11 Amazing Things To Do In Victoria (Gozo)
Victoria, or Rabat as it is known to the locals, is the capital city of Gozo and the island's beating heart.
With a captivating history that can be felt throughout its twisting, winding side streets, there is plenty to see and discover in Victoria.
Inviting local markets, charming town squares, and fascinating cultural sites create a wonderful fusion of the new and old world.
The pace of life in Malta is much calmer than in the rest of Europe, so relax and unwind as you meander through the sandstone streets of Victoria.
Let’s explore the most amazing things to do in Victoria (Gozo):
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Victoria at a Glance
Highlights: Cittadella; It-Tokk Square; Villa Rundle
Best Experience: Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Bus Tour
Best Place to Eat: Kozmo Restaurant
Best Place to Stay: Escape Villa
Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour
There is no better way to explore a place than by jumping on a tour bus and being taken to all of the main sights and attractions.
Gozo is no different in this regard, and by joining the hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour bus in Victoria, you are able to use the city as a base while you explore the entire island of Gozo - that’s why we have even included the sightseeing tour in our list of the best day trips to Gozo from Malta.
The bus ride begins in Mgarr Harbour, which is conveniently where the ferry from the mainland drops you off in Gozo and has 15 different stop-off points. Obviously, Victoria is the main highlight, but Gozo has a lot more to offer than just that.
Money-saving tip: Buy your discounted Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Bus Tour tickets online here and save money and time, rather than trying to buy them on the bus on the day.
Relax in Villa Rundle
Despite being one of the best cities in Malta, there are a few places where you can find time to relax and take time for yourself in Victoria, and Villa Rundle is one example of this. Villa Rundle is a small garden found at the lower end of the main street in the city. Planted by and named after British General Leslie Rundle in 1915, the gardens continue to be maintained and cherished to this day.
Villa Rundle provides the perfect shelter from the intense summer sun. Visitors are able to walk around the gardens completely free of charge, making it the perfect place to sit with your morning Gozitan coffee.
The park is used as a meeting place for older local residents looking to catch up with the day’s news and feed the band of cats that often congregate within the garden walls.
Sitting in Villa Rundle and watching the Gozitans go about their day is certainly a pretty unique experience to have in Victoria.
Gozo Self-Drive GoCar tour
If you’re looking to explore the sights around Victoria in a very unique style, then a GoCar self-drive tour is definitely for you.
The 3-wheeled vehicles are the perfect way to explore the island. Driving in a convoy, led by an experienced guide, you are able to visit cliffs, beaches, historic Gozitan landmarks, and a beautiful national shrine.
To find out more about the unique GoCar Tour experiences, including recent prices, click here.
GoCar Experience Gozo
Visit the Cittadella
Arguably the most impressive and memorable thing to do in Victoria is to explore the Cittadella (sometimes referred to as the Castello), which has been the center of activity on the island of Gozo for many centuries.
The Cittadella has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and during the medieval period, it was converted to a castle to provide refuge for Gozo’s growing population.
In more recent times, the fortress was decommissioned as a military installation in the late 1800s before being declared a Maltese and UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.
Nestled inside the ancient walls of the Cittadella, you will discover many fascinating churches, historic buildings, museums, and even an old prison - which was still in use until 1962.
The Cittadella is free to walk around and is particularly beautiful to explore first thing in the morning (Typical opening time is 9:00 am) when the sun isn’t so intense and the crowds have yet to gather.
Exploring the Cittadella and discovering its riveting history is undoubtedly a fantastic thing to do in Victoria and represents one of the best activities to do in Gozo as a whole.
Shop at the Street Market
Just at the west end of Independence Square, a bit further down from the Cinema, you will find a little square that hosts a daily morning market.
Despite being modest in size, the market is still a great place to grab yourself a few souvenirs or some authentic handmade Gozitan wares.
The vendors will try to entice you to look at their stalls, but don’t be afraid to take your time and choose what you want to buy rather than what they want you to choose.
Tip: once you’ve finished browsing the market, head across the street to Characters Bar for some lunch - they do great local and international classics.
Sip Coffee in It-Tokk (Independence) Square
Visiting Victoria without spending part of your day in It-Tokk square is almost unthinkable. The social hub of the city, Independence Square, as it is now known, is the perfect place to grab yourself a coffee and watch the world of Victoria go by.
There are a number of different coffee shops that sprawl out onto the square, and you’ll often see waiters and servers dodging the traffic on the road as they nip in and out of their respective cafes.
It-Tokk is also home to a number of restaurants and bars featuring balconies overlooking the square, making it a perfect place to come for a romantic meal or evening drinks. Whatever your intention, It-Tokk Square is a must-visit place in the heart of Victoria.
Wander the old town streets
The old town of Victoria, where the majority of the Gozitans live, is a labyrinth of narrow alleyways where you will find elderly women sitting outside making lace and other handmade Maltese crafts.
The architecture in Malta is world-renowned, and in Gozo, particularly, every building is made from the same unique sandstone. This gives a wonderful old-town feel to every street you explore in Victoria.
Couple this with the fact that most Gozitan houses still have the fascinating balconies and colourful shutters that the island has become so famous for, and you soon see why exploring the old town streets of Victoria is such a fun thing to do.
