We love our gorgeous island home and we know that our guests do too – so much so that many return to Gozo for a holiday as often as they can.
So what makes Gozo so special? That’s not a hard question – the answer is everything! Gozo is a tiny island nestled in the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, with a verdant green countryside, spectacular coastline, and secluded bays and beaches.
Everywhere you look you’ll find evidence of a fascinating heritage and culture – from neolithic sites to baroque churches. What’s more, with an amazing cultural calendar of events all year round, there’s always something to do and see on Gozo.
To make is a bit easier, we’ve narrowed the list down to six of the best things to enjoy about a Gozo holiday. If we’ve left anything out – let us know on the Baron Holiday Homes Facebook page. We always love to hear from Gozo enthusiasts.
1. Gozo’s Mediterranean climate
Enjoying Gozo’s crystal-clear waters. Photo credit: Gozo Adventures Facebook Page
Did you know that Gozo is blessed with more than 300 days of sunshine every year? So if you’re looking for a year-round holiday destination, put Gozo on your list.
Summer on Gozo is warm, dry and drenched in sunlight. Temperatures peak at around 30°C in August but there’s usually a cooling sea breeze. Gozo’s summer festa season makes for lots of fun but you can always chill by your private pool at your Baron Holiday Home. You can read more in our blog post Five Reasons To Have a Gozo Holiday This Summer.
In autumn, temperatures hover around 20-24°C on both land and sea – making this time particularly good for sightseeing as well as exploring Gozo’s world-class scuba diving sites. Our blog post Enjoy A Hands-on Harvest Experience on Gozo This Autumn and Plunge Into Gozo’s Gorgeous Sea provide more ideas.
Gozo never gets truly chilly in winter – you can expect temperatures to hover around 12°C in the coolest month, January. This makes Gozo a great place for a winter holiday, especially over Christmas and New Year period when there is so much happening on the island. Read more in our blog post Gozo in Winter: Good For Your Mind Body And Soul.
Spring brings about nine hours of sun each day. By April, temperatures are around 20°C and the lengthening days help turn Gozo red, gold and purple as wild flowers burst into bloom. This is a great time to explore Gozo’s countryside on long walks and enjoy our Easter celebrations – as we outline in our blog post Have An Action-Packed Gozo Holiday This Spring.
2. Gozo’s family-friendly beaches and secluded coves
The red sand beach at Ramla Bay, Gozo. Photo credit: Baron Holiday Homes
Gozo is a small island but has 45 km of shoreline. Much of the coast is unspoilt limestone cliffs, caves and crags which are fun to explore on foot as well as by boat. There are also many small, secluded inlets, coves and bays as well as some lovely beaches.
The most popular beach is Ramla Bay on Gozo’s north east coast, with its distinctive red sand. You can swim and snorkel safely in the sea here and the beach is ideal for family gatherings.
If you’re feeling energetic or are looking for that amazing Instagram post, you can walk to the top of the headlands to enjoy a great view of the bay, and maybe explore Calypso and Mixta caves.
Smaller beaches can be found at San Blas, Dahlet Qorrot and Hondoq. In addition, Gozo has two small resorts – Marsalforn in the north east and Xlendi on the south western coast. Both offer a choice of cafes and restaurants, as well as a variety of water sports including paddleboarding, boat trips and scuba diving.
And we’d recommend a boat trip to Gozo’s little sister island of Comino during your Gozo holiday. Here you can swim, snorkel, windsurf and scuba dive in the famous Blue Lagoon. You can also relax on the Comino’s beaches at Santa Marija Bay and San Niklaw Bay.
3. Gozo’s friendly people
Gozitans celebrating the festa of Santa Marija in August.
Gozo has a small population which engages in a mostly traditional way of life so family and community is very important. The annual calendar of events on Gozo is framed around some important religious festivals – such as Lent, Easter and Christmas. And if you’re on holiday on Gozo during the summer months you will see how important (and fun) our festas are to the local people.
You’ll find Gozitans very welcoming and especially friendly to children, which makes family holidays on Gozo extra special. Our guests also get to experience authentic island life as most of our villas and farmhouses are located in or close to many of Gozo’s villages.
