Wandering around Malta – Part 3

From the island of Malta to the island of Gozo

There are ferry connections from Ċirkewwa in the northernmost part of the island of Malta, where ferries stop at the island of Comino on their way to the town of Mġarr on the sister island of Gozo. The latter can also be accessed by an organised boat tour that start at Sliema and the price is about 30 euros. There are plans to connect Malta and Gozo with a bridge or a tunnel, but such an endeavour would be quite costly, not to mention that Gozo would lose its special charm, so the plans, to the pleasure of the island’s inhabitants, remain essentially on paper. In just 25 minutes we’re transported to the island which is much greener than the island of Malta, especially during the hot summer months, but much less developed and not as populated. When the inhabitants of the main island want to take a break, they head to Gozo, so it’s no surprise ferries are quite full all the time. This results in the occasional traffic jam, especially in Mġarr Harbour, on the road that connects Mġarr to the capital, Victoria, and its narrow streets.

Travelling around Gozo

When approaching Gozo on a ferry, the first thing you notice is the panorama of Mġarr Harbour with the two churches and the Chambray Fortress, one of the last, albeit unfinished, building projects of the Knights of Malta. It’s currently being transformed into a tourist facility. In the past, the island’s most famous attraction was the Azure Window in Dwejra, in the northern part of the island, but the rock formation crumbled into the sea in 2017 and nothing was left of it. Luckily, I managed to see the attraction, which served as a film set in Game of Thrones, during my first two visits to the islands. Gozo is also home to the Maltese national centre of pilgrimage Ta’ Pinu and the prehistoric Ġgantija temples, while the church in Xewkija boasts one of the largest domes in the world. Postcards often include the main square of the village of Għarb, showing the Catholic church as the symbol of the Maltese religion in one shot, the Maltese flag with the George Cross which Malta earned for its bravery during World War II, when it was bombed almost daily for some time, and then red telephone box and the blue police light as remnants of the colonial past. Tourists who visit Gozo on their day trips spend most of the time in the island’s principal and largest city, named after the British queen Victoria, though the older name Rabat is still in use as well. A medieval fortress with its mighty wall towers above the city and it offers a wonderful view of the island’s dynamic landscape. This citadel, which was built on a natural hill, served as a sanctuary in the past when all of the inhabitatns were forced to spend a night in the safety of its thick walls. Despite this, the Ottomans managed to capture the city in 1551 and take with them almost the entire island’s population at the time (6,000 people) to use as slaves. Gozo is also known as the Isle of Calypso, as the cave, where the nymph Calypso detained Odysseus when he stopped there on his way from Troy to Ithaca, is said to be located somewhere on the island. The cave offers a gorgeous view of the island’s most beautiful beach in Ramla Bay.

Comino with the Blue Lagoon

To conclude our journey, our last stop will be the island of Comino, the smallest of the three main islands of the Maltese archipelago, with a total area of 3.5km2. The island is almost unpopulated, but it’s home to a chapel, a defence tower and two bays with tourist facilities. The biggest attraction with crowds of people during the summer months is the Blue Lagoon. It’s a shallow continental shelf with a sandy bottom located between the island of Comino and an islet of Cominotto. The water has a beautiful blue hue. Most tourists visit the Blue Lagoon as part of their day trips from the island of Malta, but Comino can also be accessed from Gozo. You won’t really be able to find a place to rest during the main tourist season in Blue Lagoon, but rather the most crowded tourist attraction instead.

I’ve already visited Malta four times and I hope I get to visit it again. I’ve also visited most of the landmarks the islands have to offer, so my next visits will be more of a relaxing sort. I am, however, always amazed at how much history is packed in such a small area. Now connect that with good tourism infrastructure and reasonable prices, and you get a destination that I highly recommend. You definitely won’t regret visiting Malta!