Things to Do in Gibraltar —
the Rock, the monkeys & a day trip from the Costa del Sol
Our complete travel guide: what to see, do and know before you go.
Planning a Gibraltar day trip? We visited from the Costa del Sol and packed in the Rock, the Barbary macaques, St Michael's Cave, Europa Point, Main Street and the famously unusual airport crossing. This guide covers the best things to do in Gibraltar and the practical bits that make a day visit much easier.
Take a virtual drive through Gibraltar
Want a look around before you go? Our friends at Drive From Home let you take a virtual drive through Gibraltar — real dashcam footage paired with local radio, so you can wander the streets, glide past the Rock and get a proper feel for the place before you plan your own visit.
They've also put together their own written guide to Gibraltar — a great companion piece to plan alongside our notes below. Explore virtually, then come back here when you're ready for the real thing.
A place that makes no sense — and is brilliant because of it
I had been to Gibraltar before — once arriving by bus from Portugal, crossing the border on foot with the Rock filling the entire horizon ahead of me. But the 2024 visit with Podge and friends from Fuengirola was the most complete experience of the place. We got the bus from Fuengirola — about two hours along the Costa del Sol — crossed into Gibraltar on foot at the border and arranged a guided tour of the Upper Rock for the day.
The tour covered everything — the macaques on the Upper Rock, St Michael's Cave lit up in extraordinary blues, the Great Siege Tunnels carved through the limestone, Europa Point at the very southern tip of Europe with the coast of Morocco visible across the Strait, and the views from the top of the Rock over Spain, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic simultaneously. It is one of the most geographically dramatic viewpoints in the world.
And then there is Main Street — a pedestrianised British shopping street in the sunshine of southern Spain, complete with Gibraltar police in traditional uniforms, red phone boxes, British pubs and Marks & Spencer. The cultural collision never gets less surreal, no matter how many times you see it.
Europe's only wild primates, roaming the Upper Rock in troops and completely unbothered by humans. Watch respectfully from a distance — bags zipped, food out of sight. See the Monkey Rule below before you go.
A spectacular natural cavern inside the Rock, dramatically lit in blues and purples, with stalactites and stalagmites forming over millennia. Used as a concert venue — the acoustics are extraordinary.
Military tunnels carved directly into the limestone during the Great Siege (1779–1783). An extraordinary feat of engineering and a vivid sense of what the Rock's defenders endured.
The southernmost tip of Gibraltar, with Morocco visible 14km across the Strait on a clear day. The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, the lighthouse and the quiet awe of standing at the tip of Europe.
Red phone boxes, Marks & Spencer, British pubs and Gibraltar police in traditional uniforms — all in the Mediterranean sunshine. Duty-free shopping is genuinely excellent too.
A colourful little beach village on the eastern side of the Rock — fishing boats, small beach, a handful of restaurants. A completely different side of Gibraltar to Main Street.
Even with the Kingsway Tunnel now handling vehicle traffic, the runway itself is still one of the most extraordinary sights in Europe. See the section below for the full story.
🐒 Nicola & Podge's Monkey Rule
The macaques are one of Gibraltar's best sights — but they're wild animals, not props. Here's what we'd tell anyone going for the first time:
- Don't feed them. It's illegal in Gibraltar and it makes them aggressive.
- Keep bags zipped and pockets closed. They will investigate everything and they are much quicker than you.
- Don't deliberately encourage one onto you. A monkey on your shoulder isn't a photo op — it's a wild animal that can bite and scratch.
- Give them space. Watch them from a respectful distance, take your photos, and move on. Everyone wins.
- Sunglasses off before you get too close. Ask anyone who's lost a pair to a macaque.
Everything you see on a full Gibraltar Rock tour
A guided Upper Rock tour is the easiest way to see all the main sights in a single day. Here's what a typical one covers — and what we saw on ours.
The macaques live in troops across the Upper Rock and every tour includes a stop where you'll almost certainly see them. Legend has it that if the macaques ever leave Gibraltar, British sovereignty over the territory will end — so they are looked after extremely well.
The blue and purple lighting transforms the cave into something almost theatrical. The scale of the cavern, the thousands of stalactites and the sheer age of the limestone formations make this one of the most atmospheric places on the Rock.
Cannon emplacements carved into the Rock during the Great Siege — an extraordinary feat of military engineering. Walking through them gives a vivid sense of what the defenders of Gibraltar endured through nearly four years of siege.
The southernmost tip of Gibraltar with panoramic views south to Morocco. The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque — one of the largest in Europe — sits here alongside the lighthouse. On a clear day, seeing another continent 14km away is properly unforgettable.
Here's how we'd play a full day if we were doing it again. Start early, wear proper shoes, bring your passport and finish with a pint somewhere appropriately British.
Morning — Cross the border & head for the Rock
- Get there early: Bus from the Costa del Sol, then cross into Gibraltar on foot at the border (passport at the ready).
- Book your Rock tour: Head straight for the Upper Rock — either by cable car or on a guided minibus tour.
Late Morning — Macaques, cave & tunnels
- Barbary macaques: First stop on the Upper Rock — watch respectfully, remember the Monkey Rule above.
- St Michael's Cave: Give yourself a proper look around — it's more spectacular than the photos suggest.
- Great Siege Tunnels: Military history carved into the limestone. Fascinating.
Midday — Europa Point & Morocco views
- Europa Point: Head to the southern tip of Gibraltar. On a clear day you can see Africa across the Strait — one of the great "wait, really?" travel moments.
