August 6, 2026
Gibraltar was not originally a location on my list, as my goal is to reach every country, not every territory. However, when I knew I was going to cross the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco into Spain, I figured I might as well visit it, especially since my parents had visited several years ago on a cruise stop and really enjoyed it.
I ended up spending around six hours in Gibraltar, which was plenty of time to see everything I wanted to. From climbing the Rock and seeing the famous Barbary macaques to exploring World War II tunnels, visiting St. Michael’s Cave, and taking in the incredible views, I managed to pack quite a bit into my short visit. Here’s how I spent my day in Gibraltar.
When I was planning my first trip to Europe, I had a couple of days in southern Spain in mind. I decided that one of those would make a great day trip to Gibraltar.
For those of you who are unaware, Gibraltar is a small British territory on the southern tip of Spain, and is one of the 10 smallest countries and dependencies in the world – at only 2.6 square miles! It’s most well-known for the massive Rock of Gibraltar, which is over 1300 feet tall. It’s known as the northern Pillar of Hercules, and there is a ton of history here.
I arrived in La Línea de la Concepción, the Spanish city bordering Gibraltar, by bus from Tarifa, Spain through the city of Algeciras around 10 am. I ended up staying in Gibraltar until just after 4 pm before heading to Seville later that evening. If you’d like to read more about what else I did in southern Spain, you can go here.
One of my main concerns had been finding luggage storage. I did not want to have to go back to Tarifa in order to get my things before heading up to Seville. After doing some serious research, I was confident that the Gibraltar Airport had a luggage storage system (“left luggage” as the British call it). So, I entered Gibraltar by foot – only the second time I had entered a new country or territory by foot, with the first having been Palestine in 2023.
The airport was a short walk from the entrance. Unfortunately, the left luggage system was down. Luckily, I had a backup in La Línea. So, I walked back out of Gibraltar about 15 minutes away to Consignas La Campana, a hostel which also does luggage storage. I hadn’t called in advance, but the lady there was very kind and let me leave my things for €10 apiece, a bit pricier than the airport but I was just happy to have somewhere to put them.
From there, it was back into Gibraltar. Actually, I went back to the airport to fill up my water bottle. There were no dispensers so I ended up just filling it up in the bathroom! After that I found a place to exchange my money, and got some Gibraltar pounds – these are valued the same as typical British pounds, but cannot be used elsewhere in the UK. I like collecting currency, and they had specialized designs which I really liked.
Fun fact: Gibraltar’s main road crosses the airport runway, meaning you actually have to cross the runway to get into the territory. After getting my money, I had to stand and wait for around 20 minutes as 3 or 4 different planes crossed! A huge crowd of people gathered as a result before we finally walked across, which was a cool experience.
As I walked towards the main part of town, I was struck by the amount of construction for such a small place. There were tons of new buildings getting put up, many of them being pretty sizeable! Upon arriving to Grand Casemates Square, I took note of some of the restaurants and shops before continuing towards the hillier area, following signs for the Gibraltar Nature Reserve. I also noticed all the British English, one of my favorite accents, though I heard plenty of other languages being spoken as well throughout the day – after all there was a cruise ship in port.
I knew that it was time to start climbing, so I prepped by getting sunscreen on and putting some liquid IV into my water bottles. I first used this on my Asia trip last year, and it can really be a lifesaver when you’re exercising a lot, especially in the heat! And it was necessary, because this climb was brutal.
I went more than 1000 feet up over the course of 2-3 miles. Some areas were steeper than others, but it was basically constantly uphill. When you do this climb, you have to be smart about rationing your water – I was able to make mine last all the way up and down, though I did have over 1.5 liters. And the way down is also pretty rough on your knees and feet as you’re going down a fairly significant slope. Take lots of breaks as well! Ideally I would have taken the cable car down, but it is under maintenance until 2027. But hey, I got a good story out of it at least!
As I was walking up, I first passed by the Moorish Castle, a prominent fortress on the side of the Rock with a history stretching back centuries.. Then, I made my way to my first stop: the World War II Tunnels. Gibraltar actually has over 34 miles of tunnels, twice as much as the surface road network! This is simply a small part of the vast maze which runs through the Rock.
