Hidden Treasures of Gozo: Unusual Places Beyond the Usual Guides

Gozo’s headline attractions deserve their reputation, but they are only one layer of the island. Beyond the familiar beaches, temples and postcard viewpoints are telegraph towers, tiny chapels, old batteries, water channels, forgotten slipways and country lanes that reveal how Gozitan life developed around farming, faith, defence and the sea.

These places are not presented as secret locations. Local people know them well, and several appear in specialist walking material, village histories or heritage guides. They simply tend to receive less attention in a first-time island itinerary.

Eight less obvious places to explore

1. Ta’ Kenuna Tower and the high ground above Nadur

High above Nadur, Ta’ Kenuna Tower looks like a small defensive lookout, but it was built by the British in 1848 as part of a telegraph communication link between Malta and Gozo. Its position explains the choice immediately. The surrounding high ground opens towards Comino, the Malta channel, terraced fields and much of eastern Gozo.

The tower and its surrounding garden make a rewarding pause for visitors interested in engineering history, landscapes or photography. Even when the tower itself is not open, the setting helps explain why Nadur’s name is associated with watching and keeping guard.

2. Ta’ Sopu Watchtower above the eastern coast

Ta’ Sopu, also called Isopu or San Blas Tower, stands between Daħlet Qorrot and San Blas on the coast below Nadur. The Knights-period tower feels isolated today, but its location once formed part of a wider coastal warning system.

The pleasure is in the approach as much as the structure. Low fields, limestone walls and long sea views gradually replace the village streets. This is exposed countryside with limited shade, so a cool morning outside midsummer is often more enjoyable than the middle of a hot day.

3. Santa Cecilia Chapel and tower

On the edge of Xewkija, close to the road towards Għajnsielem, Santa Cecilia Chapel is easily missed by visitors travelling between the harbour and the centre of Gozo. It is considered the island’s oldest surviving chapel and sits beside a distinctive historic tower.

The site is modest rather than monumental. That is precisely what makes it interesting. Its scale offers a contrast with Gozo’s enormous parish churches and gives a glimpse of a much smaller medieval religious landscape.

4. Il-Lunzjata Valley, water and agriculture

Il-Lunzjata lies close to Kerċem, Santa Luċija and Victoria, yet it feels remarkably removed from the island’s busiest streets. Springs, water channels, cultivated plots and mature vegetation create a landscape unlike the drier coastal plateaux.

A small chapel dedicated to the Annunciation stands near the entrance. The sound of water and the close valley walls make this a good place for a slow walk, particularly after the first rains and during the greener months.

5. Il-Qolla l-Bajda Battery and the quieter side of Qbajjar

Most visitors to the north coast concentrate on the sea and salt pans. The weathered Il-Qolla l-Bajda Battery adds another story to the landscape. Built in the eighteenth century and later used as an observation position, it overlooks the coast near Qbajjar and Xwejni, between Marsalforn and Żebbuġ.

The building is best appreciated as part of a wider coastal walk. Look for the relationship between the battery, headlands, bays and long sightlines rather than treating the structure as somewhere to enter.

The nearby rock-cut salt pans are part of a living craft tradition. Never walk across the pans or interfere with harvesting equipment, even when the basins appear dry.

6. Mġarr ix-Xini Tower and the upper inlet

Mġarr ix-Xini is known as a swimming and diving location, but fewer visitors continue to the seventeenth-century watchtower above the mouth of the inlet. The tower watched the channel between Gozo and Comino and now provides a historic focal point above the water.

A scenic path connects the bay and tower area. Exploring the upper valley also reveals terraced fields, limestone slopes and a landscape shaped by seasonal water. The approach can be made from the countryside around Xewkija or Sannat, depending on the route chosen.

7. Dwejra Tower, fossils and the old slipway

Dwejra is not hidden, but many of its smaller details are. Away from the usual Blue Hole and Inland Sea stops, the restored Dwejra Tower tells the story of coastal surveillance, quarantine and the protection of Fungus Rock. The tower stands within the landscape of San Lawrenz.

Continue with care and the ground begins to reveal marine fossils, old salt pans, a watchman’s shelter and rock-cut steps leading towards an old slipway. These details turn a famous viewpoint into a much richer historical landscape.

8. San Dimitri Chapel and the lanes west of Għarb

The small chapel of San Dimitri sits beyond Għarb in open countryside. Local legend tells of a saint riding from an altar painting to rescue a boy captured by raiders. Whether approached for the story, architecture or surrounding landscape, the chapel feels far removed from Gozo’s busier attractions.

The nearby lanes lead through fields and dry-stone walls towards the western coast and Wied il-Mielaħ. It is a rewarding area for unhurried walking, especially in spring and autumn.

Getting to Gozo’s less obvious places

Public buses are useful for reaching the nearest village, but many of these places require a final walk. Current routes include 305 for Sannat, 308 for Għasri, 309 for Żebbuġ, 311 and 312 through the Għarb corridor, and 303 for Qala and parts of the eastern side. Services generally connect through the central station in Victoria.

Bus routes, stops and timetables can change. Check Malta Public Transport’s live journey planner before leaving and confirm the last practical return service. A route number serving a village does not necessarily stop close to the attraction.

Read the guide to getting around Gozo by bus.

How to explore without damaging what you came to see

• Stay on public lanes, recognised paths and clearly permitted access.
• Never climb historic structures or cross a gate because an online map shows a route.
• Do not walk on salt pans, field walls or cultivated land.
• Keep noise low around chapels, homes, farms and village streets.
• Take litter away and avoid removing stones, plants, fossils or archaeological material.
• Keep well back from cliff edges and exposed shorelines, especially in wind or rough seas.
• Download an offline map, carry water and allow time to return before dark.