Rock of Gibraltar

Rock of Gibraltar which includes a beach, mountains and general coastal views
Stand at the top of Gibraltar’s most famous landmark and enjoy panoramic views, a wealth of historic attractions and the famous macaque monkeys.

The Rock of Gibraltar is one of Europe’s most recognizable landmarks and home to a famous troupe of macaque monkeys. Towering 1,397 feet (426 meters) above Gibraltar, The Rock, as it is more commonly known, offers some of the continent’s most staggering views where you can stare across two continents and two seas.

Gibraltar’s monkeys are a famous bunch. As the only wild population of monkeys in Europe, the 230 barbary apes receive their fair share of attention and they revel in it. Hop in the cable car, which soars its way up the near-vertical rock and stop at Apes’ Den to get up close to the cheeky monkeys.

Leaping along the rocks, the pale brown-colored monkeys are entertaining to watch, but have been known to get a bit aggressive, especially if they have babies, so don’t get too close. It is believed the monkeys were either brought by Moors or, some say, arrived from Africa via an undersea tunnel which ended in St. Michael’s Cave. The monkeys are highly protected and there is a famous phrase in Gibraltar which states: "when the apes leave the Rock, so will the British."

Continue to the very top of the Rock of Gibraltar for truly breathtaking views. On a clear day you can easily see the coastline of Africa, the long Spanish Costa del Sol and the point where the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean collide, providing a true top-of-the-world feeling.

From the very top, start the steep walk back down The Rock to visit the other attractions such as the O’Hara’s Battery, St. Michael’s Cave, the Great Siege Tunnels and Military Heritage Center. On the way, look for the different plant species that grow on the different altitudes.

Much of the upper sections of The Rock are within the designated Upper Rock Nature Reserve and entry tickets also include access to the St. Michael’s Cave, the Apes’ Den, the Great Siege Tunnels, the Moorish Castle, the Military Heritage Centre and the 100 Ton Gun. No private vehicles are allowed to drive on St. Michael’s Road up The Rock however, you can either use the cable car, private tour bus, taxi or embark on a challenging hike.

Reviews of Rock of Gibraltar

4.5
Top destination
5 - Excellent
104
" "5 - Excellent 59.42857142857143%
4 - Good
56
" "4 - Good 32%
3 - Okay
10
" "3 - Okay 5.714285714285714%
2 - Disappointing
4
" "2 - Disappointing 2.2857142857142856%
1 - Terrible
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" "1 - Terrible 0.5714285714285714%

2/5 - Disappointing

Verified traveller
20 Oct 2019

Travelled to Gibraltar with a view to using the cable car to take us to the rock. The queue was 2 hours long and folk were constantly pestered in the queue by a taxi firm offering to drive them to the rock. My recommendation would be to pre-book a trip with one of the local companies. Gibraltar is not at all what I expected. It is a very busy location containing many of the U.K. shops.

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller
13 Oct 2019

Do not visit the top of the rock with a plastic bag. The monkeys think you have food in there and will grab it, or in my case jump on your back to grab it.

3/5 - Okay

Verified traveller
16 Sep 2019

If you have a forces discount card tale it with you. Big savings on the cable car!

4/5 - Good

EddieMc
8 Aug 2019

Use the taxi service to visit the Rock. St Michaels Caves Amazing, Monkeys were incredible. John ex police was an excellent tour guide with the taxi

5/5 - Excellent

Fiona
1 Jun 2019

Worth the £5 pp if walking daily. Allow all day and lots of water take, as only 1 cafe and information centre.

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller
29 Apr 2019

The mini bus trip to see a number of attractions at the rock is worth doing

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