Destination Report - Gozo

Clareboy

Island of Gozo

During our holiday in Malta in 2012 ( Full Details in previous thread ), we made 3 visits to the Island of Gozo.

Gozo, with a population of 30,000, is a much more rural and laid back kind of place when compared to bustling Malta. Gozo is only 14 km (9 miles) long and 7 km (4 miles) wide. The word ‘ Gozo ‘ actually means ‘ Joy’ in
Spanish.

On our first Tuesday, we made the first of three visits to the Island of Gozo. We caught the 221 bus from Bugibba to the port of Cirkewwa, which is situated at the very northern extremity of Malta. The road leading to the ferry port at Cirkewwa and the port itself is an absolute shambles at present because of the massive road works and the construction of a new ferry terminal. Cirkewwa is a place that one does not want to linger in for very long. The Gozo Channel Line operates a regular car and passenger ferry service between Cirkewwa and Mgarr and is a lifeline for the people of Gozo. No tickets are sold in Cirkewwa, with passengers purchasing their tickets in Mgarr for the return journey. The service operates on the principle of “ what goes around comes around”. The return ferry ticket to Gozo is just €4.60 per person. We really enjoyed our first ferry crossing to Gozo, which awarded us with fine costal views of the three islands; Malta, Comino and Gozo.

The crossing from Malta to Gozo takes only around 25 minutes. The ferry docks at picturesque Mgarr Harbour, which is dominated by the only Gothic church in the country and the nearby village of Ghanjsielem. There is a fine modern ferry terminal at Mgarr. On leaving the terminal, we were bombarded by all kinds of touts who were shouting at us about taxis, bus tours, jeep tours and boat trips. This taxi driver was particularly aggressive and kept shouting at us, saying that he would take us to Victoria for €8. I told him that we were taking the bus and he said “ they are packed in like sardines on the bus”. He followed us to the bus stop and didn’t want to take ‘no’ for an answer. That was the only unpleasant incident on our trip. Bus journeys on Gozo are generally quiet short – just 15 or 20 minutes on average, so we did not mind standing. Even though the buses on Gozo are also run by Arriva, the 7 day tickets purchased on Malta are not valid on Gozo. We purchased day tickets, which give unlimited bus travel on Gozo for one day. The day tickets cost €2.60 per person. From Mgarr Harbour, we travelled to Victoria, the capital of Gozo.


Victoria – Capital of Gozo

Victoria, which is also called Rabat, is situated in the centre of Gozo and is named after England’s Queen Victoria. On alighting from the bus at the terminal in Victoria, we could see straight away that life on Gozo moves at a much slower and relaxed pace that the more crowded island of Malta. Coming from the south, Victoria has a definite Middle Eastern appearance, with its huddle of flat roofed houses clinging to the fortified citadel. Victoria is dominated by the The Citadel, a tiny walled city, which is the physical and spiritual heart of Gozo. A walk through a maze of mysterious and narrow little streets and alleyways and a steep uphill climb brought us to the gates of The Citadel. A piazza leads to Gozo Cathedral (1716), the mother church of the diocese and the seat of the bishop. One of the more unusual sights to be seen in Gozo Cathedral is a lifelike effigy of Pope Pius IX, who created the Diocese of Gozo in 1864. We also visited the nearby Cathedral Museum, which displays church plate, as well as vestments and the bishop’s carriage, which was last used in 1975. A walk along the ramparts of The Citadel offers panoramic views of Gozo, with its steep terraced hillsides and scattered villages.
The largest church in downtown Victoria is the lavishly decorated Basilica of St. George. The interior is richly adorned, with a wealth of baroque trappings, earning it the name ‘ The Golden Basilica ‘. The high altar is a diminutive copy of Bernini’s high altar in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Ta’ Pinu

From Victoria, we caught a bus to the Ta’ Pinu Basilica, the National Shrine. There were a number of coaches in the car park when we arrived, so we decided to do the ‘ Way of The Cross’ before visiting the basilica. The Way of The Cross consists of different stations that are spread out along a stony pathway that winds its way up along the side of a barren hillside. The views of the Gozo countryside from the top of the hill are extensive. Afterwards, we visited the impressive Basilica of Ta’Pinu, which has been a place of pilgrimage since the 19th century. The present basilica was built between 1920 and 1931. Ta’Pinu was visited by Pope Paul II in 1990.
At that stage, it was around 4PM, so we caught a bus back to Victoria and from there to Mgarr and the ferry to Malta. The buses on Gozo run every hour from 5.30 AM until 23.00 PM seven days a week. The bus route from Victoria to Mgarr Harbour runs every half an hour. It is very easy to visit the sights of Gozo using the Arriva buses and a day ticket costs only €2.60.

Dwejra

On the following Friday, we set off again to explore the sights of the fascinating miniature world that is the Island of Gozo. From Victoria, we caught a bus to Dwejra, which is situated on the breezy and desolate west coast of Gozo. Dwejra consists of a roundabout with a couple of permanent buildings and a number of stalls that serve refreshments to the visitors. The tiny and simple whitewashed Chapel of St. Anne sits on a hillside. The oldest building is the Dwejra Tower, which dates from the 16th century and was built to guard the nearby Fungus Rock, which is covered in a rare type of fungus which was believed to possess medicinal powers. The western extremity of Gozo is savagely beautiful, with wild wave-battered cliffs, dramatic rock formations and wind-whipped headlands. A bit like the West of Ireland, but with sunshine! There are some truly remarkable rock formations that are like frozen waves and are very flakey and brittle to the touch.

