Part-time Traveller, Full-Time Brummie

A Day Trip To Gozo: Malta Travel Diaries

Gozo: Malta Travel Diaries. How to take a day trip to Gozo from Malta by car

Come with A Brummie Home and Abroad on a day trip to Gozo.

Ferry Fun

After yesterday’s bus adventure we’re sticking with the Fletchemobile today. We’re off on a day trip to Gozo. This involves taking the ferry. It takes about 25 minutes to drive to the ferry terminal at Cirkewwa and, as luck would have it, a ferry is just pulling into shore. It’s touch and go whether we’ll make it onto this one, but we’re soon swallowed up into the bowels of a big ship. It’s our third car ferry trip after the two in Croatia, and it always amazes me how much is loaded onto what is a floating tin can. I don’t dwell on the logistics. Instead I find a spot on the sundeck where I can bask in the sunshine whilst watching Gozo approach.

A day trip to Gozo by car is easy-peasy. The ferry runs every 45 minutes during the day and the journey takes about 30 minutes. You can find the schedule here. A car and driver is €15.70, and additional passengers are €4.65 each. These are return fares. Tickets can be purchased from the ferry terminal at Cirkewwa.

Exploring Gozo

30 minutes later and we’re emerging at Mgarr in Gozo. Our first stop is the small town of Xewkija, with its spectacular Rotunda at the Church of St John the Baptist. Both my knees and shoulders on show but there are some handy scarves available so I modestly drape one around my shoulders.

The kindly gentleman who works there doesn’t seem bothered about my exposed knees. In fact, he beckons me in to explain how the new church was built on the site of the old church when it got too small for the community. The old church was dismantled and bits of it are now behind a red curtain in the corner.

Indeed, behind the red curtain are some impressive religious artefacts and artwork. It also leads us to the terrace of the Rotunda. Which thankfully has a lift. No need for an exhausting climb in this heat. There are spectacular views over Gozo, and I climb the additional winding steps to the top of the bell tower. I have (thankfully) descended by the time the bells chime the hour.

Xewkija ticked off the list, our next stop is the temple of Ggantija. Except our GPS isn’t playing ball and keeps taking us to what looks like a construction site. We give up and head for the windmill we’ve just spotted instead. We find the temple whilst we’re looking for a parking space. We’re in the village of Xaghra. This looks like a perfect place to pick up lunch. Except the only place that we find is a little hole-in-the-wall, Maltese version of Greggs.

Thanks to a combination of sweat, suncream and mascara, my eyes are watering so much that I can’t see anything. I have a minor squinty meltdown. We panic buy a meat pie, two pastizzi and a bottle of Kinnie. Kinnie, to the uninitiated, is the local soft drink. If you mixed Tizer, Irn Bru and Dr Pepper, this is what you’d get. It’s strangely addictive so I have no idea what secret ingredient is keeping us hooked.

Kinnie, Maltese soft drink

Back in the car and it’s a quick detour to Calypsos Cave. Although we never actually find the cave. There are stunning views over the red sands of Ramla Bay though. Next we head to the seaside town of Marsalforn. With it’s al fresco cafes on the seafront all thoughts of our rapidly cooling meat pie and two cheese pastizzi disappear as we settle down for a traditional Maltese sandwich (ftira) with chips. Oh, and a cheeky Aperol Spritz. We run the gauntlet of staff trying to herd us into their restaurant. It’s Tenerife all over again.

Refreshed, we head to the salt pans before heading for Gozo’s capital Victoria, with it’s imposing citadel. We park up, then in traditional Fletche fashion we fail to find the citadel and end up walking in completely the wrong direction. Eventually, we find our way back into the centre and make our way towards a square where earlier there had been market stalls and cafes aplenty. Now, at just 4pm, everywhere appears to be closing up. There is a stage being erected and there are flags adorning lampposts, but not much else going on. You’d think the locals were gearing up for some sort of public holiday that we didn’t know about… (Spoiler alert. They were. Happy Feast of St Peter and St Paul Day everyone!) We find a cafe bar which is still serving and have a well deserved drink in a shady spot on the square.

salt pans, Gozo, Malta
The salt pans of Gozo

From Victoria, it’s back to the coast, this time to the site of the Azure Window at Dwejra. It seems a bit odd to visit a site that’s no longer there but if I close my eyes I can still see the arch that jutted into the sea until just last year. I wasn’t aware that Dwejra is also home to a great swimming hole – an inland sea – and we regret leaving our towels in the car as this would be a great place to relax for a while.

Instead we head off to our final stop on our tour, Xlendi Bay. We hope to soak up a bit of sun here, but the the small beach is already in shade as the cliffs loom claustrophobically over the bay. I dangle my feet over the sea from the wall for a while before we decide to head back towards Mgarr and the ferry. Again, our timing is impeccable to catch the ferry and we start thinking about where we can head for sunset.

Dwejra, Gozo, Malta, Azure Window
The site of the Azure Window at Dwejra

Back to Malta for sunset. And an unexpected party.

Ghajn Tuffieha is about 20 minutes from Cirkewwa. Even more when your GPS insists on a short cut which takes us round in a circle after we politely refuse to follow its directions down a one-way road. But eventually we park up and enjoy a pretty spectacle at one of Malta’s top sunset spots. We finally break out the pastizzi to celebrate.

Sunset over sea, Ghajn Tuffieha Bay, Malta
Sunset at Ghajn Tuffieha Bay

We drive back towards Bugibba hoping to catch the second half of the England v Belgium match. It’s a quick drink at L’Ostricaio before heading back home after a long day. Which is where it all gets a little odd. Firstly, there is nowhere to park outside George’s which frustrates Mr Fletche no end. Finally, after tucking in as close to a wall as possible, we walk back to the guesthouse, only to find around 60 men in the pool area having some kind of party.

There’s a bar in the corner where there had never been a bar before. George and some of the guests are watching Love Island in the lounge, unperturbed by the shindig outside. We’ve barely seen a soul here for two days and suddenly it’s party central? The pile of kittens are nowhere to be seen. We slink up to bed feeling a little confused. I keep reminding myself it was only £440 for the week.

What carnage will await us when we go down for breakfast in the morning? Will there be bodies floating on unicorn lilos in the pool? A Maltese man passed out on a sunbed, with seven cats for company? Keep reading to find out

Visiting Gozo; Malta Travel Diaries
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5 responses to “A Day Trip To Gozo: Malta Travel Diaries”

  1. rachaelstray says:

    Oh crumbs I wanna know what happens the next morning! That sunset looked gorgeous. Loving this series!

  2. josypheen says:

    George’s gaff sounds like a fun (if confusing) place to stay!!

    It’s good that your luck with ferries is waaaay better than your luck with buses!! <3

  3. […] today is all about relaxing. But first we creep downstairs to see what carnage has been left from last night’s party. Nothing. There is no sign of anyone, George’s is back to normality. Did we hallucinate last […]

  4. […] not before a quick scenic cruise into Mgarr harbour on Gozo. Has it really been almost a week since we explored Gozo? Our stop at Crystal Lagoon is much more what I expected. It’s a much smaller bay, so the […]

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