Ships / Ferries / Boats, Gibraltar

We arrived in Gibraltar on a cruise. Once at the port, there are 2 options to explore Gibraltar (assuming you go by yourself and skip the visits organized by the ship operator): negotiate a taxi tour with one of the many taxi drivers available at the port or walk to the city. We choose to walk.

Once we got out of the ship, and inside the customs house, we went to the Tourism Office where we got a map and indications to walk to Main Street and then further to the cable car. Accordingly to the information we received, it is a 20 minute walk from the port to Main Street, via Casemate Square and the North Bastion. It took us a bit longer since it was a hot day, we were travelling with a toddler that insists in walking instead of using a baby car and we kept stopping to either buy or drink water. However, if you're an adult, I believe 20 minute is a good estimate to move between the dock and Main Street.

As Gibraltar has had in 2006, 170 cruise liners with 187,937 passengers I thought of writing a transportation tip for visitors that arrive on board a cruise liner. Just outside the liner terminal there are taxis which offer shuttle service for £2, they take you to the town centre. If you want to walk its about a ten minute walk. The buses are for prebooked tours.

If you are arriving to Gibraltar by cruise ship here are a few things to be aware of:

1) Stops in Gibraltar are, many times, shorter than other port visits leaving you limited time to see the sights.

2) Although the area is rather small you need transportation to see the popular highlights of the area. Your transportation options include:
* A shore excursion from your ship .
* Finding your way to the cable car for a self tour.
* Using one of the local Shuttle/Taxi tours of the area.

3) If you are traveling during the summer, the heat and humidity can be brutal. What seems on paper to be a moderate to easy walk to the entrance of the old town and then on to the cable car can be very difficult especially for small children and those with walking or health problems.

4) During the summer the wait for the cable car is generally very long- an hour or more. There is little or no shade while waiting in line for the cable car and no place to sit down. If you do try to get into the station, everybody in line will think that you are cutting in line and you will get dirty looks and rude comments! Cable car tickets ar about 26 -27 euros, certainly no bargain.

We thought that we would take the shuttle provided by the ship to the entrance to the old town to save ourselves some walking, then stroll/window shop over to the cable car for a self tour. BIG MISTAKE! The shopping was expensive AND cheesy and by the time we made our way to the cable car we and my parents especially, were exhausted from the sheer heat and humidity. We found a one hour line at the cable car.

We never got to see the sights of upper Gibraltar or the Barbary apes but we did get to experience dehydration and sunburn!

So, thus, my advice to you if you are traveling to Gibraltar via cruise ship- Book an excursion through the ship or take a shuttle tour offered right at the dock for about 50 euros per van. You might even have time afterwards for some fish and chips and a Guiness before the ship departs!

Basically, two warnings about getting to Gibraltar by ferry.
Firstly, if you are on a boat getting there late, remember that the terminal will be quite deserted and no taxis will be waiting for you. So unless you have a mobile and a taxi number, or have accommodation near the terminal, be prepared for a bit of a walk.
Finally, we took the Sunday evening ferry from Tangier and didn't know that this was a major shuttle journey for Moroccans who work during the week. This made it very congested, and unless you are an EU member, also difficult to get through customs quickly. Also, this particular ferry doesn't tell you when you get to Gibraltar!

Only two and half hours away by air, you can get to Gibraltar from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester Airports. British Airways operates scheduled flights on a daily basis. There are also regular flights to Africa also run by British Airways.
There is a ferry service between Gibraltar and Morocco.

The border with Spain is open 24 hours a day, and you can drive or walk in with no restriction on the number of border crossings in a day.

Gib is a good en route point - we flew in from London to get to Morocco - strolled across the border into Spain and took a taxi to Algerciras and then the ferry to Tangier. And took exactly the reverse getting out.

Visiting on CRUISE SHIPS they all call at the one terminal.By car from Spain 1hr-30mins along the N-340.
BY BUS TO-FROM = PORTILLO S.
If you take my tour I will pick you up at any of the entry points which are two.To do the town , mainstreet,etc it's easier on foot, parking is pretty bad here.There is a frontier-town bus srevice.

Unless you are one of the day trippers, the best way to get to Gibraltar is to enjoy the smooth efficiency of a GB Airways flight from London. If you are nervous, however, it is best to shut your eyes as the 737 banks around the Rock and drops on to the short runway sticking out into the Mediterranean. It's only a ten-minute walk to the nearest pub.