Top things to do in Gozo: A family guide to Malta’s sister island
Just so you know: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a booking or purchase, I may earn a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
We spent a week in Gozo with our one year old and these are the top things we’d recommend, some we did ourselves, a couple we didn’t make but know are worth including. Gozo is a small island but there’s more to do than you’d expect, and with a toddler in tow we found she took every single one of them in her stride.
Short on time? Start here
If you’re only in Gozo for a day, these are the four things worth prioritising:
> The Citadel in Victoria
> Ramla Bay
> Dwejra Bay, including the Blue Hole and Inland Sea
> Xlendi Bay
Gozo is small enough that you could cover all four in a single day with a hire car. Between them you get history, beaches and coastline, and a decent taste of what the island does best. That said, if you can stay longer, you’ll be glad you did.
How long to spend in Gozo
1 day: Enough to cover the main highlights – the Citadel, Dwejra Bay and a beach, but you’ll feel rushed and won’t really get a sense of the place.
2–3 days: Ideal for exploring properly without watching the clock. You can linger, get a bit lost, and actually feel the pace of the island.
5–7 days: What we did, travelling with a toddler. Gozo suits a slower pace really well and a full week still left us with plenty we hadn’t done.
For the full picture on planning your trip, head to our Gozo travel guide.
Map of things to do in Gozo
I’ve pinned all of the places in this post on the map so you can see where everything sits on the island. Gozo is small but it’s worth knowing where things are before you head out, and it makes grouping stops together much easier, especially with little ones in tow.
1. Hondoq ir-Rummien Bay
Tucked just below the village of Qala, Hondoq became our beach. The water is crystal clear, the rocky platforms are perfect for jumping in, and because we were staying in Qala it felt like our own little corner of the island.
Parking gets tricky later in the day so we tried to get there early. You can walk down from Qala but we didn’t fancy pushing a pram down that hill.
The beach is pebble heavy so water shoes are worth packing. There’s a beach bar serving cold drinks and local snacks, we were never going to say no to pastizzi and a Cisk. There was also shaded tables, sunbeds, kayaks, jet skis and canoes for hire. It had everything we needed for a full day by the sea.
It’s a smaller beach than Ramla Bay and the pebbles are actually a bonus when you’ve got young kids, no sand in every crevice. When we go back and our eldest can swim properly, the snorkelling there is top of the list.
For a full rundown of every beach on the island, head to our Gozo beaches guide.
👉 Check Comino and Blue Lagoon Guided Kayaking Adventure from Hondoq Bay on GetYourGuide
👉 Scuba diving from beginners to experienced divers
2. Victoria (Ir-Rabat)
In the middle of the island sits Victoria, Gozo’s capital. Officially named after Queen Victoria during her Jubilee, Malta’s British history is still very much in evidence, most locals still call it by its original Maltese name, Ir-Rabat.
It’s the busiest part of Gozo by some distance, which after a few days of the island’s unhurried pace actually feels like a welcome change. The cobbled streets and old brick buildings are gorgeous, and you could sit with a coffee and just watch the world go by. As someone who loves a city, I was very happy here.
It’s also practical with shops, bakeries, banks and supermarkets, without losing any of its character. And since it sits at the heart of the island, pretty much every road leads through it.
We picked up a gorgeous little dress for our little one, had a lovely coffee and just soaked up the atmosphere. It’s worth at least half a day here.
One food worth seeking out while you’re in Victoria or the village of Nadur is ftira – a Gozitan flatbread that’s more like a stuffed pizza than anything else, usually filled with potato and cheese, tuna, or anchovies. It’s UNESCO listed and genuinely unlike anything you’ll find off the island. Maxokk Bakery in Nadur is the most recommended place to try it.
👉 Prefer a guided tour? Check out this Victoria walking tour with GetYourGuide
👉 Prefer to drive? Check out car hire on DiscoverCars
3. The Blue Lagoon
We booked a half day boat trip and it was one of the best things we did, and the one time we went without our daughter, my aunt and uncle kindly stepped in to babysit. Pick up was from the same area as the Cirkewwa ferry which made it easy to find.
