"This was an amazing one-day trip of Gozo island. The buggies were a novel way of traveling throughout the island, a very memorable and different experience compared to just taking cabs or busses between cities. I recommend putting on swimwear for the trip as there are places where swimming I possible. Lastly, a very special thank you to our driver, Peter, who made our day very special. He was very knowledgeable, took great care of us; overall, just an absolute legend."
From Valletta
Gozo Day Trip from Valletta
A fast ferry, or a tour that collects you.
From
$97
per person
Free cancellation
- 4.6 / 5 1,215+ Reviews
- 8 hours Duration
- 45 min Fast Ferry to Gozo
- Hotel Pickup Included
- Free Cancellation
Book Your Day Trip
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Instant confirmation — free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
The Experience
Valletta Is the One Place With a Direct Boat
The passenger fast ferry runs from Grand Harbour straight to Mġarr.
Highlights
- Head out to the island of Gozo for an unforgettable full-day jeep tour adventure
- Enjoy many of the island's most interesting attractions and landmarks
- Experience the beautiful scenery of different villages around the island
- Take a refreshing swim stop at Comino Island (seasonal and weather permitting).
- Enjoy a boat ride passing by the Blue Lagoon and Caves (weather permitting)
What's Included
- Pickup and drop-off transfers from selected hotels or meeting points
- Experienced drivers (tour leaders)
- Multilingual storytellers at each stop
- Lunch, including local wine and mineral water
- Swim stop at Comino Island (summer/shoulder season only and weather permitting)
- Return transfer by boat passing by Comino's Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon and Sea Caves (subject to weather conditions)
- Round-trip Gozo ferry tickets (when required)
How a Gozo Day from Valletta Works
Three genuinely different routes out of the capital.
Take the Fast Ferry
Passenger-only from Grand Harbour to Mġarr in about 45 minutes, up to sixteen crossings a day, from roughly €7.50. No cars, but bicycles are allowed.
Or Be Collected by Road
The full-day land tours pick up from selected Valletta hotels and meeting points, then drive north to Ċirkewwa for the 25-minute Gozo Channel crossing.
Or Sail Round the Coast
A catamaran day trip leaves Valletta and takes in the coastline on the way, pairing a cruise with a hop-on hop-off bus on Gozo.
Sort Out Gozo Before You Go
On the fast ferry you arrive at Mġarr with no transport. Decide in advance whether that is a hop-on hop-off ticket, a hire car, or a tour that covers it.
Photo Gallery
Gozo, 45 Minutes from Grand Harbour
What the capital's nearest island actually looks like.
From Valletta: Land Tour vs Fast Ferry vs Catamaran
Three ways out of the capital, and what each one leaves you to sort out.
| Feature | FULLEST DAY Land Tour with Pickup | Fast Ferry + Island Bus | Catamaran Day Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves from | Your hotel, by road to Ċirkewwa | Grand Harbour, Valletta | Valletta waterfront |
| Crossing | 25 minutes on the Gozo Channel ferry | About 45 minutes, passenger only | Coastal sail, longer by design |
| Transport on Gozo | ✓ Your jeep or coach, all day | Hop-on hop-off loop, 14 stops | Hop-on hop-off tour included |
| Reaches Dwejra and Ramla Bay | ✓ Yes | ✗ The bus loop does not go there | ✗ The bus loop does not go there |
| Reaches Victoria and the Citadel | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Lunch | ✓ Included, with local wine | ✗ Buy your own in Victoria | ✗ Not included |
| Guide or commentary | ✓ Driver and commentator throughout | Recorded commentary with headphones | Recorded commentary on the bus |
| Planning left to you | None | Ferry times both ways | None |
| Track record | 1,215 reviews · 4.6 / 5 | 1,283 reviews · 4.2 / 5 | 189 reviews · 3.9 / 5 |
| Cost for the day | From $97, most things included | About €35 all in | From $34 per person |
| Best for | One day on Gozo, done properly | Doing it cheaply without doing it badly | Pairing a coastal sail with the island |
| Check Availability | See the Island Bus | View Options |
Reaching Gozo from Valletta
Gozo Trips That Work From Valletta
Tours with capital-area pickup, and the tickets worth buying if you cross under your own steam.
