Dwejra Bay is a wild stretch of coast in the west of Gozo, in the village of San Lawrenz. There you find the Inland Sea, a small inland sea linked to the open sea by a tunnel, Fungus Rock, a rock 60 m high, a watchtower from 1652 and the Blue Hole, where people dive and snorkel. The Azure Window, Dwejra's great stone arch, fell into the sea on 8 March 2017: nothing of it is left above the water, but its blocks have become a dive site.
Without a car, take bus 311 from Victoria: about 17 minutes, €2 a ticket until 12 June 2027. From the ferry port at Mġarr (Mgarr), bus 301 first takes you to Victoria. With a guide, our full-day Gozo tours by jeep, quad, buggy or tuk-tuk stop at Dwejra. Facts checked on 20 October 2026.
Dwejra at a glance:
- Where: on the west coast of Gozo, at the end of the Victoria – Għarb (Gharb) – San Lawrenz road.
- Bus: route 311 from Victoria, one bus an hour on weekdays; ticket €2, valid for 2 hours.
- Azure Window: collapsed on the morning of 8 March 2017; its remains are underwater.
- Blue Hole: snorkelling when the sea is calm; an advanced-level dive, according to Visit Gozo.
- Inland Sea: fishermen take boats through the tunnel; no official price published.
- Dwejra Tower: open when the red and white flag is flying; free entry in March 2026.
The Azure Window in Gozo: its collapse in 2017 and what is left
The Azure Window was a natural limestone arch, standing on a pillar, near Dwejra Bay. It appeared in several films and in an episode of Game of Thrones (MaltaToday, 8 March 2017).
It had been wearing away for a long time: according to MaltaToday, a large piece of rock had broken off it in April 2012. On 3 December 2016, MaltaToday reported that Malta's environment authority (ERA) was banning people from climbing onto it, jumping off it and going into the sea beneath it, with a fine of at least €1,500: around 90% of its outer layer was thought to have eroded in thirty years. On 4 March 2017, the paper still showed visitors ignoring the signs.
On the morning of 8 March 2017, the arch collapsed completely, pillar and all. For the ERA, quoted by MaltaToday that day, it was most probably natural erosion, made worse by strong winds and currents.
What you see today where the Azure Window stood
A year later, MaltaToday described “an empty space as if nothing was ever there” (8 March 2018). Underwater, the blocks of the arch have become a dive site (Visit Gozo).
To see an arch that is still standing, go to Wied il-Mielaħ, at the end of the little valley road that starts in Għarb: a “window” in the cliff, long less known than the Azure Window and easy to reach by road, according to Visit Gozo.
The Blue Hole in Gozo: snorkelling and diving
The Blue Hole (Ħofra tal-Berwin in Maltese) is a hole 25 m deep in the rock at the edge of the sea, right next to the former Azure Window. Underwater, an arch links it to the open sea (Visit Gozo). It is also called the “Blue Hole of Malta”; do not confuse it with the Blue Lagoon, on the island of Comino (our Blue Lagoon guide).
You reach it on foot, over old coralline limestone rocks, rough and sometimes sharp: wear water shoes. Visit Gozo lists it among the island's snorkelling spots, along with Wied il-Għasri (our page on Wied il-Għasri). Only go when the sea is calm: Visit Gozo's walking brochure asks people not to swim at Dwejra when the sea is rough. More spots: our guide to snorkelling in Malta.
Diving at the Blue Hole and Dwejra: level and rules
Visit Gozo rates the Blue Hole as advanced: 15 m average depth, 25 m at most. The other Dwejra dives it describes, which are deeper, are also rated advanced: the Inland Sea tunnel (down to more than 40 m), Fungus Rock (more than 60 m) and Crocodile Rock (65 m at most). The rules in Malta, according to Visit Gozo:
- only dive centres licensed by the Malta Tourism Authority may take members of the public diving;
- you may dive without an instructor only if your certification lets you go down to 30 m; otherwise, a licensed instructor goes with you;
- in an emergency, call 112: Gozo General Hospital has a hyperbaric chamber.
This is not a dive to take lightly: on 29 September 2025, MaltaToday reported the death of a 54-year-old woman diver near Dwejra. All the rules: diving safely, on the Visit Gozo website.
The Inland Sea in Gozo: the lagoon and its tunnel
The Inland Sea (Il-Qawra in Maltese) is a shallow lagoon in a round hollow in the rock, with a quay on one side and a pebble beach on the other; the fishermen's huts are still there (Visit Gozo). Like the bay, it formed when two limestone caves collapsed, and the Chapel of St Anne has overlooked it since 1963 (Visit Malta).
A natural tunnel links it to the open sea: 50, 80 or 100 m long, depending on the Visit Malta and Visit Gozo pages. People swim in the lagoon, and divers start from here (Visit Malta).
The fishermen's boats through the tunnel
Fishermen take visitors by boat through the tunnel, out to the open sea (Visit Gozo). According to a Visit Gozo brochure written before 2017, they leave from the small quay when the weather allows, for a ride of about 20 minutes along the caves and cliffs. No official website publishes the price or the times (as of 20 October 2026): ask on the quay. For a longer time at sea, see our boat trips in Malta.
Dwejra Bay and Fungus Rock
Dwejra Bay is also an old round sinkhole: Visit Gozo describes it as a deep swimming spot, with an old slipway. You get down to it by steps cut into the rock, to the left of the tower (Visit Gozo brochure). Only swim in warm weather, when the sea is calm.
At the mouth of the bay stands Fungus Rock, in Maltese Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral, “the General's Rock”: a block of limestone 60 m high (Visit Malta). The Knights of St John guarded the “Malta fungus” there, which they believed to be medicinal and which is in fact a parasitic plant. In the 1740s, Grand Master Pinto had its sides smoothed so that no one could climb it any more (Visit Gozo brochure).