- Lunch: Head down towards the town for lunch — plenty of options along the harbour or near Main Street.
Afternoon — Main Street & the town
- Main Street: Wander the pedestrianised shopping street — duty-free is genuinely good, and the cultural collision never stops being surreal.
- Optional: Detour to Catalan Bay on the eastern side if you want a change of scene.
Late Afternoon — Runway & the essential pint
- The airport area: Even with the Kingsway Tunnel now taking vehicle traffic, walking past the runway is still one of the strangest airport arrangements in the world.
- The pint: Find a British pub, order something cold, celebrate having done Gibraltar properly.
- Cross back into Spain: Catch the bus back along the coast at your leisure.
Bus from the Costa del Sol — that's what we'd do every time
From Fuengirola: Direct bus, around 2 hours along the coast. This is what we did — straightforward, inexpensive, drops you near the border.
From Málaga: Bus/coach services or organised excursions run daily. Around 2 hours 30.
From Marbella or Estepona: Even quicker — very manageable as a day trip. Under 2 hours.
Driving: If you're driving down from the Costa del Sol, park on the Spanish side in La Línea and walk across the border. Bringing a car into Gibraltar is more hassle than it's worth for a day trip — parking is limited and expensive, and you don't need one once you're inside.
For decades, Winston Churchill Avenue — the main road into Gibraltar from Spain — famously crossed the active runway of Gibraltar International Airport at a level crossing. When a plane was landing or taking off, barriers came down, traffic stopped and the plane passed a matter of metres in front of you. It became one of the most iconic quirks of world travel.
What changed: Since the Kingsway Tunnel opened in 2023, vehicle traffic now goes underneath the runway rather than across it. The old crossing is no longer the main route for cars and buses coming into Gibraltar. Pedestrians and cyclists can still cross the runway at ground level when planes aren't landing — so the experience isn't completely gone — but the classic "bus stops for airliner" scene is now history.
Why it still matters: The runway itself is still there, still active, and Gibraltar Airport is still one of the most extraordinary flight approaches anywhere. Standing near the runway and watching a plane land or take off from a strip of land wedged between the Rock and the Mediterranean is worth doing. And now you know the story — the famous crossing was completely real, and it lasted almost a century before the tunnel finally replaced it.
The quick history explainer
It's one of the first questions everyone asks when they visit — and the answer is genuinely interesting rather than politically fraught, so here's the short version.
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. It has been under British sovereignty since 1713, when it was ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. Spain has long maintained a territorial claim, but Gibraltarians themselves have repeatedly voted (overwhelmingly) to remain British in referendums.
For visitors, that unusual status is part of what makes Gibraltar feel so distinctive — British institutions, English signs, pounds sterling, red phone boxes and pubs, all surrounded by southern Spain and looking across at Morocco. It's the geography and the history bumping into each other in one square-ish mile at the end of Europe, and it works.
Our Gibraltar highlights — watch before you visit!
Most people visit Gibraltar as a day trip from the Costa del Sol — but if you want to stay in Gibraltar itself, here are two brilliant options at very different price points. Both bookable through Klook.
Sunborn Gibraltar Yacht Hotel & Resort ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best for: Something completely different
A genuinely one-of-a-kind hotel — a superyacht permanently moored in Ocean Village marina, converted into a 5-star hotel with sea views from every cabin, multiple restaurants, a spa, a pool deck and a casino. If you're going to stay in Gibraltar, why not stay in something as strange and glamorous as the place itself?
Book Sunborn Gibraltar on Klook →The Rock Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best for: The classic Gibraltar experience
An iconic Gibraltar institution — the Rock Hotel has been a landmark since 1932, with a grand old-Empire feel, panoramic views over the Bay of Gibraltar and a genuine sense of history. If you want the classic Gibraltar stay with terrace, pool and views for days, this is exactly the address.
Book The Rock Hotel on Klook →Disclosure: These are Klook affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Everything you need to book your Gibraltar day
A guided Rock tour is by far the best way to see Gibraltar properly — the macaques, the cave, the tunnels and Europa Point all in one go, with a guide who brings the history and the quirks to life. Here are the three easiest ways to book.
🧭 Guided tours & multi-day trips — TourRadar has multi-day tours combining Gibraltar with the wider Costa del Sol and Andalucía.
🎫 Tours & attractions — GetYourGuide has Rock tours, cave visits, dolphin watching and day trips from the Costa del Sol.
🎟️ Activities & tickets — Klook has cable car tickets, Rock tours and day-trip options.
Disclosure: These are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
A day on the Rock means a lot of walking, a lot of sun and a fair amount of climbing. Keep it simple:
Border crossing
The Rock is steep
Upper Rock is exposed
Stay hydrated
See the Monkey Rule
Gibraltar is a perfect add-on to a Costa del Sol holiday. Read our other nearby guides below.
Barcelona's Sagrada Família, the Bernabéu in Madrid, Fuengirola's gorgeous beach — our honest guide to Spain.
Read the Spain guide →Stunning monuments, brilliant gluten-free food and day trips to Sintra and Cascais.
Read the Lisbon guide →Visible from Europa Point across the Strait — Marrakech, the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara desert camp.
Read the Morocco guide →Planning your own Gibraltar visit?
Get the bus from Fuengirola, cross the border on foot, book a Rock tour, keep your bag zipped around the macaques, look south to Africa from Europa Point and have a pint in a British pub in Spain. Gibraltar is completely one of a kind.
Affiliate disclosure: if you book through our links we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. We only recommend experiences we've done ourselves.