Gibraltar in a day: your walking guide

Where your driver drops you

Your driver will drop you on the Spanish side of the frontier in La Línea de la Concepción and pick you up at the same place at the agreed time. You walk across: it is quicker than taking the car in, and parking in Gibraltar is very limited.

Before you go

• Every traveller needs a valid passport (EU citizens can use a national ID card). The border rules changed in July 2026, so check the current entry requirements for your nationality before the trip.
• Buy the Upper Rock Nature Reserve ticket online in advance or at a reserve ticket office. It is required even if you walk up, and it covers the main sites.
• Some pounds sterling or a card. The currency is the pound (Gibraltar and UK notes); euros are widely accepted, but at a set rate and your change usually comes in pounds.
• Comfortable shoes, water and sun protection: the Rock is exposed and the paths are steep.
• A bag that zips closed, for the macaques.

Your walking route

1. 1

   Frontier and the airport runway · 20 min

   From the frontier, walk straight ahead and cross the runway of Gibraltar airport on foot; the crossing is closed while planes land or take off. Casemates Square is about 20 minutes' walk, or take the frequent bus from the frontier into town.

2. 2

   Upper Rock Nature Reserve · 120 min

   The cable car is closed for refurbishment, so most visitors take a licensed Gibraltar taxi tour (about 2 hours) from the frontier or town; check whether the reserve ticket is included in the price. The tours stop at the Pillars of Hercules viewpoint, St Michael's Cave, the Apes' Den, the Great Siege Tunnels and the Skywalk.

3. 3

   Alameda Botanic Gardens · 20 min

   Shady 19th-century gardens at the foot of the Rock, near the lower end of Main Street. A pleasant place to rest after the Upper Rock.

4. 4

   Trafalgar Cemetery and Southport Gates · 10 min

   A small cemetery just outside the old walls where some of those who died after the Battle of Trafalgar are buried. The gates next to it lead back into town.

5. 5

   Main Street · 45 min

   Gibraltar's long pedestrian high street, with British shops, pubs and red post boxes. Along the way you pass the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned and the Convent, the Governor's residence.

6. 6

   Casemates Square · 25 min

   The large square at the north end of Main Street, built on the old barracks, full of cafés and terraces. From here it is about 20 minutes' walk back to the frontier, or take the bus.

Where to eat

• Try calentita, a chickpea-flour bake that is Gibraltar's national dish, sold in local cafés and bakeries.
• British-style fish and chips, pub lunches and afternoon tea are easy to find along Main Street and in Casemates Square.
• For a table by the water, the marinas at Ocean Village and Queensway Quay have plenty of restaurants.
• Prices are in pounds; if you pay in euros, check the rate before you order.

Best photo spots

• The Pillars of Hercules viewpoint on the Upper Rock, looking across the Strait to Morocco on a clear day.
• The Skywalk, a glass platform over 300 metres above sea level.
• The Rock seen from the airport runway as you walk in.
• Europa Point, with its lighthouse and the mosque, at the southern tip.

If you have time

• Europa Point, the southern tip of Gibraltar: lighthouse, mosque and views of Africa. Reachable by public bus from town.
• The Gibraltar National Museum, close to Main Street; check current opening days.
• The World War II Tunnels and the 100-Ton Gun, which are not included in the standard reserve ticket.
• Walking up the Rock instead of taking a taxi: allow 45 to 60 minutes of steep climbing from the Jews' Gate or Moorish Castle entrances. The Mediterranean Steps route is for fit walkers only.