While staying in Malta this spring, I had the opportunity to take a day trip up to the island of Gozo. Even though the country of Malta may seem small, there is quite a bit of ground to cover and it’s nearly impossible to see it all in a week, let alone one island in a single day. After a little more than an hour-long taxi drive and a scenic crossing of the Gozo Channel by ferry, we had arrived in Gozo late morning and had to be back to the ferry terminal by 4 p.m. to get back to Valletta. Talk about a tight schedule!
Whenever I have a limited amount of time in a destination, an organized tour is my sanity-savor. In Gozo, that happened to be the Malta Sight Seeing Tour, known locally as the green buss. I’m not typically a fan of touristy hop-on/hop-off buses, but this one offered a lot in a single day. At first, I was skeptical that we’d actually have time to get off the bus and visit places on the list. Turns out, my skepticism was unfounded and the tour was a pleasant surprise. Considering the taxi fares in Malta, it’s also a pretty great value too.
In a single day we were able to hop off the bus and visit the oldest free-standing structures in the world — the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ġgantija Temples, grab a savory slice of pizza and bottle of Kinnie for an amazing deal of 3 euros at a cafe in Victoria, climb up to the top of the Citadel in Victoria for an amazing view, and visit the breathtaking ocean side Azure Window.
Here’s a photo essay of our day on the green bus:
The Azure Window
The Azure Window unfortunately collapsed on March 8, 2017, after a night of bad storms. The rocky cliffside coastline, however, is still a spectacular site to see.
Calypso Cave
Ġgantija Temples
The City of Victoria
If you’re in Malta and are interested in taking a day trip up to see Gozo, check out MaltaSightSeeingTours.com for more information about their bus schedule and rates. Also be sure to check the ferry departure times for Gozo Channel and plan ahead.
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I have to agree with the tour approach when you have limited time. This looks like a beautiful island to visit, I have read a little bit about as Malta was featured as Spin the Globe for AFAR about 2 years ago as well as an interview with Angelina Jolie who was staying there after filming her ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’ movie. The Azure Window looks gorgeous!
I didn’t know that little tidbit about Angelina Jolie being there. Cool trivia! I’ll have to look up that movie now. 🙂
I love taking tours when I got out of town. It’s a great way to get a lay of the land and get to see a lot of the city in a short amount of time. Gozo looks so beautiful!
I agree! It’s definitely a great way to get to know your way around.
What an absolutely gorgeous adventure! Malta looks absolutely stunning!
Unlike you, I actually AM a fan of the super touristy hop on hop off busses! ; ) It’s just so convenient – like you said, if you had to rent a taxi to take you all these places it would cost a fortune.
I’m not sure I would have ever considered Malta as a travel destination, even though we travel all the time, but this looks AMAZING! Definitely going to research it more!
I used to be rather snooty about these hop on hop off buses – until I actually took one for the first time. I found it a great way to see places quickly if I was only in the vicinity for a short time, or if I was staying longer, it was a great way to get a sense of a city, get my bearings so that I could return to those places which looked most promising. I never stay right on the route but I find these buses a great starting point.
Wow great Azura window..nice view..like it
Oh my word- these photos! What a beautiful trip!
Beautiful photos. The Azura Window is fantastic!