The trip took in the Blue Lagoon and the Santa Maria caves, and the water genuinely doesn’t look real. I looked back at my photos thinking they had a filter on them. Lunch was included, salads and meats. Snorkelling equipment was provided on board. You could buy drinks too. One thing worth checking before you book: we got chatting to two girls already on board who had booked the all day version, which was effectively the same trip done twice. Worth reading the itinerary carefully before you commit.
If you’re staying on Malta and visiting Gozo for the day, a boat trip is one of the nicest ways to make the crossing. See our guide on getting from Malta to Gozo for all your options.
👉 Check Blue Lagoon boat tours on Viator
👉 Check Blue Lagoon boat tours on GetYourGuide
4. The Citadel
The Citadel is probably Gozo’s most iconic sight, a hilltop fortress sitting above Victoria that’s visible from pretty much everywhere on the island. We had plans to visit but it was really hot the day we’d set aside for it, and with a one year old we decided to give it a miss. It’s firmly on the list for next time.
It’s worth knowing a bit about it before you go. Built during the Bronze Age and shaped over centuries by the Romans, Phoenicians and Knights of St. John, the Citadel once housed a third of Gozo’s population. These days fewer than ten people live there, but there’s still plenty to explore. The cathedral, the old prison, museums, and walls with panoramic views across the whole island.
I’m a sucker for history and the Citadel is the kind of place that gives me shivers just reading about it. Seeing it in person is top of the list for our next trip.
👉 Check entrance tickets for the Citadel on Viator
👉 Full day tour of Gozo temples and Citadel on GetYourGuide
5. Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary
Ta’ Pinu Basilica is one of those places that stops you in your tracks. It sits on a hillside not far from the village of Gharb, and the first thing you see is a huge wall of mosaic tiles outside which looks extraordinary up close.
We went inside and it’s vast and incredibly quiet. They provide a cover for your shoulders at the door which is a thoughtful touch. Built between 1920 and 1931, it’s a Roman Catholic shrine that still draws pilgrims from across the world, but you don’t need to be spiritual to appreciate it. On an extremely hot day it was also, if we’re being honest, a very welcome bit of shade.
👉 Check this Gozo tour from Malta, including Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary
6. Quad Biking
We didn’t manage quad biking on this trip with us having our one year old in tow. But from everything we’ve read and heard, it looks brilliant. Guided tours take you past cliffs, beaches and valleys, with some including lunch or swim stops along the way.
It is very much on the list for when she is older and we can sneak a couple of hours away. It will make a nice break from beaches, and I have heard the views are incredible.
👉 Check out Quad biking on GetYourGuide
👉 Check out quad biking on Viator
7. The Inland Sea
The Inland Sea was one of those spontaneous stops rather than a planned visit, my uncle pulled over on one of our drives to show us where the Azure Window once stood before it collapsed in 2017. We didn’t go in or kayak, just stood and looked for a while. We would definitely come back here for kayaking.
It’s a saltwater lagoon tucked behind a cliff, connected to the open Mediterranean through a narrow rock tunnel. Small boats offer rides through the arch and out to sea, past caves and the spot where the Azure Window used to be. It’s also popular with divers and snorkellers.
Even a quick stop is worth it just to see it, even if watching people kayak through that tunnel did make me feel slightly claustrophobic.
8. Ramla Bay
If you’re after a sandy beach, Ramla Bay is the one. The sand has a deep red tint to it which is really unique, and the sea is shallow enough for little ones to splash around without you hovering too close. I loved paddling with our daughter there under the warm July sun.
There were plenty of families around but it never felt crowded, just a good atmosphere. There’s a beach café, sunbeds to rent, and rinse off taps by the boardwalk which were an absolute lifesaver when Eloise had somehow managed to get sand in every crevice. It is much bigger than Hondoq, and feels more set up for tourists, which wasn’t a bad thing as the facilities make it really easy with kids.
