What to do in Gibraltar

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Planning an elopement, attending a wedding or perhaps just after a sunny weekend escape?

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory attached to Spain and a popular wedding destination for those from Great Britain. There is plenty to see in a small space here so here are my top things to do in Gibraltar!

Why travel to Gibraltar?

Gibraltar is a unique city and British Overseas Territory on a headland jutting out from Spain. Cut off from the Spanish mainland by its own airport landing strip. The Rock, as it is commonly known, is easy for British Citizens to access but also for the many Spanish people who live and work there.

My friend recently decided she was going to get married in Gibraltar (with less than a month’s notice). Which meant that I was lucky enough to have to have an impromptu trip to Gibraltar! I didn’t know much before I went but I made sure I did lots of research. We only had four days there so wanted to see as much as possible.

In case you don’t know Gibraltar is owned by the British and very proud of it too, we went in early September and left days before their ‘National Day’ where they celebrate this! Gibraltar is a tiny peninsular which was once basically an island however land has been reclaimed from the sea between ‘Gib’ and Spain to form the airport so there is now a much larger border.

However, this tiny headland is very full! Over 30,000 people live in 2.6 square miles of land with another 12,000 coming in for work every day!

I think if you wanted to see the main sites you could visit most of Gibraltar in 3 to 4 days with some rest time. We had two days of wedding and two days of sightseeing. We saw a lot but not quite everything we wanted to! An important thing to remember is that it is a lot hotter than most British people are used to and if you are trying to walk anywhere it will take longer than you think with all the ascents and descents (not to mention hundreds of stairs).

Top things to do in Gibraltar

• Views of Africa at Europa Point
• Europa Point Lighthouse
• Pillars of Hercules
• WWII Tunnels
• See the Macaquees
• Take the Cable Car
• St Michaels Cave
• Gibraltar National Museum
• Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park

Download my Gibraltar Destination Factfile for a quick lowdown

How to get the best from your visit

Take a tour

There are loads of different tours from the main taxi tours to other tour companies which all go to slightly different areas.

I really wanted to go see the lighthouse and views of Africa at Europa Point. Therefore we took a tour with Blands as the taxi tours don’t cover this however this meant we didn’t see the Pillars of Hercules something else I wanted to see so you have to prioritise.

Research and pick a top 3 or 4 things you want to see beforehand. Expect to pay around £35 for a full tour or look into a private tour. I saw a private tour beforehand for £60 each, 6 hours, which I thought was expensive at the time. Looking back if you can find one that includes admission this would be a great way to see everything you want.

Consider your budget

Every site has admission charges, you even have to pay to walk in certain areas! Also lots of things close around 4.30 so plan your day well and start early. Restaurants and bars open late so I’d recommend a big dinner and small lunches!

Expect things to be expensive. It is great Gibraltar takes British Pounds which means you don’t have to exchange cash however it does make you realise quite how much everything costs. We found food (sit-down meals and snack meals) to be quite expensive, not horrendous, but more than you would pay at home which over time adds up. Think British seaside tourist prices but every restaurant.

There are however supermarkets and lots of independent stores which weren’t horrendous prices for snacks such as crisps (both Walkers and Lays!) etc to keep you fuelled up in between meals. Ice lollies on the other hand were extremely expensive (and all British)-lots of places were at least a pound extra for a Magnum lolly! Also as I said earlier every sight has a ticket price to see, some cheaper than others. Perfume and Tobacco are cheap as they are VAT-free.

Get a good view

A trip up the Cable Car is a great thing to do especially if you plan to do nothing else.

Go earlier than we did (second to last car) and have a meal in either the restaurant or cafe so you have a real chance to soak in the views. This is the main vantage point of Gibraltar, yes there are others you might see on a tour, but this is the only one with 360 views, that you can take your time on with no tour guide pushing you back on the bus and you can see some of the ‘Apes’ here too.

We personally found these macaques more aggressive than the troop in Apes’ Den (by St Michael’s cave) but that might of just been a coincidence at the time.

Visit the Gardens

Take a stroll through the botanic gardens and the small but interesting wildlife park. This small wildlife park is often overlooked but it was a great way to see some animals (macaques, lemurs, bats etc) up close, we attended all the feedings (we were there at the right time-4ish that day) but there were no talks so I wouldn’t bother hanging around unless you time it right. The gardens are beautiful to walk around-although they are set up on a sloping hill so be warned!

Understand the history

There is a great museum-the Gibraltar Museum-which is fairly cheap but informative and worth a visit if you have time. We spent probably just over an hour going around it. We could have gone slower but at the same time, we didn’t rush. There are also lots of sights to see just walking around the city including various Bastions (which generally have information boards), monuments and small parks.

Visit the Marina

If you are after a nice evening meal or drinks head to Ocean Village Marina. We had a lovely Chinese there with great Veggie options (best of the holiday). But all the restaurants looked nice. We also ate several times with the wedding party at Queensway Marina (different restaurants) but I wouldn’t personally recommend any restaurants there.

Unfortunately over our short time in Gibraltar, I wasn’t impressed with food hygiene at all. I found several hairs in my food at different restaurants and several people had food poisoning from different restaurants (but then again that could all just be bad luck!).

How to book a trip to Gibraltar?

If you are looking to book a trip to Gibraltar from the UK then you are in luck. Gibraltar is a British Overseas Terroirty meaning it’s simple for British Citizens to access. No need for visas or ETIAS.

For help booking a wonderful trip be sure to fill out my travel form. As a travel agent, I can help you book the perfect trip. You’ll soon be doing everything there is to do in Gibraltar.

So there you have my top Gibraltar tips! Have you been to Gibraltar? What was your favourite thing to do?