On this post I will highlight the places we visited, the best things to see and best things to do in Gibraltar Day 2.
The morning started early as we had to be at the top of the rock at 10 am to meet our guide.
Breakfast was good but a bit chaotic with the amount of people from the excursions in the breakfast room trying to have breakfast, all at the same time. See my previous post Experiencing Gibraltar -Day 1. This was a self-service breakfast and we managed to serve ourselves and get out as quickly as we could.
If you are planning a trip to the south of Spain you can include Gibraltar as well. If you and prefer to have everything organised by a tour, you should check the tours Tourradar offers to many places in Spain including Gibraltar.
Tourradar has tours that suits every length of time and budgets and if you use my links to book your trip and enter code RoseG50 you will get a discount on your booking.
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VISITING GIBRALTAR
We did the same route as the previous day, walked to the border, crossed to Gibraltar, took the bus, and got off at the cable car stop (see Gibraltar Day 1).
From there we took the cable car to the top of the rock where Stephen, our guide from https://walkgibraltar.com/ was waiting for us. We arrived there bang on time at 10 am.
Where is Gibraltar? Below is a map showing the location of Gibraltar and places we visited on Day 2 while visiting Gibraltar:
The journey on the cable car was very nice with the views getting better and better as we ascended to the top.
We didn’t need to book a ticket online for that day and there was not a big queue when we arrived, but if there are cruises moored in Gibraltar, they advise to book in advance as queues can get quite long.
At the time (June 2023) each ticket was £32 including the ticket to the Nature Reserve and all attractions in the rock.
The tour with Stephen can be customised and you can start at the bottom or at the top of the rock, you can go as fast or as slow as you wish, and you can visit as many attractions on top of the rock as you wish.
The tour lasts between 3 and 4 hours and Stephen is very knowledgeable of the area giving us a lot of insights into the history of Gibraltar and other facts.
VISITING THE NATURE RESERVE
We chose to go up the rock with the cable car, visit the attractions and walk down when finished. So, after meeting Stephen we started our walk and our first stop on the Nature Reserve was to see the Apes Den.
These apes are Barbary Macaques originating from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. They were present in Gibraltar before it was a British Territory in 1704. Nowadays more than 300 of these macaques live in the Upper area of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve.
They are used to humans and usually approach trying to get food, but feeding the macaques is an offence and liable to be fined if caught.
Although they get very close to humans, it is wise to be cautious and not leave any bags open or food on view. They will climb on you and steal anything they think is curious or eatable.
While looking at them, one of the younger ones jumped on my back and tried to open my rucksack. My husband and the guide quickly shouted for it to go away, and it didn’t bite me or took anything, however I’ve heard stories of people that had been bitten by them. So, be careful when approaching these creatures.
On the other hand, they are funny, and they seem to put a show for the tourists trying to get a photo or filming them. This can easily be one of the nicest things to do in Gibraltar.
I have a video on The Travelling Surveyor Instagram showing one of these macaques putting on a show.
We continued our walk and reached ‘The Skywalk’ and the ‘O’Hara’s Battery’. More views from the Skywalk, which is a glazed platform that offers 360-degree, breath-taking views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Straight of Gibraltar.
O’Hara’s Battery is an artillery battery located on the highest point of the rock. It was last used in the World War II and stopped being fired in 1976. Now, it is open to the public for visits.
From there we continued walking and arrived at the entrance to the Mediterranean Steps. Stephen asked us if we wanted to go through the steps and I quickly said “yes” not wanting to miss anything. I’m a bit a FOMO (Fear of missing out). However, I naively didn’t expect it was going to be such a long and hard hike through the side of the rock.
So, we went through the paths and steps admiring the views alongside it.
It was a very hot day and part of the way was going down. I was wearing very comfortable sandals, but they were not exactly proper for hiking mountain sides. My feet were sweating with the heat and sliding to the front of the sandals making the journey twice as harder than it needed to be if I were wearing appropriate shoes.
Nevertheless, I survived, but it was not easy! It was one of the most difficult walks I’ve ever been to. By the time we arrived at the end of the trail, I was exhausted, but there was still a lot to see.
We went next to St Michaels cave, the most visited attraction of the rock. It is a network of limestone caves that were created by rainwater slowly seeping through the rock throughout the years.
The cave is open for visitation and the largest one is used as an auditorium to host events due to the cave’s natural acoustic properties. It holds events such as theatre plays, music concerts, and various other cultural events.
There is a captivating light show that runs every ten minutes displaying a colourful show within the cave. A beautiful attraction to visit when up in the rock.
