After Valletta and Mdina, Gozo represents Malta's third essential destination. This 67 square kilometer island sits six kilometers northwest of Malta's main island across the Gozo Channel. Ferry services from Ċirkewwa terminal to Mġarr harbor on Gozo operate year-round with crossings taking 25 minutes. The Gozo Channel Company runs approximately 18 daily departures in winter and up to 25 in summer months. Victoria, known locally as Rabat, functions as Gozo's administrative center with a population near 7,000. The island's total population stands at approximately 31,000 as of 2023 census data. Gozo measures 14 kilometers at its longest point and 7.25 kilometers at its widest. The coastline extends 43 kilometers around the island's perimeter. Elevation reaches 190 meters at Ta' Dbiegi Hill near the village of Għarb on the western side.
Ġgantija temples outside Xagħra village date to 3600 BCE, making them older than Stonehenge by approximately 1,000 years and the Egyptian pyramids by 600 years. UNESCO designated Ġgantija a World Heritage Site in 1980 as part of the Megalithic Temples of Malta inscription. The name Ġgantija derives from ġgant, the Maltese word for giant, reflecting local folklore that giants built the structures. Two temples stand within a shared boundary wall. The southern temple measures 20 meters wide at its facade with an internal depth of 23 meters. Excavations in 1827 by Colonel John Otto Bayer first documented the site systematically. The temples feature limestone blocks weighing up to 50 tons. Archaeologists established that builders used limestone rollers to move these blocks from quarries 500 meters away. The entrance faces southeast toward sunrise during the winter solstice. The temples reveal five semicircular apses arranged in a trefoil pattern. Red ochre markings remain visible on some interior stones. Excavations recovered carved stone balls, bowl altars, and figurines indicating fertility cult practices. The site museum opened in 1955 displays artifacts including bone needles, pottery fragments, and stone tools found during excavations. Opening hours run 0900 to 1700 daily with last admission 1630. Admission costs €10 for adults as of 2024.
Dwejra Bay on Gozo's western coast contained the Azure Window, a limestone arch that collapsed into the Mediterranean on March 8, 2017 during storm conditions with waves exceeding four meters. The arch had measured 28 meters wide and rose approximately 20 meters above sea level before collapse. Geologists had documented progressive erosion since the 1980s when the arch measured 100 meters wide. The Inland Sea, a landlocked lagoon within Dwejra, connects to the open Mediterranean through a natural tunnel 80 meters long and up to 7 meters wide. Water depth in the lagoon reaches 35 meters. Local boat operators run trips through the tunnel to open water, with typical excursions lasting 15 minutes and costing €4 per person. Fungus Rock, a 60-meter-high limestone outcrop, stands 100 meters offshore from Dwejra Point. The Knights of St. John declared the islet off-limits in the 16th century due to a parasitic plant, Cynomorium coccineum, believed to possess medicinal properties for treating dysentery and hemorrhaging. Penalties for unauthorized landing included galley service or death according to 1746 records. The rock remains a nature reserve under current Maltese law. Dwejra diving sites include the Blue Hole, a vertical chimney descending from eight meters to 25 meters depth where it opens to the sea. The Coral Cave system extends 100 meters into the cliff face with chambers reaching 15 meters in height. Dive operators in Marsalforn, seven kilometers east, provide tank fills and guided dives.
Ramla Bay, on Gozo's northern coast near Xagħra village, stretches 800 meters in length with distinctive red-orange sand resulting from iron oxide in eroded limestone mixed with crushed shells and coral. The beach reaches 40 meters wide at low tide. Calypso Cave sits in the cliff 50 meters above the bay's western edge. Local tradition identifies this cave with Homer's description in the Odyssey where the nymph Calypso held Odysseus for seven years. Archaeological evidence from the cave shows human occupation dating to the Bronze Age, approximately 1500 BCE. Access involves an unmarked steep path and the cave interior measures roughly eight meters deep. The beach provides facilities including seasonal lifeguards from June through September, public toilets, and a snack bar operating 0900 to 1800 in summer months. Parking accommodates approximately 60 vehicles. Bus route 322 from Victoria reaches Ramla Bay with journey time of 20 minutes and hourly service in summer.
Ta' Pinu Basilica stands three kilometers west of Għarb village on Gozo. The church gained prominence after reports of Marian apparitions in 1883 when Karmni Grima, a local woman, reported hearing the Virgin Mary's voice while passing a small chapel on the site. The original chapel dated to 1545. Construction of the present basilica began in 1920 following designs by architect Giuseppe Damato. The basilica opened in 1931 and received designation as a minor basilica from Pope Pius XI in 1935. Pope John Paul II celebrated mass at Ta' Pinu on May 26, 1990 during his papal visit to Malta. The church measures 62 meters in length with a facade rising 47 meters including the cross. The interior accommodates 4,000 people. The sanctuary contains thousands of ex-voto offerings including photographs, crutches, wedding dresses, and written testimonies from pilgrims seeking intercession. Two side corridors extending behind the main altar display these offerings organized by category. The basilica holds masses in Maltese at 0700 on weekdays and 0700, 1000, 1800 on Sundays. A museum adjacent to the basilica opened in 2010 displaying religious vestments, historical documents, and architectural drawings. Bus route 311 from Victoria serves Ta' Pinu with 45-minute journey time.
Victoria's Citadel occupies a hilltop 47 meters above sea level in Gozo's geographic center. Fortifications date to Bronze Age settlements circa 1500 BCE. The Phoenicians, Romans, and Arabs successively occupied the site. After the 1551 raid when Ottoman corsair Dragut carried 5,000 Gozitans into slavery, Grand Master Claude de la Sengle ordered all Gozitans to shelter within the Citadel walls at night. This decree remained enforced until 1637. The Cathedral of the Assumption sits within the Citadel walls. Construction spanned 1697 to 1711 following designs by Lorenzo Gafa. The cathedral lacks a dome due to insufficient funds, but artist Antonio Manuele painted a trompe-l'oeil ceiling in 1739 creating the illusion of a dome when viewed from the nave. The painting measures 10 meters in diameter. The Gozo Museum of Archaeology occupies Casa Bondi, a 16th-century palace within the Citadel. Exhibits include artifacts from Ġgantija spanning 3600 BCE to 2500 BCE. The Old Prison, used from the 16th to 20th centuries, contains prisoner graffiti carved into limestone walls. Visible inscriptions include dates from 1588 and 1882 along with sketches of ships and religious symbols. The Citadel walls provide views extending to Malta's main island on clear days. Entrance to the Citadel grounds remains free. Individual museums within charge €5 for adults, with combination tickets covering all Citadel museums priced at €15.