You do not pay to get to Gozo. You pay to leave it.
The car ferry from Ċirkewwa is free on the way over. You buy the ticket at Mġarr when you come back.
It catches people out every week.
The crossing
It takes about 25 minutes and runs day and night, with gaps that are rarely longer than 45 minutes.
As a foot passenger you do not need to book and you rarely need to plan around the timetable.
It is a proper car ferry, and the only way to drive between the islands.
Foot passengers board from the upper level. Cars queue in lanes on the quay and load from the stern.
Paying on the way back
You board at Ċirkewwa without buying anything.
The fare is collected at Mġarr as you leave Gozo. A day trip is charged once, on the return leg, not twice.
Cars pay a single fare that covers the driver. Passengers are charged separately.
There is a fast passenger ferry from Valletta to Mġarr as well. That one is booked and paid for both ways and takes about 45 minutes.
Arriving at Mġarr
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.
On foot you can be in Victoria about twenty minutes after stepping off the boat.
Taxis wait at the quay. Agree the fare before getting in.
When the queue gets long
Sunday evening back to Malta is the worst crossing of the week, and summer Friday evenings going over are close behind.
With a car in August, allow for missing a sailing or two at those times.
Strong northwesterly weather stops the ferry altogether. It is rare but it happens in winter.
The harbour ferries are a different thing
The Valletta to Sliema and Valletta to Three Cities boats are short hops across the harbour, not island crossings.
They cost little and they beat the road badly, because the road goes all the way round. More on them here.
Checking times
Live timetables for both are on the ferry tool, and the fuller explanation of fares and vehicles is on the ferries page.
The timetable changes between summer and winter, so check the current one rather than a screenshot.