From there we continued walking until we reached the “Windsor Bridge”. This is a suspended bridge with stunning views of the bay of Gibraltar and the city. It goes over a gorge to cross from one battery to another and along the Royal Anglian Way, which is a footpath part of a different walking trail.
After that, we arrived at the place where we needed to turn if we wanted to visit the Great Siege Tunnels and the World War Tunnels. But by that point I was barely able to lift my legs and I could not face more walking to reach the attractions.
So, we skipped the tunnels and decided to start our descent, which was almost as challenging as the Mediterranean steps. Eventually, we made it back to the Old Town.
By then I wish I had taken the cable car down too! We are not very fit people and to achieve this was a big accomplishment we are proud of.
I highly recommend the private walk with Stephen, just make sure to wear comfortable shoes!
Alternatively you may consider a shorter 2 hour bus tour that includes a visit to Europe Point and a visit to the Nature Reserve visiting the Apes Den only. It can be booked HERE.
You can also buy the Gibraltar Pass that is valid for one day, it covers the bus routes 5 and 10 and all the major attractions at the rock for £49 (Adult).
Once in the Old Town, we thanked Stephen and said goodbye.
We entered the first bar with tables outside and drenched ourselves with cold beers to award ourselves for our achievement (and re-gain any kilos lost on the walk!).
Feeling rested, we walked down to Casemates Square and sat on one of the restaurants for lunch. After lunch we just wanted to rest to recover from the walk. The bus stop is very close to Casemates Square, so we took the bus, went back to the hotel and did nothing for the rest of the afternoon.
That night we took the border route for the last time as we headed out for a memorable dinner at Monique’s Bistro at Queensway Bay.
We had a table outside, facing the marine and watched the sunset savouring the most delicious dinner and sipping on a glass of rosé wine on our last night in Gibraltar.
Above some of the food we had at Monique’s Bistro that was sensational!
After dinner, we took a taxi to the border, crossing it back to Spain for the last time. Our passports were filled with stamps from our short but enjoyable time in Gibraltar.
Crossing the border can be a fun experience for a short stay, but it may be inconvenient and not worth it for longer visits.
Next day we would start our trip in Spain and were due to collect our hired car at 9 am. We were looking forward for these next stage of our trip, the next stop will be Cádiz, in Andalusia.
I hope this post gives you an idea of what can be fitted in a day in Gibraltar and helps you to plan you own itinerary to Gibraltar.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TRIP
Below you will find a list of what to visit, where to stay and where to eat in Gibraltar. I classified each place as follows:
BOLD – Visited, tried and recommended
NOT BOLD – Not visited or tried, but planning to visit or try and heard very good reviews
RED – Visited and tried but do not recommend, avoid or be cautious
*** – Excellent
** – Good
* – OK
£££ – Expensive
££ – Fair and affordable
£ – Cheap
WHAT TO SEE IN GIBRALTAR – DAY 2
ATTRACTIONS IN GIBRALTAR
1 – The Cable Car – ***
1 – Gibraltar Nature Reserve – ***
2 – The Ape’s Den – ***
3 – Sky Walk – ***
4 – O’Hara’s Battery – ***
5 – Mediterranean Steps – ** (two stars only because of the hike)
6 – St. Michael’s Cave – ***
7 – Windsor Bridge – ***
8 – The Great Siege Tunnels
10 – The Moorish Castle
11 – Europe Point
WHERE TO STAY
HOTELS
1 – Sunborn Gibraltar – 5* – £££
2 – Studio Apartment in EuroCity Carrara – 4* – ££
3 – The Elliott Hotel – 4* – ££
4 – The Rock Hotel – 4* – ££
5 – Downtown Suite – 3* – ££
If you prefer to look for your own accommodation search and book via the below widget:
WHERE TO EAT
RESTAURANTS
1 – Monique’s Bistro – *** – ££
2 – Charlie’s Steak and Grill – ££
3 – Nunos@The Express – ££
4 – Lord Nelson – ££
5 – The Rock Hotel Dining – £££
If you tried any of my recommendations above, please send me a message and tell me about your experience good or bad, so I can update the list accordingly. Thanks!
If you enjoyed reading this post you might also like to read:
On this trip to Spain:
1 – Experiencing Gibraltar -Day 1
2 – Experiencing Gibraltar – Day 2
3 – Cádiz, The Jewel of Andalusia, Spain – How to spend Day 1
4 – Cádiz, The Jewel of Andalusia, Spain – How to spend Day 2
5 – How to Explore Jerez de la Frontera and Seville – Day 1
6 – Seville – Day 2
7 – Córdoba
8 – Granada – Day 1
9 – Granada – Day 2
10 – Setenil de las Bodegas and Ronda
11 – Marbella
12 – Gibraltar – Day 3
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