The first thing our boys did in Gozo was cross the sea. Neither had been on a ferry before. Damian was five and Marc was two, and for twenty-five minutes they ran between the windows while the cliffs of Gozo got closer and Comino slid past on the other side. That was the moment the holiday started.
We spent five nights on Gozo in May 2018, in a villa in Xagħra, with a car. This is the honest version of what worked with small children: the seven things worth doing, the beaches that suit little ones (and the one month when the sea is too cold for them), where to stay, and what we would do differently.
Gozo with kids, in short
- Is Gozo good for families? Yes. It is calmer, greener and slower than Malta, the distances are short, and parking was easy almost everywhere we went.
- How long? Five nights was the right pace with a toddler. Two or three days is the minimum if you want more than a day trip.
- Do you need a car? Yes, with small children. Everything on this list is a 10–25 minute drive from everything else.
- Best base for families: a villa with a pool in Xagħra (where we stayed), or Marsalforn if you want to walk to the sea and restaurants.
- What surprised us: the sea in May. The days were warm, but the water was cold enough that the boys only paddled.
Short on time? Our top 3 places to stay in Gozo with kids
Ta Leli Holiday Home – Xagħra, a private 3-bedroom villa with its own pool, 2.7 km from Ramla Bay.
Hotel Calypso – Marsalforn, on the promenade, with restaurants and ice cream a few steps away.
Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz – San Lawrenz, the island’s big five-star resort, a short drive from Dwejra.
How to get to Gozo with kids
There is no airport on Gozo. You fly into Malta and cross by sea.
- The car ferry (Gozo Channel), Ċirkewwa → Mġarr. About 25 minutes, and it runs around the clock. As of September 2026 a foot passenger pays €4.65 return, children aged 3–12 pay €1.15, under-3s travel free, and a car with its driver is €15.70. You pay only once, when you leave Gozo at Mġarr. There is no booking: you just drive on.
- The fast ferry, Valletta → Mġarr. About 45 minutes, foot passengers only, with seats booked in advance. It is the easiest way over if you are not bringing a car.
We landed in Malta at about 10:15. Our car hire company, Mayjo Car Hire, collected us at the airport, and from arrivals to their office in Victoria took about an hour and a half: roughly 45 minutes by road to Ċirkewwa, the crossing, then the short drive up from Mġarr. With two tired children, not having to find the ferry ourselves was worth a great deal.
Mayjo provided our car free of charge as a collaboration, and we paid only for fuel. Opinions are our own.
The 7 best things to do in Gozo with kids
1. The ferry crossing itself
With young children, the ferry is an attraction, not just transport. Take the upper deck on the way over. You pass Comino and the Blue Lagoon on one side and the Gozo cliffs rise ahead of you. For a five-year-old on his first ferry it was the best part of the day, and it costs almost nothing.
2. The Citadel in Victoria
We had not planned it. We were driving through Victoria, looked up, and went. The streets up to the Citadel are steep, which with a two-year-old means someone is carrying someone. At the top the walls look out over the whole island, with villages, domes and the sea on every side. Inside are narrow lanes, churches and small shops, and the boys liked it much more than I expected. Walking the streets and the walls is free; the museums inside are ticketed.
Go in the late afternoon when the stone turns golden and the tour groups have left.
3. Xlendi Bay
We went to Xlendi twice, which says more than any description. It is a small fishing village at the end of a narrow inlet, with dramatic cliffs on both sides and water in several shades of turquoise.
We planned a quick stop the first time and stayed about two hours. The second time we came back just for breakfast with a view. In May the water was too cold for the boys to do more than paddle. In summer, people swim from the rock platforms along the side of the bay.
4. Dwejra: where the Azure Window was
The Azure Window, the stone arch on every old postcard of Malta, collapsed into the sea on 8 March 2017, a year before our trip. Dwejra is still one of the most spectacular places on the island and we ended up going three times.
The first time we missed the sunset. The second time we got it right, and a local man with an owl let the boys stand next to it for photos. On our last morning we went back with coffee and wandered the rocks the scuba divers use. It is also one of the best-known dive sites in the Mediterranean, and the boys were fascinated watching divers disappear into the water.
