Gozo holidays - travel guide - activities & sights

If the idea of something active is a little retail therapy, and you like the sound of an flashing some cash, then an enjoyable wander around the local crafts it's well worth it!. Head out to the Ta' Dbiegi craft village on the outskirts of San Lawrenz - giving you the perfect opportunity to observe the craftsmen and locals, from weaving lace, spinning wool and handling soft fabric, to creating beautiful items and ornaments such as filigree silver, pottery, baskets and clocks. Just look out for the magnificent glass blowers too - you'll be fascinated to watch this superb show. Cased behind a sheet of glass, visitors are encouraged to witness the craftsmen as they blow in their piping hot glassblowing environment to create the unique Maltese blown glass all done by hand. After watching this show, head to the shop to purchase a treat or two - the glass makes for a great souvenir to take back home.

Smaller, lusher and more rural than Malta, Gozo is well worth a trip for its unhurried, get-away-from-it-all atmosphere, and with some of Europe's most stunning views and fantastic peace and quiet, Gozo is great for walking. It's easy to catch a bus from most resorts out into the countryside and even easier to hire a car, and once there, you'll be rewarded with dramatic scenery and serious tranquillity. If you fancy the sight of sheer cliffs plunging in to the sea, the island offers excellent birdwatching from April-June and September-October. Elsewhere, inland walks will reveal green valleys, strange prehistoric stone monuments, little caves, sleepy fishing villages. Narrow tracks will lead you to hidden beaches, rugged cliffs and lush green countryside, so make sure you pack some good walking shoes or boots.

Gozo's warm, crystal clear waters and natural bays and reefs make scuba diving here a wonderful experience all year round. All round the island, there are some fabulous dive sites to enjoy from wartime wrecks and labyrinthine caves to luminous coral reefs, all inhabited by vibrant species like grouper, octopi, parrot fish, stingray and flying fish. The waters around Gozo are renowned for their excellent visibility too, so an underwater camera wouldn't go amiss!

Out of the towns, there are idyllic rocky inlets ideal for snorkelling and swimming in aquamarine seas, and dramatic landmarks such as the Azure Window, an amazing landlocked seawater pool reached through a rock tunnel. This 100-metres high natural arch, hollowed out of the Coastline at Dwejra by thousands of years of wind and waves, has got to be the island's most famous landmark in Gozo. The window has even attracted the likes of several film-makers, and even appeared in American mini-series 'The Odyssey'.

On Gozo, the two caverns of Xerri's Grotto and Ninu's Cave in Xaghra are filled with incredible alabaster stalactites and stalagmites, and close by, there's Calypso's Cave, a dark hole in the cliffs where as Greek mythology has it, Odysseus was imprisoned. For man-made caves, don't miss Malta's Hal-Saflieni Hypogeum, a vast underground temple with layers of eerie burial catacombs. The main must-see when visiting Gozo are the Ggantija temples in Xaghra, a group of vast rock monuments thought to have been built over 5,000 years ago. The temples are said to be one of the most important archaeological sites in the world and date from around 3600 to 3200 BC. Legend has it due to the gigantic dimensions of the megaliths, some locals believed that the temples were the work of giants. The temple site bears witness to this ancient legend, and the name, 'Ggantija', is Maltese for giant.

There's plenty to enjoy in Gozo, from spectacular scenery to quiet harbour villages, but the capital Victoria, with its cathedral, main square and interesting museums is well worth a trip. Rich in history, the capital was named after the English monarch 'Queen Victoria, to commemorate her Silver Jubilee in 1897, but even today many locals still call it by its original name, Rabat which means city. Enjoying an elevated position, this little commercial hub with its street market (known as it-Tokk) also contains the Citadel (known often as the Gran Castello or the Cittadella), an impregnable point which owes its origins to the late mediaeval era, and which was re-fortified by the Knights of the Order of St. John to act as protection for the inhabitants.

The town is divided into two main areas; the Old Town and the Citadel, built on a hill over 500ft above sea level it enjoys fabulous views lush valleys and the sea and is home to a museum. The Old Town essentially a square is the hub of the town and you can wander the narrow, twisting streets and take in some interesting architectural features.