Here we report on the growth and characterisation of α-and ϵ-Ga₂O₃ epitaxial films produced by halide vapour phase epitaxy (HVPE). The films were deposited on two types of substrate: (0001) plain sapphire substrates and (0001) patterned sapphire substrates with regular cone-like features. In order to guarantee the same growth conditions on plain and patterned sapphire, the two substrates were used simultaneously in the same growth run. After the deposition the samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), optical transmission (OT) spectroscopy, and cathodoluminescence (CL). The growth on plain sapphire substrate produced an 11 μm thick continuous α-Ga₂O₃ layer. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the (0006) XRD rocking curve is 180 arcsec, which indicates good crystallinity of the layer. In contrast, growth on the patterned sapphire substrate resulted in a layer with regular spaced faceted pyramids at the surface. XRD analysis revealed the presence of both α-and ϵ-phases in Ga₂O₃ grown on patterned sapphire substrate. The presence of the ϵ-Ga₂O₃ phase, which has narrower bandgap, was also confirmed by optical transmission measurements. SEM, TEM, and SEM CL observations revealed that α-Ga₂O₃ phase forms columnar structures on top of sapphire cone, and ϵ-Ga₂O₃ phase fills the valleys between the columns.