Which Gozo Day Trip Is Right for You?

Best for the temples: the guided coach tour

The full-day excursion with Ġgantija and lunch is one of only two trips here that cover the Ġgantija admission, and the only one that adds a sit-down lunch to it. That matters at Ġgantija more than anywhere else on the island: the complex was built between roughly 3600 and 3200 BC, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and predates both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Without a guide and a ticket it is a field of very large stones.

Nine hours, air-conditioned vehicles, a licensed guide, and a fixed-menu lunch with a glass of wine. The cheaper guide-and-train tour also includes the Ġgantija ticket but leaves lunch out. You trade reach for comfort and for understanding what you are looking at, which for a lot of travellers is the right trade.

Best value: the Gozo and Comino boat trip

At $28 the Gozo and Comino islands cruise is a third the price of a land tour, and with more than 21,000 reviews it is the most-booked thing in this catalogue by a wide margin. You get the Blue Lagoon, the Comino sea caves, the Crystal Lagoon as a photo stop, and three to four hours ashore on Gozo.

The caveat is what those hours are. Land transport on Gozo is an optional add-on selected at checkout; without it you are on foot near Mġarr Harbour, which does not reach Victoria, the Citadel or the west coast. Add the bus, or treat this as a swimming day with a look at Gozo attached. The Gozo and Comino page works through both versions.

Best adventure: quad or UTV

A quad is the only format where you drive. That is the appeal and the constraint: drivers must be over 21 with a full current licence and photo ID at the meeting point, though passengers need nothing, so a couple can ride two-up. The sunset tour times the last stretch for the hour when Gozo’s west coast is worth the trip on its own.

A UTV is the same open-air idea with a driver at the wheel and up to five forward-facing seats. Nobody needs a licence, nobody has to concentrate, and it reaches the same tracks. For a group where only one person would be comfortable driving, this is the better buy.

Best for a group: the private tour

The private Gozo tour is not about luxury. It is about controlling the clock: your route, your pace, and as long at the Citadel as the Citadel deserves. Four-hour and seven-hour versions run, pickup is anywhere on Gozo arranged 24 hours ahead, and the vehicle is air-conditioned with Wi-Fi.

One thing the operator states plainly and we will repeat: the driver is not a licensed guide. They recommend stops and share local knowledge, but this is not interpretation. For two people it is a premium; from three or four upward the per-head cost closes on a good shared tour. Compare the private options, including a private jeep and a private boat charter.

Cheapest way in: the hop-on hop-off bus

If you are already crossing on the ferry under your own steam, the Gozo hop-on hop-off bus turns that into a proper island day for $25. The open-top loop starts at Mġarr Harbour where the ferry docks, runs fourteen stops in about two and a half hours, and comes with headphone commentary. It runs all year, which makes it one of the more reliable winter options.

It does not reach Dwejra, Ramla Bay or the tracks. For the towns, the gardens and the views from the top deck, it is hard to beat on price.

Things worth knowing before you pay

Pickup is the biggest hidden difference. Two tours at similar prices are not comparable if one collects you in Sliema and the other meets you at Mġarr Harbour. Land tours generally include Malta pickup; boat cruises generally do not. Check our Sliema and Valletta pages for what actually leaves from where.

Ġgantija entry is usually extra. Both guided coach tours include it. Every jeep, UTV and quad tour lists it as an optional add-on paid on the day, and gives you free time to go in. Carry cash.

The Blue Lagoon needs a free pass. Since 1 May 2025 anyone stepping ashore at the Blue Lagoon needs a Malta Access Management System pass, booked free at blcomino.com for one of three daily slots. Almost no tour ticket includes it, it is checked at the jetty, and you can still swim from the boat without one.

The Azure Window is gone. It collapsed into the sea in a storm in March 2017. Dwejra is still a stop on nearly every itinerary, for the Inland Sea and the cliffs — but if a photograph of the arch is what sent you to Gozo, that is not on offer any more.

Swim stops and boat returns are seasonal and conditional. Most operators run them from roughly May to September, weather permitting, and several state explicitly that no refund applies if conditions remove them. Book the tour for the island.

Still deciding between formats rather than between tours? The homepage sets out all six side by side, or check availability for the jeep tour most visitors end up booking.