HOTEL PICKUPFrom Malta: Gozo Jeep Tour with Lunch and Transfers
PICKUP + TICKETSFrom Malta: Gozo Day Trip Including Ggantija Temples & Lunch
GUIDE + TRAINFrom Malta: Gozo Full-Day Tour with Guide, Temples, & Train
IF YOU FERRY OVERGozo: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
TWO ISLANDSMalta: Gozo & Comino Islands, Blue Lagoon & Seacaves Tour
PRIVATE DRIVERIsland of Gozo: Private Tour
Your Base
Valletta Has the Best Ferry and the Worst Onward Problem
The fast ferry is excellent. What happens when it docks is the part to plan.
Valletta is the only base in Malta with a direct passenger boat to Gozo. The fast ferry from Grand Harbour to Mġarr takes about 45 minutes, runs up to sixteen times a day between roughly 06:00 and 23:00, and costs from about €7.50. Two companies operate it. No cars, though bicycles travel.
That is genuinely the best crossing in Malta, and it creates the problem this page exists to solve: it drops you at Mġarr Harbour with no vehicle, at the far eastern corner of a 14-kilometre island.
Your three routes out of the capital
The fast ferry, plus transport on Gozo. Cheapest and quickest to the island. The fix for the onward problem is to buy it in advance: the Gozo hop-on hop-off bus starts at the ferry terminal where you land, runs a fourteen-stop loop in about two and a half hours, costs $25 and operates all year. Total outlay around €35 and you have a real island day. Full details.
A land tour with hotel pickup. Every full-day land tour here collects from selected hotels and meeting points across Malta, and the Valletta area is covered. You are driven north to Ċirkewwa, cross in 25 minutes, and find a jeep, UTV or coach waiting on the Gozo side. Slower to start, and the fullest day on the island by a distance. The full-day jeep tour is the pick, and the guided coach with Ġgantija and lunch is the one to take if the temples matter.
A cruise from Valletta. The catamaran day trip with a hop-on hop-off Gozo tour pairs the coastal sail with transport on the island. It rates 3.9 out of 5 over 189 reviews — respectable rather than remarkable, and worth reading the reviews on before you book.
Which to pick
Fast ferry plus hop-on hop-off, if you like organising your own day, you are travelling light, and you want to be on Gozo by nine.
A land tour, if this is your one day on Gozo. The Citadel, Ġgantija, Dwejra, Ta’ Pinu and Ramla Bay in one loop with lunch, and someone else doing all of it.
A private car on Gozo, if you are three or four people. Cross on the fast ferry, have a private driver meet you at Mġarr, and you have the island on your own terms for about what a shared tour costs each.
Practical notes for Valletta
Two operators run the fast ferry, with separate timetables and tickets. Check both before assuming the first one you find has the sailing you want.
The Gozo Channel car ferry is a different service from a different port. If you are driving, you want Ċirkewwa, not Grand Harbour — about an hour from Valletta by road.
Buses to Ċirkewwa from Valletta are routes 41 and 42, with X300 as the faster link. Allow an hour, more in summer.
Nothing is paid outbound on the Gozo Channel ferry. The €4.65 return fare is collected at Mġarr when you leave Gozo. The fast ferry works normally — you buy a ticket for each leg.
Staying on the other side of Marsamxett? Gozo from Sliema has boats leaving from the seafront. Otherwise read the full ferry guide, compare every Gozo day trip, or check availability.
Guest Reviews
What Guests From Valletta Say
4.6/5
from 1215 verified guests
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"Our day trip was amazing and a highlight of our 5 days in Malta. Ian was a great tour guide and went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and looked after. Thank you for an incredible day."
"Michele was our guide, and we had such a wonderful experience! She was incredibly friendly, fun to talk to, and taught us so much. We loved her different approach, which allowed us to learn about local people, their habits, daily lives, and the history of the place. We had a lot of fun and came away with so much more than we expected. It was a truly memorable experience, and we would absolutely recommend it to everyone!"
