From the ferry deck, Mġarr Harbour is your first view of Gozo: a working marina of yachts and fishing boats, and the Lourdes Chapel looking down from its hill.
Waterfront, Xagħra. Meridian Dispatch.
The car ferry runs between Ċirkewwa on Malta and Mġarr Harbour on Gozo. Sailings are most frequent in the daytime, and the timetable varies from season to season.
The fast ferry links Grand Harbour in Valletta with Mġarr Harbour. From the airport, route TD4 runs hourly to the fast ferry at Grand Harbour, with the first bus at 5.30am and the last at 12.30am.
Yes. Fast ferries also run to Mġarr Harbour from Buġibba, a crossing of about 30 minutes, and from Sliema by way of Buġibba, which takes about 1 hour 15 minutes in all.
Mġarr is the main harbour of Gozo and the largest fishing village on the island. Ferries and working craft share the same calm basin.
The marina is where the yachts and fishermen's craft moor when they are not at sea. A stroll along the waterfront takes you past the moorings, close to the water below the quay.
By the original jetty stands the Gleneagles Bar, easy to pick out by its sloping roof. It was built in 1732 as a cabin for ferry passengers.
The Lourdes Chapel, on the hill above, is a Gothic building. From beside it you look straight down over the harbour and the ferries coming in from Malta.
The car ferry from Ċirkewwa takes about 25 minutes one way to reach the main quay. Without a car, you can instead take the fast ferry from Grand Harbour in Valletta, about 45 minutes one way, which carries passengers only and no vehicles.
Off the boat, drivers follow the signs from the harbour towards Victoria or their destination on Gozo. Buses, taxis, hire cars and organised tours all leave from the harbour, and Victoria is a short bus or taxi ride away.
With time to spare before a sailing, follow the coastal path from the harbour to the inlet of Mġarr ix-Xini, about 45 minutes one way on foot.
Travelling with young children? On the way back from Gozo, allow a few extra minutes to collect their tickets at Mġarr before you join the boarding queue.
The Ġgantija temples, dated to as early as 3600 BC, stand in the village where you sleep, and Ramla Bay is a bus ride or a walk away.
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