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Looking for a hire car in Gozo (Malta) for your holiday?
You’ve come to the right place! I’ll help you find the best deals for car hire in Gozo and show you the options available and their rates.
Although the island of Gozo is small and takes a ferry ride to get to, car hire is by far the best option to explore the island. With a rental car, you get a lot more flexibility and a hassle-free experience.
Search for the best deals here:
In this guide, I’ll help you with the following:
There are two options for car rental in Gozo:
Car rental agencies in Malta don’t charge additional fees, and ferry tickets cost around €20 for a car, driver, and one passenger. Renting a car from the airport normally costs less, but the downside is that you’ll have to drive for around an hour to get to the ferry terminal.
You can also opt to have a company deliver your Gozo car rental to the hotel you’re staying at on your holiday, but the prices are pretty steep.
Although you can get a Gozo car rental, you can also decide to drop it off at the airport if it is more convenient for you. You’ll need to cross over to Malta by ferry and drive it down to the Park East car park at Malta International Airport.
I always recommend Rentalcars.com for car hire, both in Malta as well as Gozo. Using the search function at the top of this page you can compare the best rates to get the cheapest car hire deals.
You can choose to rent a car from one of the many international companies represented in Gozo, as well as local agencies.
The island of Gozo is home to some of the most beautiful places to visit and rugged landscapes in the Maltese archipelago.
While plenty of bus routes are available through a well-connected network, cars make it easy to explore the island.
Here are a few suggestions on where to go and what to see.
Dwejra is one of Gozo’s most stunning locations.
Known for its inland sea (a small pebbly bay surrounded by tall cliffs and an opening out to the open sea), the Blue Hole dive site and the location of the Azure Window, which unfortunately collapsed in 2017.
Located right at the centre of Gozo, the Capital City has a lot to offer. For starters, there’s a lot to explore here on foot: The Citadel on the hill, the old town around St. George’s Basilica and the various sights and shops to visit.
Be warned, though: All roads in Gozo lead to the small city of Victoria, which can make it a bit of a bottleneck for cars.
Traffic congestion during the day is common, especially in summer.
If you’re looking to stay at one of the hotels here, ask whether private parking is available for your car and at what price. Public parking spaces are limited here!
If you can’t get private parking, your best bet is to head to the bus terminus in the city centre. That’s where you’ll find the largest public car park.
Ramla Bay is Gozo’s largest sandy beach and is largely untouched by man. Visit the beach itself or enjoy the views from either side of the bay. You can navigate to Tal-Mixta Cave (to the East of the bay) to make your way to this naturally formed cave with wide open views.
You can also head to the location of Calypso’s Cave (currently closed to the public) and enjoy views on the West side of the bay from there. This cave was named after the character in Homer’s Odyssey, who is said to have called Gozo her home.
Enjoy Gozo’s other beaches, like Daħlet Qorrot, Ħondoq ir-Rummien and Wied Il-Għasri, which can take longer to reach by bus. These beaches are more off the beaten path and taking a trip to any of them can make for a memorable holiday in Gozo.
Looking to discover Gozo but not sure whether a rental car is for you? These are a few other ways to explore the island:
Yes, it is worth hiring a car in Gozo because it’s the most flexible way of getting around the island.
The only public transport option on the island is taking the bus, which is cheap but doesn’t get you everywhere, and commuting takes time.
Depending on your place of stay, supermarkets and food stores may not be nearby so even for that reason alone it’s practical to rent a car.
Driving in Gozo is fairly easygoing, even if local drivers consider the island to be a karting track sometimes.
Yes, you can get around Gozo without a car rental, but the alternative options aren’t necessarily better.
To get around Gozo, you can:
Yes, there are Ubers in Gozo. Having said that, while Uber itself operates in Malta, at the time of writing, they don’t do so in Gozo. Their competitor, Bolt, however, is available.
It’s worth noting that on-demand taxis in Gozo aren’t cheap because of limited demand.
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Edward is the Founder and Editor of Malta Uncovered and author of two guidebooks on Malta and Valletta.
As a tourist-turned-expat with Maltese roots, he knows the islands inside out and helps thousands of visitors enjoy a memorable trip every year.
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Hi, I was wondering what type of car do you recommend for driving in Gozo. Would a small car be ok considering the road conditions or would an SUV be better ?
Hi Maria, small cars generally handle unpaved roads well in Gozo, but a slightly larger vehicle will definitely be more comfortable if you’re planning to explore the more remote parts of Gozo by car. If you’re worried about safety you can always ask a local for advice while there but I drive a regular-sized car and safety was never an issue when driving to more remote areas on the island.