There are two quite different ferry systems here. The Gozo Channel crossing is a proper car ferry and the only way to drive between the islands. The harbour ferries around Valletta are short hops that beat the road by a mile.
The crossings that matter
The Gozo ferry
About 25 minutes, running day and night with gaps that are rarely longer than 45 minutes. You do not need to book as a foot passenger and you rarely need to plan around it.
The quirk worth knowing: you do not pay on the way over. You board at Ċirkewwa without buying anything and pay at Mġarr when you leave Gozo.
What to see in GozoBook a Gozo day trip
Arriving in Gozo
The harbour sits below Għajnsielem, with the church above it. Buses meet every sailing and run on to Victoria and the rest of the island.
If you are on foot, you can be in Victoria about twenty minutes after stepping off the boat.
Buses in Gozo
The harbour ferries
There are two routes. Both take about five minutes and both are far quicker than going by road. The Sliema crossing replaces a forty-minute drive around Marsamxett harbour with a short trip. It also drops you in a city where you cannot park.
The Three Cities boat is one of the best few minutes in Malta for the price of a coffee.
One day in the harbour
Every boat to Comino is a private one
Getting to Comino means a private operator boat from Ċirkewwa, Mġarr or one of the resort towns. Each sets its own fares and timetable, and services stop altogether in bad weather.
You also need a free pre-booked slot for the Blue Lagoon before you go.
Booking the Blue Lagoon
Fares
Gozo Channel
- Foot passenger
- €4.65 return.
- Car and driver
- €15.70 return.
- Motorcycle and rider
- €8.15 return.
- Children 3 to 12
- €1.15. Under 3 travel free but still need a ticket.
- Where you pay
- At Mġarr, in Gozo, when you leave. You board at Ċirkewwa without buying anything, and the fare you pay on the way back covers the round trip. Vehicle tickets are sold online or at the Mġarr vehicle booths only.
Valletta harbour ferries
- Adult, day
- €3.00 single, €5.00 return.
- Child, day
- €1.00 single, €1.50 return.
- Night service starts at 19:30
- €3.50 single, €5.20 return.
- Residents
- Personalised tallinja card holders travel free on the Valletta ferries and the Barrakka Lift.
In July and August the car queue can stretch a long way back up the approach road. Missing a sailing means waiting for the next one. If you have a flight to catch after a stay in Gozo, allow a lot more time than the timetable suggests. Foot passengers are almost never affected.
The Barrakka Lift runs from the Grand Harbour waterfront up to the Upper Barrakka Gardens, which takes out the steepest climb in Valletta. Put it together with the ferry and the Three Cities go from an expedition to a short outing.
The Gozo crossing is run by Gozo Channel and the harbour routes by Valletta Ferry Services. Sailings are cut back or suspended in heavy weather, so check on the day in winter.