Visiting Gibraltar

[GMJ]

We are planning on visiting Gib in January however I am in 2 minds regarding tickets for the cable car. There is a straight option for up/down but also an option to pay for visit to all/most of the attractions as well as the cable car.

If you have visited could you please give me your thoughts on the walking distances and difficulty to attractions from the top cable car station? My wife has MS and whilst she can walk with sticks she is not fully able bodied and gets fatigued.

I appreciate that its a rock and steep but are there any attractions that are on a level or is it all walking down and up?

ta

 

[jacquigem]

We went maybe 5or 6 years ago and took a taxi guide fir the day at the border. Thought overall it was good value as we had him fir the day and went where we told himti go . Up to thr apes , down to the caves and the tunnels i remember. Also took us to get a new mibile phone which we were looking for. Suspect they are still available.

 

[jacquigem]

Thinking back I think there were 4 of us and it cost us 80 Euros for the day ?

 

[trevskoda]

The cable car may be clossed this time of the year, there are privat taxi at bottom who will take you to the top for a tour of the gun caves.
Start at the bottom and work your way up slowly as doing the other way leaves you knacked.
Other things to see are free like the almida gaedens and open zoo/flower gardens, this is a simple dander downhill into the town.
One thing i did not do was the south tip, not a lot there to be truthfull i was told, bottom of the town centre is best for shops and a meal, good irish pub and food.
Warning dont go close to the monkeys, they will grab anything, glasses of you face handbags sweets food, and they may bite.
There are nice walks along the harbour front with food and drinks there, also a nice we beach walk catalane bay round near what was the Caleta hotel which is being pulled down, lots to do but qt this time of the year, have fun.

 

[GMJ]

I have scheduled our visit when the cable car is open so we'll be taking that. There is no way my wife could walk up the Rock.

My question related to distances from the top cable car station to the various attractions that are included in the Nature Reserve ticket. If we get time, or tiredness allows, to visit anywhere else we'll try and do that.

 

[RichardHelen262]

When we were there we took a mini bus from the bottom where the cable car is, it worked out about the same price but you got to see more and the driver acted as a guide,

 

[trevskoda]

When we were there we took a mini bus from the bottom where the cable car is, it worked out about the same price but you got to see more and the driver acted as a guide,

Our guide walked around the top with us and he had a big stick to chase the monkeys away, watched one nick a mars bar out of a chaps hand when he came out the we shop at the top, another grabed a chaps camera bag and made of down the rock face with it, be carfull.

 

[Drover]

Been there many times and will also be there over xmas and new year.
We have a daughter who is a police inspector in Gib so I cant freeload in Gib. It is possible.
The taxi is now around €90/100. The distance at the top from the caves ( st Michael) to the war tunnels is from one end to the other end and a bit hilly ,there is also a glass walkway in the middle.
It is all in a conservation area. I cant remember the entrance fee but its covered in the taxi fare. It is a hard walk in the sun from the cable car.
We have done it cable car, walking from border, and taxi... hard to choose the better option, but I'd skip the walking option with MS.
Bus from border to cable car for a oap is/was£1
We are still in the uk as having trouble sorting my 92 year old mum out. Should have left 2 weeks ago.
The aire at the port in la linea is as I understand now €17 . Not sure if the work at the football club has been completed yet which was only €4.

 

[GMJ]

Thanks for that.

I have booked the standard up/down tickets for the cable car and intend to get the free shuttle bus from the border. As there is no premium to buying nature reserve tickets on the day we'll see how the day goes and suss out the walking distances/gradients when we are there I think as the nature reserve tickets are available at the top cable car station.

I have checked with the cable car place and we can get off at the top; walk though the nature reserve; and get on at the mid way station to go back down, if we want.

 

[Drover]

Thanks for that.

I have booked the standard up/down tickets for the cable car and intend to get the free shuttle bus from the border. As there is no premium to buying nature reserve tickets on the day we'll see how the day goes and suss out the walking distances/gradients when we are there I think as the nature reserve tickets are available at the top cable car station.

I have checked with the cable car place and we can get off at the top; walk though the nature reserve; and get on at the mid way station to go back down, if we want.

When are you there?
Theres a small gatehouse on the entrance to the reserve. Not sure if tickets are cheaper elsewhere.
Dont miss out La Linea, cheap eating out, though most after 8pm as they shut at 2 pm after lunch. Though bars are still open
Great meat places, sorry if you're a veggie.

