Hike The Gozo Coastal Trail

Of the 3 inhabited islands of Malta - Malta itself, Gozo and Comino - Gozo is the second largest and is much quieter than its bigger neighbour. Comino is a tiny island which can easily be hiked round in a day (you'll find the route elsewhere in FATMAP) but circumnavigating Gozo takes 5 days and makes use of the island's excellent infrastructure.

That infrastructure provides you with 2 choices of how to do this hike - either stay in one place and use the island bus service to access the 5 individual day hikes, or stay in the village you arrive in at the end of each day. The standard of accommodation varies, inevitably, but you'll be able to find a clean bed and a good meal in every village on Gozo. Moving every night is the most enjoyable option and turns the trip into a bit more of an adventure, but it obviously creates the need for a bit more planning.

Regardless of how you access them, these hikes will show why this tiny little island is such a special place. You'll walk along huge, soaring cliffs, through traditional villages and between some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. The Gozo Coastal Trail is marked by dots of pink paint all the way, but aside from those there is very little evidence that you're hiking one of the best multi-day trails in the Mediterranean, and you're unlikely to share the paths with many other people. We've followed the "official" (if there is such a thing) Gozo Coastal Trail for most of our route, but there's a few times where our suggested directions differ slightly from the route you might see elsewhere. Generally we've only left the official trail when doing so involves a bit more effort for much more reward, and you'll find details about this in the individual day stages.

The weather in Gozo is pretty perfect for most of the year, so in the space of one week you'll easily be able to do these hikes and see the best of this wonderful island.