Officially Gibraltar is a British overseas territory, but because of its location on the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula, it’s much more convenient to visit as a day trip from Spain’s Costa del Sol or by sea.
If visiting from Spain, you need your passport and must go through customs. And when arriving by land, you will have to drive or walk across the airport runway!
We visited as a day trip from Torremolinos, which is located near Malaga on the Costa del Sol. It was a bit of a drive but doable. Once there, we took a Rock Tour.
Rock Tour Highlights
Saint Michael Cave
This huge cave served as a bomb-proof military hospital during WW2. Now, it’s one of Gibraltar’s most famous attractions and a concert hall. The acoustic inside the cave must be phenomenal!
World War II Tunnels:
Inside the Rock of Gibraltar exist a network of tunnels, approximately 32 miles (50 km) of them, some extending almost the full length of the rock! The WW2 tunnels were added from 1939-44 by the Royal Engineers and Canadian Army to the existing Great Siege Tunnels which were excavated from 1779-83.
Taking a tour is the only way to visit the tunnels and getting a time-slot ticket is advisable to avoid disappointment. We enjoyed our tour and our guide was knowledgeable and interesting. We learned a few things about this important part of history.
Life inside the Rock was harsh, to say the least, as you can imagine. A lack of fresh air, daylight and sleep will affect people’s moods for sure and conflicts among the men inside are sure to arise. Also, life wasn’t a bed of roses for the women, mostly nurses, living inside the tunnels: They needed to be protected from the men around them and slept in locked quarters.
Europa Point
This is Europe’s most southern point and Morocco is only 9 miles (14 km) across the Strait of Gibraltar from Gibraltar. On a clear day, you can see the coast of Africa. Also, from this vantage point we saw the Trinity House Lighthouse.
Barbary Apes
Gibraltar is the only place in Europe where you can see apes in the wild. These furry inquisitive animals aren’t afraid of humans and get aggressive especially if they see food. In any case, it’s illegal to feed them and it’s bad for them too. Legend as it that if ever the Barbary apes disappear from Gibraltar the British will lose the Rock.
Old Town
Many shops with duty-free goods, pubs and restaurants with British specialties line the narrow streets of the old town. The ideal way to discover this area is simply to walk around. Also, we highly recommend the fish and chips; it was fresh and delicious!
There are plenty of other sites to see but for us it was time to head back to Torremolinos after a day of exploring.
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