About Gozo
Gozo is the second largest in Malta, which is made up of 5 large and small islands. The capital is the city of Victoria. The island hosts the mystique of the past with the history of Knights and also stands out for its natural beauty and marine tourism. Gozo Island is home to Malta’s most popular diving spots. With its beaches, nature, and favorable environment for watersports, this island is the country’s main tourist destination in this respect.
Gozo’s main source of income comes from fishing, agriculture, and tourism. The most important villages on the island are the capital Victoria, Ghajnsielem, and Qala. Mgarr Harbor, located in Ghajnsielem, is one of the access points connecting the island to the outside world. The harbor hosts mostly cruise ships and ferries that come to island for travel purposes. Close to Dwejra the naturally occurring rock formation Azure Window and Ggantija temples, which are among the world’s oldest religious structures, are the most remarkable sights to see on the island.
The Ggantija temple ruins were built 1,000 years before the pyramids of Egypt. Azure Window was the scene of many films and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sanctuary of Ta’Pinu, the islands most famous church, and Marsalforn village are other places to visit on the island. In addition, the It-Tokk Square, St. George’s Basilica, Cittadella, and Cathedral St. Marija, located in Victoria, are important structures in terms of tourism. The island experiences a Mediterranean climate. The Malta International Airport is the only airport serving all of the islands. The airport is located on the island of Malta from where you can take a ferry to reach Gozo.
Transportation to Gozo City Center from Airport
Gozo Airport
There is a small heliport in Gozo, but it is closed to international flights. For this reason, for your travels to Gozo you need to fly to Malta Airport firstly and then get to Gozo by using one of the means of public transportation.
The distance between Gozo and Malta International Airport is 40.6 kilometers and travelling between these points lasts approximately 1-1.5 hours by public transportation and 30-35 minutes by private car. Taxis or buses you will see at the exit of Malta Airport terminal building are options you can use for your transportation to the city center. You can also take advantage of the car rental companies located at the airport. In addition to land transportation, you can also get to the city center from the airport by using marine transportation.
There are frequent ferry services from Malta Airport to Gozo ferry terminal and Cirkewwa ferry terminal. For current ferry services and fares, you can obtain information by visiting www.gozochannel.com.
Bus
Buses are the most practical and economical options for travelling from the airport to Gozo which is Malta's second largest island after the capital of Malta. It is possible to get to the city center from the airport in approximately 1-1.5 hours by using either shuttle buses operating under the airport transfer service offered by the airport or passenger buses operating in the city. You can get information about shuttle bus services from the bus stops located at the exit of the terminal building or from tourist information offices in the terminal building.
The bus named Airport Bus Shuttle goes directly to the Mgarr Gozo ferry station from Malta Airport. There are also shuttle minibuses with the same route, and the fare you need to pay to get on one of these minibuses is 20 euros. Another option is getting on the bus route 8 from Malta Airport, getting off in Valletta and getting on Gozo Ferry bus. The fare of the bus route 8, which goes to the capital Valletta and lasts for 30 minutes, is 3.47 dollars as of 2016.
There are 4 different express buses carrying passengers to Gozo from Malta Airport: X1, X2, X3 and X4. The bus X1 operating every 3-4 hours goes from the airport to Cirkewwa ferry terminal in Gozo and passes through the city center.
The bus route X2 goes to San Gilijan region, bus route X3 goes to Bugibba and bus route X4 goes to Birzebbugra. The bus route N11, which operates as the night version of the route X1, goes to Cirkewwa and Gozo.
Taxi
Most of the white taxis you will see after arriving at Malta airport and when you get out of the arriving passenger terminal operate under the airport transfer services and taximeters are available in all taxis. You can make your travel more economical as long as you get on a taxi working with a taximeter.
The fares of the airport taxis vary depending on the season. Different tariffs are applied for day and night. Travelling from the airport to Mgarr Ferry Terminal, the main ferry terminal of Gozo, by taxi costs about 25 euros; you can also go to Cirkewwa Ferry Terminal, another terminal, for about 32 euros.
Car Rental
Since Malta Airport is an international airport, it is possible to see world-famous brands such as Avis, Hertz, Thrifty, Budget, Europcar, Dollar, Sixt, Green Car Rental, Gold Car Rental, Active Car Rental and First Car Rental. With the car that you will rent at Malta Airport, it is very easy to travel to Gozo city center by following the signs and driving on Cirkewwa-Mgarr road. The travel, which is about 40.6 km, will last 1.5 hours.
