Gozo is roughly a third the size of Malta, and getting between its sights still takes up much of any day.
Without a car, two or three stops make a full day. A trip from Xlendi Bay to Ramla Bay means changing buses in Victoria.
Then there is the way home. In summer the queue for the car ferry at Mġarr builds from about half past four to half past six. The car ferry fare is collected on that leg, as you leave Gozo.
The outbound line can be worse. Leaving Malta, the car queue at Ċirkewwa can pass two hours on summer Friday afternoons. Coming back, Sunday evenings in July and August are the hardest crossings from Mġarr.
Staying lets you cross in the morning or late in the evening, when the lines are short. The car ferry from Ċirkewwa takes about 25 minutes, and walk-on passengers board past the vehicle line. A car hired on Malta can cross only if the hire agreement allows it, so ask when you book.
Without a car, the fast ferry from Valletta carries walk-on passengers straight to Mġarr in about 45 minutes, year round.
Mġarr harbour sits below steep roads to every village, so with luggage take bus 301 to Victoria or a taxi.
Spend a long afternoon at Dwejra, on the west coast, and allow a couple of hours. Fungus Rock stands off the cliffs, and boats leave from the Inland Sea to run along the coast when the water is calm. The café there is small, so bring water and food.
The Azure Window, the stone arch on most older postcards of Dwejra, fell into the sea in a gale in 2017. The arch still standing on Gozo is Wied il-Mielaħ Window, north of Għarb, seen from an unfenced cliff edge, so keep children in hand.
Ta' Pinu, the national shrine standing in open fields outside Għarb, is the awkward one without a car. Buses there run far enough apart that a visit can mean a long wait for the next one, so hire a car for that day and reserve it well before summer.
Over three nights, the buses still reach the north coast, the west and the south.
Victoria suits a stay by bus, because every route runs through it, and bus 301 leaves for the ferry about every half hour. Its other name is Rabat; on a bus sign it is not the Rabat on Malta.
The walls of the Cittadella are free to walk, and the museums inside are ticketed.
Marsalforn is the base for evenings. Restaurants line its waterfront, and the promenade round the bay is the walk after dinner. Its sand beach is small and fills up; swim off the ladders on the rocks instead.
West along the coast, families still harvest salt at the Xwejni Salt Pans every summer, from mid-May to September. The pans are unfenced, free and open at all hours, and a small shop sells the salt. The nearest bus stop is a walk away and nothing else is nearby, so know when the next bus back is due.
Further west, Wied il-Għasri is a secluded swim that is calm in settled weather. Wind and rain turn its water murky and unsafe, so look before you climb down.
East of Marsalforn, the coast path toward Ramla is rugged and narrows sharply, and suits only sure-footed walkers. Ramla Bay has red-gold sand, snack bars and parking. Calypso's Cave above it is now only a lookout; the cave itself is closed.
Inland, Xagħra holds Ġgantija, a ticketed temple site among the oldest free-standing structures in the world. Allow about an hour, including the small museum at the entrance.
Bus 303 from Victoria reaches Nadur in about 15 minutes. Its bakeries sell ftira, a round flat bread baked with potato or ġbejniet, the island's small sheep's cheese, and one makes a heavy lunch.
Xlendi Bay is the base for the south coast. Walk inland up the valley to the stone bridge above the bay. For sunset, the cliffs of Ta' Ċenċ are a walk across the plateau from Sannat, on bus 305 from Victoria.
For a quieter stay, look at the farmhouses let as whole houses in villages such as Munxar and Żebbuġ, and book them well ahead.
Book wine tastings ahead too. Family wineries such as Tal-Massar and Ta' Mena arrange visits by email or phone, and few take walk-ins. Tal-Massar is on bus 312.
Gozo is the Maltese weekend getaway, and it fills for Carnival in February or early March and for Santa Marija in mid-August.
In October the sea still sits at about 23 to 24°C, warm enough for a long swim.
Wind is the other reason for a third night. A rough sea closes beaches and creeks and stops the boats at Dwejra. With time in hand, you move the swim to the day the wind drops.
When the wind is up, go to Mġarr ix-Xini, a narrow inlet on the south coast that often stays calm when the north shore is rough.
