Gozo Things to Do

My tip is quite poor.. We noticed that when visiting the island with hop on hop off, it was quite slow thing to do compared to if we would have had a car.
So we had so little time in Victoria, witch was our last stop, that we saw onlt the centre. It is very small, but I would have liked to see the citadel also, and archeology museum.
So my tip is: If you use hop on hop off, go as early as possible. We were at Mgarr harbour around 11.30 and if I would do this again, I would go much earlier!

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My guidebook said, that this place isn´t worth of visiting, it´s just a cave, and not even interesting looking. The hop on hop off bus stopped there anyway. My husband stayed in the bus, and I went there with the other tourists. There were poor little hole to get in the cave. Two of us did get in, and they said to us others: Don´t bother, there´s nothing in there. And I was also worried if I would fall when going in.
More intresting was the view from up there. But if you need to skip something, I would say skip this first!
There can be locals guiding you with candles (according my guidebook) but it wont give anything specail extra to visit if we belive the book.

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It was one stop at hop on hop off- bus tour. It was march, so some of the shops were closed. There were handmade jewellery, leather works, glas, paintings, woodgrafts, clothes, pottery...
Prices were higher than in tourist shops usually, and my guidebook says, that these aren´t necessery really made here. But if you like them, who cares where they are made :)
We bought a small candle holder made of violet glas and I bought leather bracelet. Everything else was quite expensive, and the clothes and lace weren´t actually our style. Of course metal smiths workshop was interesting to me, because I´ve done that too. And there really was a man at work.
Maybe many items were more interesting for little older people. I don´t use tablecloths for example.
There were only one coupple and us as customers, so it really wasn´t were lively at march.

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Beautyful ornaments at the basilica. I think we would have missed this, if we would have been here by car. We usually think that chuches are nicer outside than inside. Expesially at Catholic countries, where churches are usually much too decorative with too much colors and gold to us, who are used to Lutheran churches.
But this one was beautyful inside, and not too fancy. I loved those ornaments carved to white stone without any coloring!
I´m actuall a metal- and stonesmith even if I don´t do that as my work, but those carvings were interesting to me also because of my art studies.
And see also the stained glass at windows!

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Worlds oldest man built buildings dating to between 3600 BC and 3200 BC.
It was interesting to see these, but it was little disapointing not to get inside the temples. At all guidebooks the photos have been taken from inside, so I guess those gates haven¢¥t been here for so many year yet. We happened to be there at the same time with a big bus group with a guide telling them about the place. It wasn¢¥t in English, so we didn¢¥t understand her, but all the people blocked our way to see so well. I just needed to get through those people just to get at least some photos. But I was sorry not to get more photos inside. Because you can¢¥t get really in (there¢¥s one small area where you are allowed) you can¢¥t spend SO MUCH time in here, it took abou 10 to 15min. Even the time that hop on hop off bus gave us was too long. We thought first it wouldn¢¥t be enough, but we needed to wait for the bus. And we are those people who usually spend a lot of time in places like this.
I think they could have let us to get in the bigger area, and just block the way from touching the walls etc.
But of course, this is still worth seeing! Just don¢¥t think you¢¥ll be able to go as well inside as most guidebooks tell you.

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Also called the Blue window. In wintertime (witch last until middle of June in Malta (!!!!?) it´s not easy to visit this without rented car, or using tourist-buses, like hop on hop off. At the time we went (March 2011) the road was being fixed up, and the buses couldn´t go there. You needed to walk about 25min from bus stop. The driver just said, walk straight. We thought we would need more directions but really: You just needed to walk straight ahead all the time. The road was very bad in some parts (could be better allready) so I was glad I had comfortable shoes. It was down the road allmost all the way, so coming back might take a while. Luckily a friendly Swiss couplle stopped next to us with their rented car, and asked if we would like to go up in their car. Without them we would have missed the last bus!

Place looks very beaytful. Even if you have seen many photos, it´s different to see it yourself. It was not allowed to go as close as we did, but most people went even closer than us, some even climbed up over the "window". I think the signs were there, because if something happens, it´s on your own risk. But maybe climbing up might even damage the stone.
It´s free to go here. And at the summer, if you are not busy, you can also use local buses, witch are allmost free ;)

Ta' Pinu basilica is a national shrine and a center of pilgrimages.

On the spot of this big church there was a chapel in the 16th century.

It is said that on june 22 1883, a peasant woman heard the voice of the Madonna in this place. They say that numerous miracles happened later on. Consequently, between 1920 and 1931 this church was built.

The Citadel is a huge fortress situated on a hill in Victoria.

Until 1637 the people of Gozo were required by law to spend their nights within the Citadel's walls. This was due to the frequent Turkish assaults on the island.

Inside the Citadel there is the Cathedral; built between 1697 and 1711 on the site of another church.

The other things to see are;

The Museum of Archaeology.

The Folklore Museum; where you can see some farming tools; traditional costumes; furniture and so on.

The Museum of Natural Science; with many stuffed animals ( oh no!!!...)

Into the fortress there are also some cafes and shops wher you can buy some souvenir,