning cave.
The little cafe on the lagoon edge is well worth a visit. It makes for a good spot to enjoy a cold drink and take in the view. The prices are unbelievably cheap. They do a great ham, cheese and salad toastie for 1euro30!!
It’s really quite calm and peaceful watching the clearly visible fish swimming in the water and little passenger boats coming and going through the caves. A 20 minute ride to see these caves up close costs 4euros per person and is worth it for the experience.

The boats goes right through a narrow cave and out into the sea. The changing water colours of the many shades of blue and sparkling turquoise are just stunning.

The only slight disappointment at this attraction is that the Azure Window actually doesn’t exist anymore, it has fallen into the sea!! Perhaps I should have done my homework on this one, but with all the mention of this ‘rock window’ on Gozo maps I just assumed it was there.

It didn’t take away from a great little experience though and without doubt my favourite place on Gozo.

We had no real problems navigating our way around the island by car.  Road signs aren’t great, but good enough to get by.  The pace of life out here is such that if you get lost, don’t stress it!  This is a place to explore in the daytime and not a location to come for a wild night out.