The highlight of Dwejra is the famous Azure Window, a huge arch of rock, nearly 100 m (328 feet) high. It is perhaps the most spectacular natural phenomenon in the Maltese Islands. The Inland Sea is a shallow lagoon that is connected to the sea by a narrow passage through the cliffs. Dewjra is an amazing place and we lingered there for a number of hours admiring the extraordinary coastal scenery.

Xaghra

From Dewjra, we took a bus back to Victoria and from there on to the picturesque seaside resort of Marsalforn. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the seafront in Maralforn before catching a bus to the village of Xaghra. The bus snaked its way along narrow winding roads through a typical undulating Gozitan landscape. On our way to Xaghra on the bus, we witnessed one of the most disgusting sights that we have so far seen on our travels. As we rounded a corner, there were 6 males lined up in a row on an embankment urinating into a field of vegetables. The passengers on the bus let out a collective groan of disgust. What really amazed me was the fact that there was a woman standing at the side of the road watching this revolting carry on. The woman was standing beside a jeep, so I presumed that the 6 urinating males were on one of those jeep tours of Gozo and that the woman was their guide. If I had the chance to see the name of the tour company on the jeep, I would have contacted them and asked them not to allow their clients to urinate in public in future. In this country, I have heard stories about groups of males urinating beside buses along main roads in full view of other road users, but I have never seen it personally. There seems to be something in the mentality of the male that when they are in a group of other males, they seem to see nothing wrong with urinating in public in full view of others.

Like all villages on Gozo, the central piazza in Xaghra is dominated by a massive parish church. We had a look around the parish church and the piazza before making our way to the 5000 year old Ggantija Temples, the best preserved Neolithic site on the islands. There are a number of important Neolithic sites in the Maltese archipelago, but we only had the opportunity to visit the Ggantija Temples in Xaghra. Immense blocks of pale rock and primitive attempts at decoration are the features of these temples that have stood for over five and a half millennia. The temples are thought to be the oldest free standing monuments in the world. The site is on a plateau with a sweeping panorama of the Gozitan landscape. It is believed that the temples were places of worship dedicated to a female fertility goddess and there is evidence of human sacrifice. The Ggantija Temples are impressive reminders of Malta’s long and complex history.

Our entrance tickets to the Ggantija Temples also entitled us to visit the nearby Ta’Kola Windmill. The displays in the windmill explore the importance of bread in the Maltese diet. The domestic quarters give a good idea of living conditions on Gozo in times past. From Xaghra, we caught a bus to Mgarr Harbour in order to board the ferry to Malta. It was around 5 PM and the ferry terminal was absolutely thronged with people waiting to board the ferry. There was a definite health and safety issue there that evening as hundreds of passengers were packed into a relatively small waiting area and jammed up against a fairly narrow door. It was as if every tourist in Malta decided to visit Gozo for the day and return again at 5 PM. The very crowded conditions must have been very uncomfortable for the elderly and for parents with small children. It was the worst case of overcrowding that I have ever seen on my travels. It was a relief when the door was finally opened and the passengers were allowed on the ferry. It was standing room only on the ferry, but we did not mind as it’s just a 25 minute crossing to Cirkewwa. At Cirkewwa bus terminal, there was some scramble as hundreds of passengers queued to board the different buses. I don’t know how those rickety old buses used to cope with all the holiday crowds before Arrive arrived on the scene in 2011.

Munxar and Xlendi

On our last Sunday in Malta, we boarded an afternoon ferry to Gozo in order to see more of this fascinating island. From Victoria, we caught a bus to Munxar to view the elaborate decorations that adorned the village for the festival in honour of St. Paul. Village festivals or festas are a feature of Maltese life and they involve celebrating the local patron saint with parades and fireworks. The statue of the patron particular saint is carried around the village as part of a colourful procession led by the local brass band. On alighting from the bus in Munxar, we marveled at the colourful displays of flags and banners that adorned the village. A large statue of St. Paul was set up on a stand in the centre of the village. We spent about an hour in Munxar photographing the streets with all the vividly coloured flags and banners on display. The main festa procession and fireworks in Munxar were to take place later that Sunday evening, but unfortunately we could not stay around as we could have missed our bus and ferry connections to Bugibba.

Later, we caught a bus from Munxar to the nearby fishing village of Xlendi, which is dramatically situated in a narrow gorge surrounded by cliffs. There are some lovely walks around Xlendi, which enable visitors to marvel at the stunning coastal scenery. The most dramatic walk is a zigzag stepped pathway that snakes up the side of the cliff and then drops down to a spectacular sea cave. Xlendi is a place for a nice cliff walk followed by a drink or an ice cream and then just to sit and enjoy the warm sunshine, the colourful fishing boats and the crystal clear azure waters. It was perfect end to a lovely day and our last visit to the sun-kissed island of Gozo.

Gozo is a very pleasant, laid back, friendly and beautiful island to visit and the only downsides are the occasional chaotic scenes at the ferry terminal in Mgarr Harbour and the harassment by touts of visitors coming off the ferry from Malta.

Fratton Fred

Great report, although if I may, I would like to add that some of the best views in Gozo are found beneath the waves.

There is some spectacular dives in Gozo and one in particular where you can enter the sea through a "Blue Hole", descend and then swim through the Azure window is one of the best dives I have ever done.

And don't get me started on Reqqa Point and the Twin Arches!:D

Lovely Island, lovely people, glad you enjoyed it.

Black Leather

Reading your thread, I could imagine myself on the sun soaked island of Gozo. Again, a truly outstanding piece of travel writing. Thanks Clareboy!