Gibraltar

Month and Year?

You'll find opinions on both sides here on the RS board. We saw Gibraltar as an annoyingly long daytrip drive (rental car) from three nights in Ronda. We thought a daytrip was more than enough, and that the place, while admittedly unique, is greatly over-rated. Some people visit because they want a ferry to Morocco, which we saw from a Windstar Cruise, not from a Spain or Gibraltar base.

Not because it is "superior" , but because of the geographical area, I wonder if the Azores or Canary Islands would be a more substantial multi-day visit? The Canaries certainly have some over-touristed areas, and moving between the islands is annoying if you are not on a cruise. Southern Spain (I don't mean "golf" or "beach" areas) is a very rich destination, so I don't urge more time in Gibraltar.

I certainly agree with Tim above that opinions differ! To each his own, but my 3 nights, giving me 2 full and 2 one half days, were one of my favorites "add-ons" to a bigger trip.

I flew in from London, so perhaps was already in the British mindset. Some of the more negative critiques I've read here fault the Britishness of Gibraltar, but as a British Overseas Territory, I expected to find this. I stayed at the historic Rock Hotel - impeccable service, excellent dining, full amenities, beautiful room. Solo female traveler - I liked having dining choices at the hotel as well as the pool area for relaxing. This was September 2019 - quick check of reviews is still positive.

Activities - great for those interested in WWII, history, hiking, views. There are a number of hiking trail options. WWII installations that can be explored, siege tunnel, caves, cable car or hiking/walking to view points. I enjoyed exploring the town and lighthouse point as well. If incline walking is difficult, there are taxis nd buses. When I visited, Gibraltar was a popular place with cruise ships, but I didn't have trouble with crowds of cruise travelers. There seemed to be excursions that had planned timed entries and didn't interfere with my plans. I understand that the cable car can get quite crowded, but I had no problems at the times I wanted to use it.

Barbary macaques - you can avoid them totally if you wish. There is one area where they generally stay. I only encountered them in their typical habitat, no where else even though I explored all over the Rock. Some like the monkeys, others not. I walked through their territory, ignoring them, but one still grabbed at my day pack. (I have been around wild macaques quite a bit in Asia and thought I knew how to avoid attracting them...) I prefer to ignore them and not engage, but many enjoy being in proximity to the animals.

Hope that helps!

Thank you for the quick responses. Very helpful. I’m travelling to Gibraltar as a result of tracing my heritage. I’m aiming for fall 2025 or 2026 and will be travelling solo, so it’s helpful to hear about other’s experiences. Thank you for sharing! Kim