The rocks are uneven and there are no railings near the edges. Hold small hands here.
5. Ramla Bay
Ramla is the red beach. The sand is a deep orange-red, which the boys found hilarious. It is the biggest sandy beach on Gozo and the most obvious family beach on the island, only 2.7 km from where we were staying in Xagħra.
6. The salt pans at Xwejni
On the north coast near Marsalforn, the salt pans are a patchwork of square pools cut into the rock, stretching about 3 km along the shore. Gozitan families have been harvesting salt here for around 350 years. For children it is a strange, flat, walkable landscape with the sea crashing next to it. For adults, it has some of the best views on the island.
7. A boat to Comino and the Blue Lagoon
From Mġarr harbour the boats to Comino take only a few minutes. The Blue Lagoon is exactly as clear as the photos. It was also very cold in May, and very crowded, even early on a Sunday. We still all went in, Marc included, for about thirty seconds.
This has changed since we went: since 1 May 2025 you need a free booking to land at the Blue Lagoon, in one of three time slots. We explain the whole process in our Blue Lagoon Comino guide.
Also worth it: Ġgantija, the villages, and Wied il-Għasri
Ġgantija Temples are in Xagħra, the village we stayed in, and they are older than the pyramids of Egypt. Heritage Malta dates them to the Neolithic, and they are among the oldest free-standing structures in the world. Tickets are €10 for adults, €6 for children aged 6–11, and free under 6. A visit takes about an hour. On our first afternoon we got there after closing time.
The villages. Some of our best hours were unplanned: driving between villages, stopping at a church or a viewpoint because it looked good. In Xagħra the boys spotted the red telephone boxes, the same as in London. Malta is mostly town with patches of countryside. Gozo is the other way round.
Wied il-Għasri is a narrow creek between high cliffs on the north coast, with very clear water at the end. We found it while the boys were asleep in the car, so we only looked. It is reached down steps cut into the rock and has no facilities. It is beautiful, but it is not a beach for toddlers.
Which beaches in Gozo are best for kids?
- Ramla Bay: the one sandy family beach. Go here first.
- Marsalforn: a small town beach with the promenade, cafés and ice cream right behind it. It’s the easiest with small children if you’re staying there.
- Xlendi: more of a bay to look at than a beach. Swimming is from the rocks, so it’s better for older children who swim confidently.
- Hondoq ir-Rummien: often recommended for families for its calm water. We did not go, so I can’t vouch for it.
The honest note: in May, the sea was cold. The days were warm enough for T-shirts and ice cream, but the boys only paddled. If swimming is the point of your trip, go from late June to early October.
Where to stay in Gozo with kids
We stayed in a villa, and with a two-year-old I would do it again. I’ve marked clearly which places we actually stayed in and which we didn’t.
| Area | Best for | Where to look | Did we stay there? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xagħra | A villa with a pool, quiet, central, near Ramla Bay and Ġgantija | Ta Leli Holiday Home | Yes, 5 nights |
| Marsalforn | Walking to the sea, restaurants and ice cream | Hotel Calypso, Murella Living | No |
| Xlendi | Sea views and sunsets, waterfront dinners | Cesca’s Boutique Hotel, Hotel San Andrea | No, but we visited twice |
| Victoria | A central base for driving everywhere, with supermarkets and the Citadel | The Duke Boutique Hotel, Casa Gemelli | No |
| San Lawrenz | A full resort with pools and spa, near Dwejra | Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz | No |
Our villa in Xagħra: Ta Leli Holiday Home
Ta Leli is a three-bedroom country house about 1.2 km outside Xagħra village, with four bathrooms and a private pool. We stayed five nights as guests of Baron Holiday Homes. What made it work with small children was having our own kitchen, and a pool the boys could use the minute they woke up.
One thing to know with a toddler: the pool is 5.5 × 3.2 m and 0.9–1.9 m deep, with no shallow end for a two-year-old to stand in. Marc was in the water only with one of us, every time. In May the water was also a little chilly. Baron currently lists the house from around €143–199 a night depending on season, sleeping up to seven. A cot and high chair can be added.
Our stay at Ta Leli was a collaboration with Baron Holiday Homes and was free of charge. Opinions are our own. The full review is here.