 

[Moped]

The attractions are really at either end of the rock from the central top cable car station.

Best to go right/south first from the cable car station and visit the glass walkway, gun pointing towards Africa and then walk down to the cave. There is a cafe there.

Then it is about a 45min to 1 hour walk along the mid level path crossing the chasm rope bridge mid point and then to the north end where the WW2 tunnels, 18th century military tunnels, and the moorish castle are.

You need to allow maybe 2 hours going south including attraction visits, 1 hour to trek north, and then 2 hours to visit the north end attractions. And maybe 30 mins to 1 hour at the top station to allow yourself to be assaulted by the apes. They jumped on my shoulders and opened my back back the little b*******s and all Mrs Moped did was laugh! No thought given by Mrs Moped that they might run off with something valuable.

So a total of around 6 hours required once you leave the cable car at the top station.

If you start at the top, apart from the walk up to the gun pointing to Africa, it is pretty much downhill or level all the way back to the town.

If you take the mid cable car down you will not visit the north end caves presumably and if you want to visit these another reserve day pass will be required the next day. That’s how it works unfortunately. For us both ends equally interesting but it is easier to walk up to the north end caves on day 2 as they are at a lower level.

PS on the day of our most recent visit the cable car was closed so we decided to walk up. A tip. If the cable car is closed the cafe at the top will be closed so no facilities. Be prepared to find a bush. There are facilities at the cave cafe however which is normally open and at the WW2 tunnels. Would not recommend relieving yourself in any of the derelict military conveniences that you will find on route.

That’s about as comprehensive as I can make it so this may be useful for anybody visiting the rock.

Our motorhome will be one of the white dots parked in the marina just north of the Gibraltar airport runway in the second image.

 

[Moped]

Just to add the south cavern and gun are not disabled friendly. The military caves at the north end are OK with gentle inclines only and no steps. The path/road going down from the south cavern cafe to mid level is steep. My view is if you are taking the mid cable car station back down and you want to visit the northern military caves you are going to end up walking back up the hill to the mid station.

The taxi idea might be a good option if not for the cable car visit and day one at the south end attractions maybe use a taxi to take you up to the military caves at the north end day 2 but as I said further reserve passes will be required.

 

[Nabsim]

When I went I walked to the top, I have one leg and use elbow crutches. It’s hard to say how someone else can cope though as everyone is different

 

[Nabsim]

I have scheduled our visit when the cable car is open so we'll be taking that. There is no way my wife could walk up the Rock.

My question related to distances from the top cable car station to the various attractions that are included in the Nature Reserve ticket. If we get time, or tiredness allows, to visit anywhere else we'll try and do that.

Think it was around 1990 when I was there and I feel sure that there either wasn’t the attraction they have now or they were closed. It was in January I know that. I recall a caffe/ restaurant and gift shop at the top and info available but not much more.

One of the highlights was a mate sat on the wall with apes either side posing for a pic. One of the apes shot behind him biting his ear as it went. Mate wasn’t impressed but the rest of us were in stitches

 

[n brown]

nobody there can make a decent cuppa and all the cups are brown glass .

 

[GMJ]

Thanks all - food for thought.

 

[Victor]

Thanks all - food for thought.

You have already had some excellent advice. All I would add is have a plan B in your mind because in the winter especially, the cable cars are frequently taken off due to high winds, often with little or no notice. Don't let this detract from your visit, because however you get up the rock (and back down again) the views are fantastic on a clear day. Just watch out for the bloody monkeys !

 

[GMJ]

We are going for 2 nights and have booked the cable car. If it's cancelled we'll explore the idea of a taxi.

 

[n brown]

Gib is history . everything you walk past is part of Britains history ,it's an amazing place . never mind all the tourist stuff , walk round the little graveyard where sailors from Trafalgar were buried ,it reminds you what sacrifices were made .
we used to go there once or twice a year just to splurge on english food ,and of course , marks and sparks knickers . learnt a litle more on every visit and endd up feeling quite proud to be a brit

good place to look round on a scooter

 

[yeoblade]

There's some great recollection of visiting Gib here, mine are mainly how annoying the monkeys were, though fortunately not bitten on the ear @Nabsim , though they did nick stuff out of the wife's backpack.