"Brilliant day trip, we highly recommend it, especially if you are lucky enough to get Sam as your guide! We saw so much of Gozo and had a lovely buffet lunch. Everything was very well organised. Sam told us all about the island and the places he took us to. He asked us what we wanted to do and made the day all about his passengers. We took the optional extra boat trip to the caves and so glad we did. We loved Gozo even more than Malta, it’s such a beautiful place. We had the best day and would love to do it all again! Thank you Sam!!"
"Had a great day with Silvio our driver and guide. Fitted a lot in and very knowledgeable and informative on the trip. A great introduction to the island of Gozo. Mentioned two places I would like to see and ensured we visited them. Day is adaptable to what you want to see. Very enjoyable day"
"The whole day was excellent and great fun! Our guide Uwe was very knowledgeable and the perfect guide. It's fab value for money!"
"it was so good . how driver was called George and he was great. plus the lunch stop was so good . it was a lovely day"
"sitting in the back you could not hear the guide. Idea for guide to have a cool box and sell water"
Read all 1215 verified reviews
See All ReviewsBook the Gozo Day Trip from Valletta
Hotel pickup in the Valletta area, both crossings handled, a 4x4 around Gozo and lunch with local wine. Rated 4.6/5 by 1,215 guests, with free cancellation. Starting from $97 per person.
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Gozo from Valletta: Your Questions
The fast ferry, the car ferry, pickup zones and what to do once you land.
Yes. A passenger-only fast ferry runs from Grand Harbour in Valletta to Mġarr on Gozo in about 45 minutes, with up to sixteen crossings a day between roughly 06:00 and 23:00, from about €7.50. Two companies operate it on separate timetables. Cars are not carried, though bicycles are.
About 45 minutes by fast ferry directly from Grand Harbour. By road it is roughly an hour north to the Ċirkewwa terminal plus a 25-minute Gozo Channel crossing — that is the route the car ferry and most organised tours use.
Take the fast ferry from Grand Harbour, or bus 41, 42 or X300 up to Ċirkewwa for the car ferry. Either way, sort out transport on the Gozo side before you go — the hop-on hop-off bus starts at the ferry terminal and costs $25 for a fourteen-stop loop.
Yes. Every full-day land tour here — the jeep, the UTV and the guided coach excursions — collects from selected hotels and meeting points across Malta, and the Valletta area is covered. Confirm your exact pickup point when you book, and watch your email in the days before: operators confirm the actual time separately from the ticket.
For one full day on the island, a land tour with hotel pickup — it covers the Citadel, Ġgantija, Dwejra and Ta' Pinu with lunch, and handles both crossings. For a cheaper self-organised day, the fast ferry plus a hop-on hop-off ticket comes to about €35 and still reaches Victoria and the towns.
No. The Valletta to Mġarr service is passenger-only, though bicycles are allowed. For a car you need the Gozo Channel ferry from Ċirkewwa, at €15.70 return for car and driver, paid at Mġarr on the way out of Gozo.
From Valletta on foot, yes. It saves the hour-long journey north to Ċirkewwa, which is the part of a self-guided Gozo day that eats the time. If you are driving, the Ċirkewwa ferry is your only option — and the crossing itself is shorter.
Have a plan before you sail. Mġarr sits at the far eastern corner of a 14-kilometre island and Gozo's buses all route through Victoria. The hop-on hop-off bus starts at the terminal, taxis wait at the quay, and a private driver can meet you there — which for three or four people costs about what a shared tour would each.
A catamaran day trip leaves Valletta and pairs the coastal sail with a hop-on hop-off tour on Gozo. It rates 3.9 out of 5 over 189 reviews. The larger and better-reviewed Gozo and Comino boat trips leave from Buġibba and Sliema instead — see our Gozo and Comino comparison.
The Gozo Channel car ferry is €4.65 for a foot-passenger return and €15.70 for car and driver, collected at Mġarr when you leave Gozo rather than at Ċirkewwa on the way over. The Valletta fast ferry is from about €7.50 and works normally, with a ticket for each leg.
Still have questions? Email us at info@gozodaytripmalta.com
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- Gozo to Comino Ferry with Blue Lagoon & Sea Caves
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