Do you need a car in Gozo with kids?
Yes. Gozo is only about 13 km long and 7 km wide, so nothing is far, but with a toddler, car seats and a beach bag, the freedom to stop at every viewpoint is the whole point. Parking was easy almost everywhere we went in May. There are buses, but you will spend more time waiting than looking.
We used Mayjo, a local company that handled the airport pick-up and the ferry for us. The full story is in our Mayjo Car Hire review.
How many days do you need in Gozo?
Three days as a minimum. Five was right for us. You can do Gozo as a day trip from Malta, and plenty of people do, but with small children the best of Gozo is at the edges of the day: sunset at Dwejra, breakfast in Xlendi, and an evening dip in the villa pool. Our full day-by-day plan is in 5 days in Gozo with kids.
Gozo or Malta for families?
For small children, Gozo. Malta is busier, more built-up and has more traffic. Gozo is rural, quiet and slower, and every drive is short. We saw Malta properly only on our last day, walking around Valletta with the kids before our flight. Valletta is well worth a day, but it is hilly and steep with a buggy.
If you have one week, do what we did: base yourselves on Gozo and give Malta one or two days.
What we would do differently
- Go to Ġgantija in the morning. We turned up after closing time on the day we arrived. It was right in our own village.
- Do the Blue Lagoon on a weekday. A Sunday was a mistake, even early. Today you need a booking anyway, so book the morning slot.
- Come a month later if you want to swim. May was perfect for exploring and too cold for the sea.
More Malta and Gozo
- 5 days in Gozo with kids: our itinerary
- Blue Lagoon, Comino with kids: booking, boats and tips
- Valletta with kids: one day in Malta’s capital
- Ta Leli villa review, Baron Holiday Homes Gozo
- Mayjo Car Hire Gozo review
- Top 10 European islands to visit with kids
- Menorca with kids
Last checked: September 2026. Our trip was in May 2018. Ferry fares, Ġgantija ticket prices, the Blue Lagoon booking rules and villa prices were checked in September 2026 and change regularly, so confirm them before you travel.
Planning Gozo? Compare family hotels and villas across Gozo →
Gozo with kids: your questions answered
Is Gozo good for families with young kids?
Yes. Gozo is calmer, greener and less built-up than Malta, the drives between sights are short, and parking is easy. We went with a five-year-old and a two-year-old and found it one of the easiest islands we have done with small children.
How many days do you need in Gozo with kids?
Three days as a minimum, five for a relaxed pace. A day trip from Malta is possible, but with children the best moments are at the ends of the day, such as sunset at Dwejra and breakfast in Xlendi, and those need you to stay on the island.
How do you get to Gozo with kids?
Fly into Malta and take the Gozo Channel car ferry from Ċirkewwa to Mġarr, which takes about 25 minutes. As of September 2026 the return fare is €4.65 per adult, €1.15 for children aged 3–12, and free under 3, paid once when you leave Gozo. A fast ferry also runs from Valletta to Mġarr in about 45 minutes for foot passengers.
Do you need a car in Gozo?
With small children, yes. The island is only about 13 km long, so every drive is short, and a car lets you stop at viewpoints and beaches on your own schedule. Buses exist but are much slower.
Where is the best place to stay in Gozo with kids?
A villa with a pool in Xagħra, or Marsalforn if you want to walk to the sea, cafés and ice cream. We stayed five nights at Ta Leli Holiday Home in Xagħra, 2.7 km from Ramla Bay. Victoria is the best base for driving everywhere, and Xlendi for sea views.
Which is the best beach in Gozo for kids?
Ramla Bay. It is the largest sandy beach on Gozo, with distinctive red-orange sand. Marsalforn is the easiest town beach with small children, while Xlendi is swum from rocks and suits confident swimmers better.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in Gozo in May?
For most children, not really. We went in May: the days were warm, but the water at Xlendi and the Blue Lagoon was cold enough that the boys only paddled or took very quick dips. For proper swimming, go between late June and early October.
Is Gozo or Malta better for families?
Gozo, for young children. It is quieter, more rural and has less traffic. Malta is worth a day or two, and Valletta in particular, but it is busier and hillier with a buggy.