Today it is a strictly protected nature reserve, where no one goes; a lizard found only on this rock lives there (Visit Gozo brochure; GuideMeMalta, January 2023). You can see the rock very well from the shore and from the roof of the tower.
Dwejra Tower (1652)
Dwejra Tower was built in 1652, under Grand Master Lascaris, to watch the coast, and Fungus Rock with it; in the Second World War, it served as an observation post (Visit Gozo). It is run by Din l-Art Ħelwa, a Maltese NGO, and its restoration was completed in 2023 (GuideMeMalta, 19 May 2023).
It is open when the red and white flag is flying (Visit Gozo). The latest opening hours found, announced in March 2026: Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm, Sunday from 8:30am to 10:30am, free entry and donations welcome (GuideMeMalta, 3 March 2026, based on the tower's Facebook page). Visit Gozo shows other times: trust the flag.
How to get to Dwejra: bus 311, car or on foot
From Malta, first cross over to Gozo: ferries, times and prices are in our guide how to get to Gozo. At Mġarr harbour, bus 301 leaves from the ferry terminal (stop “Vapur”) for Victoria about every fifteen minutes during the day, from 5:30am to 11:45pm, taking 13 to 20 minutes.
| Bus 311 | Departures from Victoria | Departures from Dwejra |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | every hour, from 7:20am to 7:20pm | every hour, from 7:38am to 7:38pm |
| Saturday and Sunday | 18 departures, from 7:20am to 10:05pm | 18 departures, from 7:38am to 10:23pm |
Times read on 20 October 2026. At weekends, the winter timetable will apply from Saturday 7 November 2026: check again then on the bus 311 timetable, on the Malta Public Transport website.
You buy the ticket from the driver, in cash, by contactless bank card or with your phone: €2 from 18 October 2026 to 12 June 2027, €2.50 in summer. It is valid for 2 hours, changes included: one ticket can be enough for the 301 and then the 311.
By car, from Victoria follow the road to Għarb and then to San Lawrenz, like bus 311: Dwejra is at the end. The Visit Gozo brochure shows a car park near the Chapel of St Anne, above the Inland Sea.
On foot, Visit Gozo's “Dwejra Walk” is a 13 km loop from Victoria, graded moderate, recommended from October to May; the bus from Dwejra or San Lawrenz lets you shorten it (walks in Gozo, on the Visit Gozo website).
When to go to Dwejra
For Visit Gozo, Dwejra is a sight in any weather, and the place becomes “magical” at sunset. To swim, snorkel or take the boat, pick a day when the sea is calm; from September to November, the sea has not yet lost all of the summer's warmth (Visit Gozo, September 2026).
Far from town lights, it is also a place to watch the night sky, and the Perseid shooting stars in August, according to Visit Gozo. Keep an eye on the time: as of 20 October 2026, the last bus 311 leaves Dwejra at 7:38pm on weekdays and at 10:23pm at weekends.
Tips and safety at Dwejra
- Cliff edges: in rough weather, Visit Gozo advises against going near the edge. The rocks are rough and sharp: wear good shoes, not flip-flops.
- Rough sea: do not swim or get into a boat when the sea is rough. In an emergency, call 112.
- Protected site: Dwejra is a Natura 2000 site and an area protected for its night sky (Dark Sky Heritage Area), ten NGOs pointed out on 30 July 2025. Stay on the paths, do not light fires, leave no litter and take no fossils away: they are protected by law (Visit Gozo brochure).
See Dwejra with a guide: jeep, quad, buggy or tuk-tuk
Our full-day Gozo tours stop at Dwejra: by jeep or tuk-tuk with a driver, or by quad or buggy that you drive behind a guide. According to the operator's programme, checked on 20 October 2026, the stop includes the bay, the tower, Fungus Rock and the Inland Sea; these tours run every day of the year, for about 7 hours not counting transport; their “sunset” versions run from mid-April to mid-October.
The programme mentions neither the boat through the tunnel, nor the Blue Hole, nor a swim at Dwejra: in summer, the swim stop is at Comino, weather permitting. See the Gozo tours by jeep, quad, buggy or tuk-tuk and today's prices, and our guide to things to do in Gozo for the rest of the island.
FAQ: Dwejra Bay, the Azure Window and the Blue Hole
Does the Azure Window still exist?
No. The arch fell into the sea on the morning of 8 March 2017, pillar and all. Its blocks, underwater, have become a dive site.
Why did the Azure Window collapse?
For Malta's environment authority, quoted by MaltaToday, it was most probably natural erosion, made worse by strong winds and currents. Around 90% of its outer layer had eroded in thirty years, MaltaToday estimated in 2016.
Can you swim at the Blue Hole?
Yes, when the sea is calm: Visit Gozo lists it among the island's snorkelling spots. Wear water shoes, as the rocks are sharp.
Do you need a certification to dive at the Blue Hole?
To dive in Malta without an instructor, you need a certification that lets you go down to 30 m; otherwise, a licensed instructor goes with you. Visit Gozo rates the Blue Hole as advanced.
How much is the boat through the Inland Sea tunnel?
No official website publishes the price or the times (as of 20 October 2026): ask the fishermen on the quay before you get in. A Visit Gozo brochure mentions a ride of about 20 minutes.
Can you go onto Fungus Rock?
No. The rock is a strictly protected nature reserve: you see it from the shore or from the roof of the tower.
How do you get from the ferry to Dwejra by bus?
At Mġarr harbour, take the 301 to Victoria (13 to 20 minutes), then the 311 to Dwejra (about 17 minutes). A €2 ticket is valid for 2 hours, change included (as of 20 October 2026).