Gibraltar: Spanish or British?

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory at the southern tip of Spain. It is known for the iconic rock formation that makes up the majority of the territory. The total size of Gibraltar is less than 7 km² and the only land border it has is with Spain. When looking over the small Strait of Gibraltar, you feel like you can almost touch the African continent.

Even though Gibraltar has been a British territory for more than 300 years, it doesn't feel like you are on British grounds. The people that live here have developed a distinct culture and even speak their own language: Llantino (a mix between Spanish and English).

Thus, to answer the question: is it Spain or England? We would reply: neither. Gibraltar is a distinct region and therefore a very interesting experience that we would recommend in addition to your Spain itinerary.

In this mini travel guide, we share a 2-day planning and practical information for a visit to Gibraltar.

Day 1: touring around the rock

Start your day with breakfast in the old city centre. Sacarello's is an excellent place to get a full English breakfast and scones. From here you can take the bus to Europe Point, the best spot to see the African continent. It will quite literally blow you away. Next to the amazing views of the rock, the ocean and Morocco, there is also a beautiful lighthouse and mosque.

Next, you can take the bus back to the city centre and explore the old streets. Some cool places around town are Main Street, Commonwealth Park, and the Botanical Gardens. You can also learn more about the unique history of Gibraltar in one of the museums.

After you're done exploring the main part of the city, it's recommendable to take the bus to the rugged east side of the rock, like Sandy Bay and Catalan Bay. Make sure to get out of the bus on time though, as we missed our stop and were taken all the way back...

End your day with a meal at one of the harbours. We saw a lot of fun restaurants, both expensive as well as relatively affordable, at the Ocean Village. There are also some oceanfront restaurants at Queensway Quay Marina.

Day 2: climbing the rock

Start your day again with breakfast in the old city centre. Make sure to get something filling, as you will need it for this physically intense day. Walk or (preferably) take the bus to the cable car station. Along the way, people will try to sell tickets for a group taxi van to explore the rock. We didn't do so, as we wanted the freedom to explore the rock at our own pace. We would only recommend this option if you think it would be too physically intensive for you to descend the entire rock.

You can buy tickets online as well as at the onsite ticket office. We would strongly recommend getting the one-way ticket including the Nature Reserve (35 pounds per adult), this will give you access to all the attractions on the rock. You can also get a return ticket from the top or lower station, but then you will be missing out on some nice sights lower on the rock.

When you get to the top of the rock, you will be greeted by some cheeky Barbary macaques (which is the only monkey species to exist in Europe and can only be found in Gibraltar!), so tuck your stuff away (get a lock for your bag) and keep your distance. Then make your way to the skywalk, an amazing glass bridge at the top of the rock with the most stunning views, as well as some curious apes... Then you can take a look at one of the old battalions for some more stunning views.

Afterwards, you can make your way to the impressive Windsor Suspension Bridge via the Royal Anglian Way. This is a great lookout place and a fun photo spot. When making your way further down, you will reach the Great Siege Tunnel and World War II & City Under Siege Exhibition where you can learn more about the many different territorial fights over Gibraltar.

Lastly, you can visit the ruins of the Moorish Castle, a medieval fortification dating back to 1160 when the region was under Arab rule. You can then walk straight down into the city center.

It is also possible to take some challenging hikes, like the Mediterranean steps, but you have to be quite skilled to do so. Also very much worth the visit is Saint Michael's Cave. The beauty of this cave system has been enhanced by some epic lighting, making it a truly magical experience. This is also a great place to get a drink and a bite to refuel before your journey down the mountain, there won't be any other place along the way.

As you will be completely 'fried' by this day filled with activities and walking, it is time to reward yourself with a nice pub meal and a pint of lager at Lord Nelson's. You can also find some fish and chips, some Indian or even Philippean food around town!

Practical information

How to get here and move around
To get to Gibraltar over land, you have to get to a small town called La Línea de Conceptión. You can either get there by car or bus. We did the latter from Malaga and back to Marbella, but there are more places that you will be able to travel from. You can easily buy tickets by using the Omio website or the local operator Avanza. If you travel by bus, you'll arrive at an 'intercity' bus station. From here you can walk to the border in a few minutes. There is also a local bus stop that is less than 100 meters away from the border.

Crossing the border is a really quick procedure if you have a European passport. Otherwise, you'll need a visa for the UK. You can also fly into Gibraltar. Fun fact: the border actually consists of the landing strip, which you will be crossing once you have passed by customs, a very interesting experience!

Within Gibraltar, travelling is easiest by foot and bus. Gibraltar is bigger than you might expect, so we would advise getting a day ticket so you can hop on and hop off.

Where to stay
Although small in size, there is more to see and do than you would think. We would therefore definitely advise you to take two full days to explore the area. Make sure to be well-rested before you get there, as you will be doing a lot on foot.

Hotels in Gibraltar are rather expensive. During high season, we could not find any hotels under 120 pounds per night. Our advice would be to just stay in a hotel in La Línea. This border village is not very big or fun to be in. A lot of the shops and restaurants are permanently closed and the overall vibe was a bit off. However, for us, this was totally fine as our hotel was only 60 euros with a view of the Rock of Gibraltar and from here it took us just a few minutes to get there.