Azure window


The second largest island in the Maltese archipelago is called Gozo . It is located near the island of Comino , north of Malta . In English, its name sounds like Gozo, but in Maltese it is heard as Audes, with the impacted first syllable. And, according to ancient legends, it was on this island that a nymph named Calypso spent seven years in captivity Odysseus.

What is the azure window?

On the Gozo cliffs is the so-called Azure Window. It represents a huge arch of approximately 28-meter height, which is perfectly visible in the steep cliffs of the coast.

This arch was formed under the influence of water, which over time increasingly destroyed the rock. And thus formed a hole, called the Maltese Côte d'Azur. It looks like a huge stone block resting on two rocks. Through the hole in it you can look at the incredibly blue sky.

Water in the sea in color resembles a solution of copper sulfate, but it is impossible to describe how beautiful everything is in simple words-it is necessary to see it. Many tourists go to the island only to see the Azure window, the creation of which nature has spent many millennia, and to visit the Cote d'Azur nearby. Also interesting is the Mushroom Rock, located not far away.

Unfortunately, the arch still continues to crumble under the influence of water, and in 2012 a huge chunk of it broke away. After this incident, the authorities tried to prohibit tourists from climbing to the top of the arch, but this, however, does not stop anyone.

Tourists and divers in Gozo

Tourists who are engaged in diving, go to the Azure window on Gozo, attracted by the Blue hole located here or, as it is called, the Blue hole. It is a deep well, 25 meters long, which is located under water. Its diameter reaches ten meters, and approximately at a depth of eight meters there is an arch that connects it to the sea. But in order to view all the beauty, you need to climb, at least, twenty meters higher.

But no matter how beautifully the Azure window was described, words can not convey the splendor of what they saw, which simply captures the spirit. Yes, the waves and the wind did their work ... but how they did it! Not without reason the Azure Window is recognized as the official symbol of Malta.

Near the window is the rock Fungus. This boulder, which stands in the water, resembles an island. And it is especially majestic when you are taking a boat trip on a small boat. From a small lake with a mirror-like surface, which is filled with sea water, you are taken directly to the place where the Azure window is. And from this magnificence simply stops breathing!

Along the coast you can see many caves, in which there are amazing corals, the water around is incredibly transparent, and several hundred divers, for whom these waters are simply paradise.

You can ride a boat for 1.5 lira from one person, skating takes no more than half an hour. But when you get hungry, right here, on the coastal stones, you can arrange a picnic, so take your food with you.

How to get to the Azure Window?

Gozo can be reached from Malta by ferry. There are three ferries that handle the transportation of people and cars and other transport. Cars are left in the hold, and then passengers go to the salon or to the open deck to admire the surrounding shores of the three islands. In the salon you can drink tea or coffee, go to the toilet and read.

In Malta, you should board a ferry in Ċirkewwa, on Gozo - in the port of Mġarr. The trip lasts from twenty minutes to half an hour.

From Victoria to the Azure window, you can reach by public transport - by bus number 91 it will take just fifteen minutes.