9. Tal-Mixta Cave
We didn’t make it to Tal-Mixta Cave on this trip but it’s worth knowing about, especially if you’re already heading to Ramla Bay – it sits on the hill directly above the beach and the views back down over the bay are apparently stunning. A short walk from the road with a cave opening that frames Ramla perfectly. Firmly on the list for next time.
10. Xwejni Salt Pans
My uncle drove us past the salt pans on one of our drives around the island and even a quick look from the car was enough to understand why they come up in everything written about Gozo. Hundreds of shallow rock cut pools stretching along the northern coastline, some still worked by the same family for over 350 years. You can buy bags of local sea salt from the small shop nearby, we picked some up and it’s still in our kitchen. Worth a proper stop rather than a drive-by.
11. Wied Il-Għasri
We didn’t visit Wied Il-Għasri but it comes up in everything we’ve read about Gozo as one of the most beautiful spots on the island, a narrow gorge between orange cliffs with a small pebbly beach at the bottom and clear green water. The kind of place that looks almost too good to be real. One for next time, and high on the list.
11. Ggantija Temples
We didn’t visit the Ggantija Temples on this trip, with a one year old in July heat, some things just didn’t happen. But they’re too significant to leave off any Gozo list. Dating back to around 3500 BC, they’re among the oldest freestanding structures in the world, older than the Pyramids, older than Stonehenge. The entry fee is €10 per person and includes the windmill museum nearby. On the list for when Eloise is old enough to appreciate what she’s looking at.
👉 Check this Ggantija Temples tour on Viator
12. Ta’ Dbiegi Crafts Village
If you fancy a break from the beach, Ta’ Dbiegi Crafts Village in Gharb is worth an hour or two of your time. It’s full of local artisans working in glass, pottery, lace and jewellery, all made on site rather than imported and repackaged as souvenirs.
We picked up a glass cat for my aunt, she’s cat mad and knowing it was handmade right there made it feel like a proper gift rather than something grabbed at an airport. We could have easily spent longer browsing.
14. Xlendi Bay
We didn’t make it to Xlendi on this trip, but it comes up time and again as one of Gozo’s most recommended spots so it would have been wrong to leave it off the list.
It’s a small bay with a mix of sandy and pebbly beach, calm shallow water and a rocky coastline that’s popular with snorkellers and divers. There’s a cluster of waterfront restaurants which by all accounts are great for an evening meal, and a traditional watchtower overlooking the bay. It’s firmly on our list for next time.
How to plan your time in Gozo
Gozo is small enough that grouping nearby places together makes a lot of sense. The Citadel and Ramla Bay pair well together for a morning and afternoon. Dwejra Bay, the Inland Sea and the Blue Hole are all in the same corner of the island so easily done in one outing.
If you have more time, there’s no need to rush any of it. Spread things out, revisit your favourite beach, linger over lunch in Victoria. That unhurried pace is a big part of what makes Gozo worth staying for more than a day.
Do you need a car in Gozo?
Buses do cover the island and are a reasonable option if you’re sticking to the main towns. But if you want to reach the beaches, coastal spots and quieter corners of the island without planning your day around timetables, a hire car makes everything considerably easier.
We hired one for the week and it was one of the best decisions we made. With a toddler, the flexibility to just go wherever we wanted whenever we wanted was worth every penny. Roads are quiet, distances are short, and they drive on the left, so for UK visitors there are no nasty surprises.
👉 Check car hire in Gozo on DiscoverCars
Final thoughts
Gozo is one of those places that genuinely doesn’t need to be a day trip. We spent a full week there and still felt like we’d barely worked through this list. For a small island, it punches well above its weight.
We’ll be back, we have family there so it’s a given, but even without that, I’d return. And I say that as someone who rarely goes back to the same place twice. There’s still so much we didn’t do, and as Eloise gets older and the water sports become an option, it’s going to look like a completely different trip.
If you’re still deciding whether Gozo is worth adding to your itinerary, our Is Gozo worth visiting guide should help. And for everything you need to plan your trip, head to our Gozo travel guide.
FAQs about things to do in Gozo
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