Gozo is Malta’s sister island and a tourist attraction in itself. Many argue that Gozo is too cut off and is not serviced well by public transport. Michael Carabott and photographer Ben Borg Cardona

travelled from Sliema to Gozo and back on various forms of transport. Read on to find out how two car owners fared in getting there and back without their wheels.

The criticism that Gozo is not very accessible has been milling around for years. To be in a better position to judge that criticism I decided to see for myself and take a day trip to the island as a tourist would.

To this effect, I decided that I would set off from Sliema and take the long way there via Valletta and take the quick way back using a direct bus from Crikewwa. I am not one to use public transport and to add more authenticity to my travels, I decided not to look into any form of transport in advance and simply go with the flow.

Ben and I met in Sliema and had a quick breakfast before deciding that the route to Gozo would involve us taking a ferry from Sliema to Marsamxett, followed by a Citicab taxi ride up to Castille. From Valletta, we decided to take the bus to Cirkewwa and then get the ferry over to Mgarr.

After a five-minute wait, the ferry departed to Marsamxett on a truly pleasurable five-minute ride. From there we called an electric taxi which took us round the coast and up to Castille in a matter of minutes.

Once in Valletta, we did what any tourist would have done and had a coffee. It was our only luxury stop for the day, we just didn’t know it yet. So far, so good, it had been a breeze. The last time I took a bus was about 10 years ago and I didn’t know whether the 45 bus to Cirkewwa was still in the same place. Luckily, I had picked up a bus route map at Sliema ferries and the diagrams showed me that it was just where it used to be, tucked away in the far left hand corner. We hoped that we would get a modern bus. But no, we ended up on a boneshaker. Granted, we sat towards the back, but to be honest the ride was terrible.

Apart from bouncing out of your seat every time we hit a pothole, there were exhaust fumes to contend with, screaming kids and it took an eternity to get to Cirkewwa, over an hour in fact. The ride cost e1.16 and when one takes into account the quality of the ride, it was not worth it. But then again, when you don’t have any other option, you have to take whatever is available. There were no newspapers and no televisions on this bus either. However, although the ride was terrible, the bus was clean and the driver was courteous.

The Gozo ferry was, as ever, punctual, quick and good value for money, especially now that there is a newsagent on board. It was the first time I had disembarked from the passenger exit and it was also the first time I had used the new passenger terminal at Mgarr. The new boom system works a treat and you do not have to go down into the car hold area, you simply walk off the side of the boat so to speak.

However, once you get out of the terminal, you are literally accosted by Gozitan taxi drivers offering to take you here there and everywhere. “Around Gozo, all the sights for e40,” was the general sales pitch. In the meantime I was trying to get into the queue for the Victoria bus, but Ben decided to see what he could get for his money’s worth. A taxi driver told him he would take us both around the island for e40. We held out, saying no, it was not worth it. He then dropped to e35 and then e30 when we held our ground. We told him that we were taking the bus to Victoria, after which the exasperated driver told us he would take us to Victoria for e1. To put it into context, the bus ride only costs e0.47. We said no, we were taking the bus, the guy shook his head in disbelief saying: “Bus? I have an E Class. e1 only, go to Victoria in style not on the bus.”

You also have to realise that there were about 20 other drivers doing the same and I was quite perturbed by the fact that a moustachioed green ADT official was standing right next to them and not doing anything to stop them.

We boarded the bus, which was much better maintained than the one we took in Malta. Little touches, but there were curtains, everything colour coded, the owner took pride in his vehicle which is how it should be. But, there was only one complaint, I was short changed by e0.02.

The ride to Victoria took about 12 minutes, and it was actually quite pleasant. Once in Victoria we had a quick lunch that cost about e7 per head including a pint of lager. We came across a shop that rented out mountain bikes and decided that at e5 per person, it was worth it. We cycled down to Xlendi in no time at all and stopped for a little rest. By this time, it was about 3pm and time to head back up that monster of a hill. Unfortunately, much to Ben’s amusement, I had a rather bad fall while showing off my “found again” mountain biking skills.

This made the trip up the hill quite exhausting as I had bruised my ribs – not ideal when you are cycling. It took us about 45 minutes to cycle back. The bus back to Mgarr was just as pleasant as the previous one. The ferry was again comfortable and quick. To round the day off, we decided that we would take the direct bus back to Sliema and we were dismayed to once again be on a bone shaker. It must have been the driver’s last trip of the day as he was flying down the coast road at breakneck speed. Same as before, the ride was really, really bad. I was in pain from the fall and the massive bumps, shakes and rattles did not really do me much good. We got off the bus at about 5.50pm, tired and drained from the day’s travelling. We stopped off for a quick drink before heading back to the car. More angst was in store as we were stuck in rush hour traffic, getting home at about 7.30pm.

Was it worth it?

Speaking from a purely financial point of view, yes it was. Lunch and all travel costs came up to e24.89 (Lm10.69), so all in all it was actually very cheap. A breakdown of the services we used is warranted. The ferry from Sliema to Valletta was cheap, quick, easy, pleasant and on time. The Citicab was excellent value for money. It came to pick us up, it was cheap and it saved our legs and a fair amount of time.

The bus ride from Valletta to Cirkewwa was cheap, but the comfort factor was simply inexistent. In fact, it was terrible. The ferry was on time, clean, quick and you forget how cheap it is when you are not taking a car.

The Gozo buses outstripped the Maltese ones we used by far. They were cheaper, quicker, better maintained and much more comfortable than the yellow ones we used. I must point out that we did not choose the buses, we simply took what was available at the time.

The bikes (apart from my own moment of idiocy) were cheap, reliable and a good bit of fun, adding something different to the day. Be warned though, you have to be super fit to cycle in Gozo with all those hills. The direct bus to Sliema was more expensive, but it got us there in less than an hour. Comfort was again decidedly lacking, but although this bus was older than the one we took from Valletta in the morning, it was an improvement.

All in all then… well, the timing of all the different modes of transport was good. I cannot complain at all, we always found what we were looking for and they all departed on time. The money factor was a definite plus. But what I found severely lacking was the comfort factor and the length of time it took us to get to Gozo. It is not enough. Granted, we did not take the direct bus there, but we were, after all acting as tourists do and decided to stop off in Valletta. One wonders whether more can be done to facilitate matters. Perhaps a ferry terminal in Sliema to take people to Cirkewwa or even to Gozo itself might facilitate matters. One thing is for sure, I won’t be doing that trip again in a hurry.