Common sights in the countryside are a flock of goats being herded along a country road, maybe a lizard scurrying along a wall, and you’ll certainly spot many of the islands cats lounging on everything from window sills to prickly pear trees. Our blog post Relax To The Slower Pace of Traditional Village Life In Gozo will tell you more.
4. Gozitan cuisine
Freshly baked ftira – a tasty Gozitan speciality. Photo credit: Instagram @francy.lightly
First time visitors to Gozo are often delighted to discover Gozo’s traditional and tasty food. Repeat visitors will know exactly when to arrive at their favourite bakery for a delicious morning pastizzi and coffee, or a tasty ftira for lunch!
Gozitan cuisine is unique and reflects the island’s fascinating history as waves of different cultures took turns to rule the area. So you can find traces of Sicilian, French and Arabic influences and flavours. You can find out more about Gozo’s cuisine in Our Guide To A Gozo Taste Experience.
Gozo grows fresh fruit and vegetables in the traditional, organic way. And you’ll get used to seeing goats and chickens in the villages. Many cafes and restaurants on Gozo serve traditional dishes so remember to book our dining out coupons which can save a family of 4 over €100 at selected local restaurants.
Visit our Things To Do In Gozo webpage for information on how we can help arrange farm and wine tasting tours for our guests.
We can also book a gastronomic experience and cooking classes with our local partner Maldonado Bistro as well as a tour of the Magro Food Village to see how Gozo’s artisan cheeses are made.
5. Gozo’s fascinating heritage
Older than Stonehenge - Gozo’s neolithic Ggantija Temples. Photo credit: Instagram @scicnick
Gozo may be small but it has a long and fascinating history, stretching back 7,000 years to Neolithic times. And much of this history can be visited today. The most spectacular remnant of this early beginning can be seen at the Gġantija Temple complex – a UNESCO World Heritage site near the village of Xagħra. The structure is believed to have been constructed around 5,000 years ago, making the site older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt.
Many other different groups have also left traces on Gozo – from Bronze Age burial chambers (dolmens) on the Ta’ Cenc plateau and the medieval Citadella once ruled by the Knights of St John, to some iconic British red phone boxes.
One thing that visitors immediately notice is the number, size and beauty of the Baroque churches all over the island. Some 46 churches serve a population of around 35,000 people. The biggest church on Gozo is the church of St John the Baptist in Xewkija, which boasts the third-largest unsupported dome in Europe.
One of Gozo’s most famous churches is the Basilica and Shrine of Ta’ Pinu and we wrote about it’s extraordinary story in Ta Pinu – a tale of miracles and pilgrims on Gozo.
6. Gozo’s vibrant cultural calendar
When it comes to arts and culture, Gozo punches way above its weight. This tiny island hosts a myriad of events all year round.
From May to September it’s festa season and villages on Gozo take turns to celebrate their local patron saints. There’s lots of live music on Gozo in summer too, from the classical concerts of the annual Victorian International Arts Festival to live jazz and rock at venues across the island.
Autumn brings in Gozo’s Opera Month (October) with full productions staged by Gozo;s two rival opera houses as well as the annual Festival Mediterranea.
And the winter months on Gozo are mainly about celebrating Christmas, which is done in style. Read out blog post A Festive Break on Gozo to find out more.
The end of winter is heralded by Gozo’s Carnival Season – a mix of organised and spontaneous carnivals that bring the island to life. We recently wrote about how you can Escape The February Freeze With A Gozo Family Holiday.
Spring on Gozo is all about Easter, with a heady mix of sound and colour with religious processions and lively street parades. And, you won’t be surprised to find that Spring also brings the annual Gaulitana Music Festival.
So, have we captured your interest? Why not watch this lovely video clip of Gozo while you think about booking a holiday on our lovely island.
Ask us for help
Baron Holiday Homes is happy to organise car hire, tours of Gozo, and many other things to do on Gozo our guests. Just get in touch and we'll tell you all you need to know about walks near to your rental property, special events in villages nearby, and other local information.
Posted in Activity, Adventure, Family, Local cuisine, Things to do, What to see in Gozo
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