Gibraltar
1 hostel · dorms from £21
The whole territory is one city of 34,000 people under a 426-metre limestone rock, walkable end to end in half an hour.
Gibraltar country guide
Things To Do In Gibraltar
A limestone rock at the end of Spain, with British pubs, Barbary macaques, tunnels through the middle and Africa visible across the strait on a clear day.
£30
Dorm bed, from
426m
The Rock
300+
Barbary macaques
14km
Across the strait to Africa
Six square kilometres and a very large rock
Gibraltar is 6.8 square kilometres of British Overseas Territory at the southern tip of Spain, and almost all of it is one limestone monolith rising 426 metres straight out of the sea. You walk in from La Línea, cross an active airport runway on foot, and you are in a place with red pillar boxes, fish and chips and Spanish spoken as often as English.
The Rock is the attraction. A cable car runs to the top, the Barbary macaques — Europe's only wild monkey population — patrol the upper slopes, and the inside is hollowed out by tunnels dug across two centuries of sieges and wars.
Most people come for a day from the Costa del Sol or on the way through to Morocco, and a day is enough for the Rock. Staying overnight is more interesting than it sounds, because the day visitors leave and a small, strange, trilingual town emerges from underneath them.
Where to go
There is one city, and you can walk across it in half an hour. Everything below is within it or on the Rock above.
What kind of trip is this?
Gibraltar is one rock, one town and a very unusual border. Most trips are a day.
Culture in Gibraltar
Sieges, tunnels and three hundred years of a contested border.
What to do
- The Great Siege Tunnels
- WWII tunnels
- The Gibraltar Museum and its Neanderthal history
Spots to visit
- Siege tunnels
- St Michael's Cave
- Moorish Castle
Best cities for it
Adventure in Gibraltar
Walk up the Rock rather than taking the cable car.
What to do
- Climb the Mediterranean Steps
- Walk the Upper Rock nature reserve
- Dolphin watching in the bay
Spots to visit
- Mediterranean Steps
- Upper Rock
- O'Hara's Battery
Best cities for it
City break in Gibraltar
A day, or two if you stay the night.
What to do
- A pint in a British pub at the end of Spain
- Main Street shopping
- Sunset at Europa Point
Spots to visit
- Main Street
- Ocean Village
- Europa Point
Best cities for it
Beach in Gibraltar
Small beaches, warm water and Africa on the horizon.
What to do
- Swim at Catalan Bay
- Sandy Bay in summer
- Watch the shipping in the strait
Spots to visit
- Catalan Bay
- Sandy Bay
- Eastern Beach
Best cities for it
Food in Gibraltar
Fish and chips, tapas and a Sunday roast in the same street.
What to do
- Fish and chips with a view of Spain
- Calentita, the local chickpea bread
- Tapas across the border
Spots to visit
- Main Street
- Ocean Village
- Casemates Square
Best cities for it
Budget in Gibraltar
Expensive for what it is. Sleep in Spain.
What to do
- Stay in La Línea and walk in
- Free to walk up the Rock
- Duty-free on the way out
Spots to visit
- La Línea
- Main Street
Best cities for it
Things to do
Things to do in Gibraltar
The Upper Rock Nature Reserve holds almost everything worth seeing and one ticket covers it: St Michael's Cave, a vast chamber now used as a concert venue, the Great Siege Tunnels hacked out by hand in the 1780s, the Moorish Castle, and the macaques, who are wild, bold and entirely willing to take a bag off your shoulder.
You can take the cable car up or walk the Mediterranean Steps, a steep path along the eastern face that takes about ninety minutes and is the better way to arrive.
From the top, on a clear day, you can see Morocco 14km across the strait and watch the shipping funnel through one of the busiest waterways in the world. Europa Point at the southern tip has a lighthouse, a mosque and the same view at sea level.
Food and drink
Eating in Gibraltar
Gibraltar eats British and Mediterranean at once. Fish and chips and a Sunday roast in the pubs on Main Street, tapas in the same square, and calentita — a baked chickpea flour bread that is the closest thing to a national dish.
Prices are higher than Spain for the same meal, which is why many visitors eat across the border in La Línea, where a menu del día costs half what a pub lunch does here.
Alcohol and tobacco are duty-free, so drinks in bars are cheaper than in the UK, and the supermarkets are full of Spanish day trippers buying exactly what you would expect.
Nightlife
Going out in Gibraltar
Nightlife is concentrated in Casemates Square and around Ocean Village marina: British pubs, sports on screens, and a marina crowd. It is small and it winds down early by Spanish standards.
Because the territory is tiny and the land border now has no checks, many people cross into Spain for a later night — La Línea is ten minutes on foot and operates on Spanish hours.
Drinks are cheaper than the UK thanks to duty rates, which is part of the appeal for visitors from Britain.
Getting around
Getting around Gibraltar
You walk. The territory is under seven square kilometres and Main Street to the border takes fifteen minutes on foot.
Getting in is the interesting part: you cross the airport runway, on foot or by road, and traffic stops when a plane lands. Since 15 July 2026 there are no routine passport or customs checks at the land border with Spain, so the long queues that used to build up leaving Gibraltar have gone.
