Xlendi is the small resort on Gozo’s south-west coast, a village tucked into the end of a long, narrow inlet with cliffs on both sides. It is one of the two places on the island with a proper waterfront of restaurants and hotels, and the one we send people to when they want an evening by the sea without going far. It is also, quietly, one of the best swimming spots in Gozo.
By Gozo Activities Team 2 September 2026 3 min read
The bay
The beach at the head of the inlet is tiny, a strip of sand that fills by mid-morning in summer. Most people swim instead from the wide rock platform that runs along the northern side of the bay, with ladders into deep, clear water. Cliffs shelter the inlet from most winds, so Xlendi is often calm when the north coast is rough. In the late afternoon the sun lines up with the mouth of the bay and lights the whole inlet gold.
Follow the path along the platform to the end and you reach a small cave and rock pools popular with local families. Further on, a set of steps cut into the cliff climbs to the coast path.
Xlendi Tower and the sunset walk
On the southern headland stands Xlendi Tower, built by the Knights in 1650 and the oldest free-standing watchtower on Gozo. The walk there from the waterfront takes fifteen minutes along the cliff path, and the view back along the fjord to the village is the picture everyone takes. Time it for sunset. Beyond the tower, the coast path continues towards Sanap cliffs and, for the energetic, all the way to Dwejra in about three hours of walking.
On the northern side, another path climbs past the Kantra valley and a small chapel to the cliffs above, with a different view of the bay.
Restaurants
The waterfront is lined with restaurants, most of them fish-led and most of them pleasant. Prices are resort prices rather than village prices, but the setting is hard to beat, with tables almost at the water. Book for sunset in summer. For a cheaper option, the bakery in Fontana on the road up to Victoria does a good Gozitan ftira to take down to the rocks.
Staying in Xlendi
Xlendi is one of the easiest bases on Gozo: a handful of hotels and many self-catering apartments, buses to Victoria, and the sea at the door. The trade-off is that it is a resort, quiet in winter and busy in August. If you want a village feel, stay in Għarb or Xagħra and drive down for the evening swim.
Practical notes
- Getting there. Ten minutes by car or bus from Victoria, down through Fontana. Parking is tight in summer; use the car park above the village.
- Diving. Xlendi has a small reef and a cave used for training dives, and boats leave for the deeper sites along the coast.
- By bike. The climb out of Xlendi is the sharpest on our south loop eBike route. Do it with a motor.
More ideas in our guide to things to do in Gozo and our comparison of the best beaches in Malta and Gozo.