First, I got a ticket for the nature reserve for £30, which was good for all of the exhibits around the Rock. It was a bit pricey but definitely worth it for how much you can see.
While not every exhibit inside caught my interest, it was a neat look at how the tunnels were used for storing supplies, communication, gun emplacements, water aquifers, and even had a fully-functioning hospital. The most interesting thing I saw was a replica of a Spitfire plane which hung in one of the vast halls.
After more climbing, next up was the City Under Siege exhibit. This was in an old British fort, and had a few artifacts such as cannons while showing what it would have been like to be stationed on Gibraltar as a soldier. My favorite part was seeing the old graffiti – there were tons of carvings from the 1700s and many were surprisingly intricate! It reminded me a lot of St. Augustine and Nassau, two other places in which I had seen similar graffiti.
After this I still had quite the climb ahead of me. Of course, the view started to get better as I went up, but I took frequent breaks and just had to keep pushing myself to move forward.
As I neared the top, I saw my first Barbary macaque. These little buggers are a species of monkey native to Morocco, but there are about 300 of them that live on the Rock. You do need to watch yourself around them, as they can be quite mischievous. I saw one attempt to take a lady’s purse, for example!
Besides how fun it was to see the monkeys, the views from the top were absolutely stunning. It was a beautiful day out, and I had basically a 360-degree view of everything around me. This included both the west and east sides of Gibraltar, the north and south peaks of the Rock, the mountains of Spain across the bay as well as the landscape to the north, and Morocco across the Strait of Gibraltar. There was also the Skywalk, where you could look straight down through glass.
Then it was finally time to start going down the Rock. It was crazy how thin the roads were, and there was a long line of cars at the top. I even saw monkeys climbing on a few different ones!
A ways down the Rock I made my way into St. Michael’s Cave. The formations in here were insane, and it had some really cool lighting. There was even a stage with a 400+ seat capacity which holds concerts sometimes. This was definitely one of my favorite stops on the Rock, and I wouldn’t recommend skipping it.
I continued down for a while before passing anything else. Eventually I reached the Apes’ Den, though I had to circle around since I thought I missed it – I only saw one macaque there! I also passed by the Charles V Wall, which has an insane staircase going directly up the mountain. While technically being a much shorter way to ascend the Rock, it looked way more brutal than the route I had climbed. It is 660 steps which are directly in the sun, taking you up more than 500 feet. If you’re not looking for an especially brutal workout, I would advise against taking this route!
The last thing I saw as I climbed down was the Devil’s Gap Battery. There are military fortifications all around the Rock, many with massive gun emplacements like this particular battery. Gibraltar has been a strategic point throughout much of history, so it makes sense that the Rock is covered in military defences.
I originally planned to walk to the southern tip and see the Europa Point Lighthouse, but I was exhausted after my day so I decided I would just get some lunch before heading out. I had spotted a pub earlier before I walked into Grand Casemates Square, The Lord Nelson, and it seemed like an amazing place to rest for a while and eat. It was only around 2:15, so I still had a ton of time.
While I didn’t get any drinks like you might expect at a pub (instead getting pineapple juice), I chose some cheesy garlic bread for an appetizer before getting a classic dish of fish and chips. With it being my first time in a British territory, I felt I had to! And it was a great choice – the bread was phenomenal, while the fish was absolutely massive, and the chips were pretty good as well. After the day I had, it absolutely hit the spot. While it was a bit pricey, at £26.90, it was worth every pound – both money- and weight-wise!
Since I was doing so great on time, I found a stand in the square and got some tasty ice cream for £3, which was pretty good. I just relaxed as I ate and was proud of my accomplishment of climbing the Rock that day.
Though it was only around 3:45, I had done everything I wanted to and was physically drained. So, I headed back to the airport to refill my water before leaving Gibraltar. I grabbed my bags from the luggage storage, waited for my bus for a while, and was then off to Seville!
Gibraltar really was a great experience. It may be a small place, but climbing the Rock, exploring its military history, seeing the macaques, and taking in the views made for a nice day. It is also very unique – essentially a tiny pocket of British culture. While I wasn’t on a cruise myself, it was one of the few ports I’ve been to that you can actually visit in a day. If you are either planning a Mediterranean cruise or want to visit southern Spain, go to Gibraltar! I’m sure you won’t regret it.