What it is like
Marsalforn is the closest thing Gozo has to a resort, and it carries the island’s summer crowd without much complaint. The bay is small, the promenade runs around it, and the restaurants are stacked along the water. Hotels, guesthouses and self-catering are mostly within five minutes of the sea, along with shops and dive centres.
It is also one of the few places on Gozo that stays genuinely open through winter, which makes it a reasonable base out of season when half the island has shut. It has no parish of its own and falls under the Żebbuġ council.
The salt pans
West of the bay, past Qbajjar and on towards Xwejni, the salt pans run for about 3 km: a chequered grid cut into the flat rock, described as 350 years old and worked by a method going back to the Phoenician era. The Cinis family has harvested here since the 1860s.
Seawater is let into shallow rock-cut reservoirs and left to evaporate over several days, the cycle repeating through the summer, and the salt is dried and stored in caves cut into the coastal rock. The harvest runs mid-May to September, though the formations are there all year. Visitors are asked not to walk on them.
Swimming
The bay is sheltered from the south and west and exposed to the north and north-east. When the gregale blows, the water goes choppy and the swimming is poor. There is a small sandy area in front of the police station, protected by the breakwater promontory, and that is the family option. Il-Ponta ta’ Santa Marija and Għar Qawqla suit stronger swimmers and should be left alone in rough weather.
Qbajjar, a little further along, is a shallow pebbly inlet with a couple of bars and a few fishing boats. Xwejni, beyond it, is a cove of shallow pools among large boulders and a common site for first dives.
Walking from here
Marsalforn Valley and Merżuq Hill take you inland. The Saltpans circuit runs from Victoria through the Sara valley, Wied il-Għasri, the pans and the two bays. The Ramla walk crosses from here to Ramla by way of Xagħra.
Getting there
Fifteen minutes by bus from Victoria, or a ten-minute drive. Parking fills by mid-morning in July and August.
Staying near Marsalforn
Prices and availability come from the booking sites, not from us, and we have not stayed in any of these. How this site is paid for.
Questions about Marsalforn
Is Marsalforn good for families?
There is a small sandy area in front of the local police station, sheltered by the breakwater promontory, and that is the family corner of the bay. Stronger swimmers use Il-Ponta ta’ Santa Marija and Għar Qawqla, both of which should be avoided in rough weather. Most accommodation is within five minutes of the water.
Can you walk on the Marsalforn salt pans?
Visitors are asked not to. The pans are working: seawater is let into shallow rock-cut reservoirs, evaporated over several days and the process repeated through the summer, with the salt dried and stored in caves cut into the coastal rock. Walking on them damages the surfaces. Look from the road, which is where the view is anyway.
Where can you buy the salt?
In local shops, and sometimes directly from roadside stalls along the coast road towards Qbajjar and Xwejni. Supply depends on the season, since the harvest only runs from mid-May to September.
Is Marsalforn open in winter?
More than most of Gozo. It is one of the few places on the island where restaurants and some accommodation stay open through the winter, which makes it a reasonable off-season base. The swimming is another matter: the bay is exposed to the north and north-east.