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Gibraltar

Red pillar boxes, fish-and-chip shops and creaky 1970s seaside hotels: Gibraltar – as British writer Laurie Lee once commented – is a piece of Portsmouth sliced off and towed 500 miles south. ‘The Rock’ overstates its Britishness, a bonus for pub-grub and afternoon-tea lovers, but a confusing double-take for modern Brits who thought the days of Lord Nelson memorabilia were long gone. Poised strategically at the jaws of Europe and Africa, Gibraltar, with its Palladian architecture and camera-hogging Barbary macaques, makes an interesting break from the white towns of bordering Cádiz province. Playing an admirable supporting role is the swashbuckling local history; the Rock has been British longer than the United States has been American.

This towering 5km-long limestone ridge rises to 426m, with cliffs on its northern and eastern sides. Gibraltarians speak English, Spanish and a curiously accented, sing-song mix of the two, swapping mid-sentence. Signs are in English.

Explore Gibraltar

Gibraltar Museum
Gibraltar's swashbuckling history unfolds in this fine museum, which comprises a labyrinth of rooms and exhibits ranging from prehistoric and Phoenician…
U
Upper Rock Nature Reserve
The Rock is one of the most dramatic landforms in southern Europe. Most of its upper sections fall within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. Tickets include…
Trafalgar Cemetery
Gibraltar’s cemetery gives a poignant history lesson, with its graves of British sailors who perished in the town after the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, and…
A
Apes' Den
The Rock's most famous inhabitants are its 160 tailless Barbary macaques. Many hang around the Apes' Den near the middle cable-car station, as well as at…
S
St Michael’s Cave
About 25 minutes' walk south down St Michael's Rd from the top cable-car station (or up from the Apes' Den), this natural grotto is crammed with…
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O’Hara’s Battery
About a 1km (15-minute) walk south down St Michael’s Rd from the top cable-car station, O’Hara’s Rd leads up to the left to O’Hara’s Battery, an…
G
Gorham's Cave Complex
Inscribed on Unesco's World Heritage list in 2016, these four archaeologically rich cliffside caves on Gibraltar's southeastern coast were inhabited by…
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Nelson’s Anchorage
At the southwestern end of town, Nelson's Anchorage pinpoints the site where Nelson's body was brought ashore from the HMS Victory after the Battle of…
G
Great Siege Tunnels
Accessed at the northern end of the Rock, the Great Siege Tunnels were gun emplacements hewn by hand by the British during the 1779–83 siege. They…

Gibraltar Museum
Gibraltar's swashbuckling history unfolds in this fine museum, which comprises a labyrinth of rooms and exhibits ranging from prehistoric and Phoenician…
U
Upper Rock Nature Reserve
The Rock is one of the most dramatic landforms in southern Europe. Most of its upper sections fall within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. Tickets include…
Trafalgar Cemetery
Gibraltar’s cemetery gives a poignant history lesson, with its graves of British sailors who perished in the town after the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, and…
A
Apes' Den
The Rock's most famous inhabitants are its 160 tailless Barbary macaques. Many hang around the Apes' Den near the middle cable-car station, as well as at…
S
St Michael’s Cave
About 25 minutes' walk south down St Michael's Rd from the top cable-car station (or up from the Apes' Den), this natural grotto is crammed with…
O
O’Hara’s Battery
About a 1km (15-minute) walk south down St Michael’s Rd from the top cable-car station, O’Hara’s Rd leads up to the left to O’Hara’s Battery, an…
G
Gorham's Cave Complex
Inscribed on Unesco's World Heritage list in 2016, these four archaeologically rich cliffside caves on Gibraltar's southeastern coast were inhabited by…
N
Nelson’s Anchorage
At the southwestern end of town, Nelson's Anchorage pinpoints the site where Nelson's body was brought ashore from the HMS Victory after the Battle of…
G
Great Siege Tunnels
Accessed at the northern end of the Rock, the Great Siege Tunnels were gun emplacements hewn by hand by the British during the 1779–83 siege. They…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Gibraltar.

See
Gibraltar Museum
Gibraltar's swashbuckling history unfolds in this fine museum, which comprises a labyrinth of rooms and exhibits ranging from prehistoric and Phoenician…
See
Upper Rock Nature Reserve
The Rock is one of the most dramatic landforms in southern Europe. Most of its upper sections fall within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. Tickets include…
See
Trafalgar Cemetery
Gibraltar’s cemetery gives a poignant history lesson, with its graves of British sailors who perished in the town after the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, and…
See
Apes' Den
The Rock's most famous inhabitants are its 160 tailless Barbary macaques. Many hang around the Apes' Den near the middle cable-car station, as well as at…
See
St Michael’s Cave
About 25 minutes' walk south down St Michael's Rd from the top cable-car station (or up from the Apes' Den), this natural grotto is crammed with…
See
O’Hara’s Battery
About a 1km (15-minute) walk south down St Michael’s Rd from the top cable-car station, O’Hara’s Rd leads up to the left to O’Hara’s Battery, an…
See
Gorham's Cave Complex
Inscribed on Unesco's World Heritage list in 2016, these four archaeologically rich cliffside caves on Gibraltar's southeastern coast were inhabited by…
See
Nelson’s Anchorage
At the southwestern end of town, Nelson's Anchorage pinpoints the site where Nelson's body was brought ashore from the HMS Victory after the Battle of…
See
Great Siege Tunnels
Accessed at the northern end of the Rock, the Great Siege Tunnels were gun emplacements hewn by hand by the British during the 1779–83 siege. They…

Guidebooks

Learn more about Gibraltar

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