Discovering Gozo Full Day incl. Guide, Train & Ggantija Temples

Staying at St. Paul’s Bay, we booked our trip at the office on I’m-Qawra Street, where Dolly recommended us 3 different trips which we all ended up doing due to Dolly being so passionate about her job and her sparkling personality! The bus trip to the Ferry site had some stunning views on its own, even though the real journey only started upon arrival in Gozo. The first stop was at the Ggantija Temples, where we visited the museum and the temples, a stop of about an hour, accompanied by Mario, our amazing guide who had an extreme love for his occupation and seemed to be enjoying every part of the ride as much as we were. Next up was Marsalforn, where we got on the trackless train which drove up to the Salt Pans on the Northern coastal area of the island. Breathtaking views and if you’re lucky enough you might be able to spot Sicily on the horizon. Afterwards we made a small pitstop at a Crafts Shop where we were able to try some traditional Maltese food and liquor, also the perfect spot to get a unique and authentic souvenir. Afterwards we went to Dwejra Bay on the West side of the island, where you had the opportunity to do a short boat ride, for the low amount of €5-, through some caves and underneath the (now non-existent) Azure Window. Last but not least was the capital city of Victoria where you get some free time to explore and walk around the city. There’s also the possibility to go to the Citadella, unfortunately we didn’t have enough leisure time to get there, since it was the first longer stop of the day and only opportunity to have some lunch, which we prioritised after a long day in the tiring heat. All in all, it was definitely worth the €65- p/p, since Gozo is a must-see during your stay on Malta. Warm regards Benny, Nancy, Zoë, and Mats.

We were really looking forward tothis tour - it was a huge disappointment. 1. There is over an hour of driving around to pick people up from their hotel to start the tour. 2. On arrival in Gozo Hello Malta had 2 buses - both buses drove to the trackless train for the 40minute tour. It was raining and the trackless train is actually a “kids train” the type that would take you around an amusement park. So 2 bus load of tourist get loaded 4 to a seat ( we were like sardines all crammed together)and because it is light raining the plastic curtains are pulled down and zipped up - there is no ventilation in the wagons because of this. There are people coughing - not hygienic and no regard for our health safety. With covid / cold season around - we are squashed into carriages with no ventilation. Also because it’s raining and the plastic curtains are down no one can see anything or taking any photos. The trackless train does not stop anywhere. It does stop raining half way around the circuit - but the plastic blinds are not put up. This was an absolute waste of 40 minutes - all I saw was the back of the person in front. We did raise this with our guide - on the day. Next stop Dwemer Bay & the inland sea where we had 30 minutes to have a look around. Next stop - a craft shop which really was a souvenir shop - 30 minutes to look around in one small shop. I was expecting to see crafts by - local artisans- not yo be. Next stop the Ggantija Temples which was interesting. We then arrive at Victoria at 3:45pm for a late lunch and are given to 5:10pm to have lunch and explore on our own. A late lunch is 2pm not 3:45pm This was very late for lunch - and ruined our dinner plans. We then got back on the ferry and as we were staying in Valletta we were one of the last to be dropped of at 7:45pm. A very long day - a very disappointing day- and a very exhausting day. I can not recommend this tour company - poor planning with respect to food breaks, poor concern for the welfare of its customers - who in their right mind packs 2 tour buses into a “trackless train” 4 to a seat - like sardines zips up the plastic windows so there is no ventilation in winter at the height of flu/ cold/ covid season. Very disappointed.

The day started off well, as we were picked up from our hotel on time, but things soon went down hill. It took over 1 & 1/2 hours to pick up other people from Valetta and surrounding hotels. This was mainly due to the poor organisation of our guide who did not seem to know the names or the number of people we were collecting from each hotel (we had the same guide for our trip to The Blue Grotto and Sunday Market. Her name is Evelyn, she was useless on both trips). At one point she and the driver had a stand up row which almost came to blows. It seems they worked for 2 different companies and they threatened to report each other to their respective managers for bullying and bad conduct. This was great entertainment for the whole bus full of passengers and was probably the highlight of the day. The day got more chaotic as it went on. We wasted over 30 minutes trying to locate our guide and new tour bus after we disembarked the ferry in Gozo. We visited a church for 45 minutes ( apparently the church is famous because some girl visited it a long time ago and was told by the virgin Mary that she would spend the rest of her life in bed, or at least that is what we were told by the guide) When we left the church our bus had moved to a different location and folk were left mulling around trying to find it. Our next stop was meant to include a short boat ride at Dwerja Bay but this stop lasted well over an hour because we had to queue for 40 minutes to get on the small fishing boats. Not everyone was able to get on a boat in time. We then spent 30 minutes visiting a so called craft village, which was just a tacky souvenir shop. This made us late for our buffet lunch stop and we had to hang around to be picked up by the land train to take us to Cittadella. Lunch was poor in quality and choice. After lunch we were left with just 30 minute to explore Victoria (Rabat) the capital of Gozo. We were told to meet up in a certain place, where we would be picked up by a land train and returned to our bus. The land train never arrived and we were walked for 15 minutes to a bus park to pick up or transport. Our ferry trip back to Malta was a shambles. We were handed a ticket and left to work out where to get onto and off of the ferry. This was through a busy car deck. There was no bus waiting to pick us up at the other side and we were left waiting in a crowded bus park, in the hot sun until it arrived. The return journey to our hotel took nearly 2 hours. The total tour lasted over 10 hours but only about 3 hours was actually spent discovering anything of Gozo. On the plus side, we met some lovely people from many different countries, all of who were equally as confused, bemused and annoyed at the poor value, poor quality and poor service given to us on this trip. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY,

Feeling a bit let down. Gozo is gorgeous.and the shrine and citadel are amazing, worth so much more time than allowed. Buffet lunch was very basic ..better off going to a local bar and choosing your own food. Guide was very good but all in all i expected more

The success of a traveller tour greatly depends upon how the tour guide presents himself or herself. In particular, I have to compliment your tour guide Mark who is professional in delivering the introductions and illustrations of these interesting places in various languages. I liked his friendly dispositions when addressing to his customers. With his abilities to create an unforgettable travelling experiences for travellers like me.