Most visitors arrive by bus to La Línea from Málaga, Algeciras or Tarifa and walk across. Inside, buses run to Europa Point and Catalan Bay, and the cable car goes up the Rock.
Costs
What Gibraltar costs
Gibraltar is expensive for its size and accommodation is the reason: there is very little of it, prices are high, and most budget travellers sleep in La Línea across the border and walk in each morning.
The Upper Rock ticket is the main attraction cost, and the cable car is extra on top unless you buy a combined ticket.
Duty-free rates make alcohol and tobacco cheap and eating out costs more than Spain, so the standard approach is to see the Rock here and eat and sleep ten minutes away in another country.
Safety
Staying safe in Gibraltar
Gibraltar is very safe with low crime, and the town is comfortable at any hour.
The macaques are the genuine hazard, which sounds like a joke and is not. They are wild, they associate bags and plastic with food, and they will snatch, scratch and bite. Do not feed them — it is illegal and carries a fine — do not carry open bags or visible food up the Rock, and do not attempt selfies close to them.
Otherwise, the Mediterranean Steps are steep with drops, and summer heat on the exposed Rock is significant.
Entry and documents
Entry and documents
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, outside the EU. Under the UK–EU treaty applied from 15 July 2026, routine border checks at the land frontier with Spain were removed, and Schengen border rules are applied at Gibraltar's airport and port instead. Walking in from La Línea no longer involves passport control.
Visitors arriving by air or sea go through Schengen-style checks, including the EU Entry/Exit System for non-EU nationals, and Gibraltar now follows Schengen short-stay visa policy. Carry the passport or ID card you would need for Spain.
Official guidance on whether days spent in Gibraltar count towards the 90-day Schengen allowance is still reported inconsistently, so check the Government of Gibraltar's current advice if your Schengen days are tight.
When to go
Mild all year and rarely cold. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable for walking the Rock, and summer gets hot on exposed limestone.
Jan
Mild and quiet. Cheapest month
Feb
Still quiet. Comfortable for walking
Mar
Spring. Bird migration across the strait
Apr
Excellent. Warm and not yet busy
May
The best month. Clear views to Africa
Jun
Warm, and the day-trip crowds building
Jul
Hot and busy. The Rock is exposed and shadeless
Aug
Peak. Hot on the Rock and busy with day trips
Sep
Superb. Warm sea and thinning crowds
Oct
Excellent value. Comfortable walking weather
Nov
Mild and quiet
Dec
Mild, with a small Christmas atmosphere on Main Street
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. The Levante wind can cover the top of the Rock in cloud even on a hot day, which ruins the view across to Africa.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in pounds. Many visitors sleep in Spain and cut the bed line substantially.
Staying in La Línea across the border is considerably cheaper and ten minutes on foot. The Upper Rock ticket and cable car are the main fixed costs.
—
- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
What's on
What is on while you are there
A small calendar, with one national day that turns the whole territory red and white.
10 September
Gibraltar National Day
Gibraltar
The whole territory wears red and white, releases balloons and fills Casemates Square.
March and April
Spring bird migration
The strait
Raptors and storks crossing between Europe and Africa in large numbers.
Summer
Gibraltar Music Festival
Victoria Stadium
International acts on a very small rock.
June
Calentita Food Festival
Casemates Square
The territory's food festival, named after its chickpea bread.
November
Gibraltar Literary Festival
Gibraltar
Writers and talks, in the quiet season.
September and October
Autumn migration
The strait
The return crossing, and the best birdwatching of the year.
Hostels
Where to stay in Gibraltar
What is available here, live from Hostelworld. Options are very limited, and many travellers stay in La Línea across the border and walk in.
Gibraltar travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
How long do you need in Gibraltar?
A day covers the Upper Rock, the tunnels and Main Street. Staying overnight is worth it if you want to see the town after the day visitors leave, though most people sleep in La Línea across the border.
Do I need a passport to enter from Spain?
Since 15 July 2026 there are no routine checks at the land border, so walking in from La Línea is like crossing between two towns. Carry the passport or ID card you would need for Spain anyway, and expect Schengen-style checks if you arrive by air or sea.
Are the monkeys dangerous?
They are wild animals that associate bags and plastic with food, and they snatch, scratch and occasionally bite. Keep bags closed, keep food out of sight, and do not feed them — it is illegal and fined.
Is Gibraltar expensive?
For its size, yes, and accommodation is the problem: supply is very limited and prices are high. The standard approach is to sleep and eat in La Línea, ten minutes away in Spain, and visit for the day.
Should I take the cable car or walk?
The Mediterranean Steps take about ninety minutes up the eastern face and are the better arrival. The cable car is quicker and easier, and a combined ticket with the Upper Rock reserve is usually the best value.
Can I see Africa from Gibraltar?
On a clear day, yes — Morocco is 14km across the strait and clearly visible from the top and from Europa Point. The Levante wind can cover the summit in cloud even in hot weather, which is worth knowing before you buy a cable car ticket.
Does time in Gibraltar count towards Schengen?
Gibraltar now applies Schengen border rules, but official guidance on whether days here count towards the 90-day allowance is reported inconsistently. On a day trip from Spain it makes no difference; for longer stays, check the Government of Gibraltar's current advice.
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