Top Tip: the old town streets also offer shade from the blazing heat in the middle of the day - sunscreen is definitely one of the items we would recommend on our list of essential items to pack for Malta and Gozo
Go to the Citadel Cinema
As we have mentioned before, the pace of life in Gozo is somewhat more relaxed than that of mainland Europe or even the island of Malta itself. This means there are fewer ways to entertain yourself in the evening.
Of course, there are still a number of bars and restaurants in the centre of Victoria that open until late, but for those looking for something different to pass the night away, then a trip to the Citadel Cinema may be what you are looking for.
The cinema itself can be found in the centre of Victoria, just across from It-tokk Square and it is housed in a traditional 19th-century sandstone townhouse.
With prices starting from only 6 euros (£5/$7) for the latest film releases (in English with occasional Maltese subtitles), the cinema provides cheap and reliable entertainment for a night and definitely represents one of the best things to do in Victoria, Gozo.
Eat some Ftiras
It would be difficult to speak to a Gozitan and not hear something about their famous ftiras. Every household has their own recipe and every resident has their favourite place to eat them but one thing remains the same - ftiras are Gozo’s favourite dish.
Ftiras are sandwiches made from Maltese flatbread and served with various filings like tuna, capers, olives, potatoes, onions and tomatoes. Traditionally, a Gozitan ftira would be served open like a pizza.
In Victoria, you only have to walk a few yards from the bus station before first experiencing the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread and a unique blend of fish, onion, and capers.
Our favourite ftiras came from the Aurora Bistro Café, which is halfway down Victoria's main street. You can choose to eat in at the café, but we preferred to grab them on the go and head to Villa Rundle to escape the crowds.
Victoria may not be particularly renowned as a foodie city, but the ftiras certainly fly in the face of that misconception.
Explore triq-ir Repubblika (Main Street)
Every city has that one central hub that hives with activity and Victoria is no different. Wandering down Triq-ir Repubblika (Main Street), you will find a host of restaurants, shopping arcades and coffee shops.
Starting from the West side of the city, you can make your way down the main street from the Independent Square all the way to the shopping ‘Arkadia’ just past the high school.
In between, there are plenty of opportunities to stop for a coffee break and recharge your batteries. Perhaps it would be worth stopping in at the local bookstore to pick up a brand-new read for your Malta stay. That’s if you haven’t already read your Lonely Planet Malta & Gozo Travel Guide back-to-front of course.
Whatever you decide to do, you can happily spend the entire day in Victoria exploring the famous Triq-ir Repubblika so make sure to leave room for other activities.
Visit Lidl
Be honest, is there anything better than visiting a foreign supermarket when you’re abroad? We don’t think so, and that’s why visiting the local Lidl is one of the best things to do in Victoria.
We’re from the UK and Ireland, so visiting Lidl isn’t a particularly new experience for us, but visiting one while you’re abroad just feels different.
In Victoria’s edition of Lidl, for example, you can find the local’s favourite Prickly Pear Juice, as well as an assortment of Gozitan dips - have you ever tried bacon dip before? What about salmon and pepper dip?
Add to the shopping trolley a wonderful selection of Ritter Sport Bars - one of Europe's finest chocolates - and you will soon understand why visiting the Lidl in Victoria is such a great experience.
Bonus Activity - Walk to Ta’ Pinu
If you have more time in Victoria, you may enjoy walking to the much-revered Ta’ Pinu. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu is arguably the most impressive church in Gozo, and given the frequency of churches on the island, this is an impressive feat.
Ta’ Pinu is roughly 3km outside of the main city of Victoria and can be easily accessed via a 40-minute walk. In the height of the summer, this walk will represent somewhat of a challenge, given the hot climate of Malta. The reward, however, is the chance to see the impressive architecture up close and personal.
Best Places to stay in Victoria
When looking for options of where to stay in Gozo, your choices are fairly limited. The entire island only has a finite number of hotels, but thankfully for you, the quality is very high.
Underneath, we have highlighted some of the best boutique hotels in Gozo to help you when you’re considering the best places to stay in Victoria.
The Escape Villa
A 4-bedroom private villa found in the heart of Victoria. The villa comes equipped with an indoor and outdoor pool, as well as room for housing up to 9 people.
A fully equipped kitchen makes The Escape the perfect place to stay in Victoria when you are travelling as a big group or want to have a homely feel to your stay in Gozo.
The Escape Villa (Photo from Escape Villa Gozo)
Duke Boutique Hotel
Undoubtedly the best hotel in Victoria, the Duke Boutique Hotel can be found directly next to the Villa Rundle Gardens.
For a luxurious stay while in Victoria, how about opting for the presidential suite? The room features a private hot-tub and brilliant views of the surrounding area. At night time, see if you can spot the famous Cittadella lit-up on the hillside.
Breakfast is served on site daily and the hotel has great access to the local shopping complex, making it easy to find supplies and use the Duke Boutique Hotel as the perfect base for exploring Victoria and the island of Gozo.
Duke Boutique Hotel (Photo from Duke Hotel Gozo)
That concludes our list of the most amazing things to do in Victoria (Gozo). As Victoria is a modest city, we certainly think you could squeeze all 11 of these activities into one action-packed day. Though to get the best out of the city, it is perhaps best to visit a couple of times during your stay in Gozo. In terms of how to get to Gozo from Malta, you will need to take the ferry but this is a very straightforward process.
