From Wikitravel Shared

Gibraltar [1], colloquially known as The Rock, is an overseas territory of United Kingdom on the southern coast of Spain at the entrance to the Mediterranean sea.

[edit] Understand

[edit] History

In Greek mythology Gibraltar was Calpe, one of the Pillars of Hercules, which marked the edge of the Mediterranean and the known world.

In 711 Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Muslim governor of Tangier, landed at Gibraltar to launch the Islamic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The Rock took his name - Jabal al Tariq (Mountain of Tariq) eventually became Gibraltar.

Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. The topmost part of the Rock is still a British military installation, and off-limits to the public.

In referendums held in 1967 and 2002, the 27,800 Gibraltarians (2004 figure) ignored foreign pressure and voted overwhelmingly to reject any involvment by Spain in their government. On June 10th 2004, citizens of Gibraltar voted for the first time in the UK MEP (Member of the European Parliament) elections, as part of the South West constituency.

[edit] Respect

Remember that Gibraltar is British.

People from Gibraltar refer to themselves as Gibraltarian or 'Llanito' pronounced Ya-ni-to. They are easily offended if refered to as Spanish. Remember that Gibraltar has been British longer than the USA has existed, and indeed longer than Gibraltar was previously occupied by Spain. Take an interest in why they feel British, but never point out anything that you may think link them to Spain. Some Gibraltarians also feel sensitive to the use of the term 'colony' for their territory due to its connotations of being ruled or lacking in self-government.

Although the popular view is that the Spanish Government are the cause of many problems concerning Gibraltar, there is no animosity to individuals and Spanish tourists and workers experience no problems.

[edit] Talk

Gibraltar residents speak English and Spanish (with a local dialect).

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Gibraltar airport has daily scheduled flights to and from London-Gatwick (LGW)[British Airways] and London-Luton (LTN) [Monarch Airlines] in the UK, and to and from Madrid-Barajas (MAD) [Iberia Airlines]. From mid-2007 the new budget airline Fly Gibraltar will commence direct services from Gibraltar airport to London-Stansted (STN), Birmingham (BHX), Bristol (BRS), Manchester (MAN) and Dublin (DUB).

[edit] By car

Queues at the border may make it less time-consuming to park cars in La Línea and walk across. The land border is open 24 hours a day, though expect delays when planes are landing - the only road into Gibraltar runs right across the airport runway!

[edit] By bus

Buses from Spain stop just short of Gibraltar in La Línea, but its bus station is only 3 minutes walk from the border.

After walking across the border, there are buses every 15 minutes to the centre of Gibraltar and Europa Point, or it's only about another 10 minutes walk (across the runway and through a tunnel under the city walls) to the main Casemates Square.

At La Línea there are regular buses to and from Seville, Malaga, Cadiz, Granada etc. and hourly to Algeciras

From Algeciras you can get the bus to Gibraltar. When you walk out from the harbor (with ferries), turn left, walk along the main street for about 100m and then turn right. Continue about 200m along this street to the small building with railroads. There is small sign for the bus stop. This bus can get you to La Linea for about 1.6 euro and it goes every 30 minutes during the day. You will arrive at the bus station about 500m from the border with Gibraltar. In the summer it can take up to 2 hours to cross the boarder- air conditioning is recommended! But afterall it is worth it! HAVE FUN. Tarifa beach is the best place to go for surfing and body - boarding.

Current info for Malaga bus station: Estación de Autobuses de Málaga

[edit] By boat

When the frontier was closed, there was a ferry service from Gibraltar to Morocco. Although there may be an occasional passenger service geared up to the Moroccan workers in Gibraltar, who have problems crossing the frontier, the Gibraltar ferry has ceased and the nearest service is from Algeciras in Spain. These ferries accommodate cars.

Cruise ships often include Gibraltar as part of their itinery.

[edit] Get around

Gibraltar is less than 7 square kilometres, so most of it can be seen on foot. Bear in mind, though, that some of the roads (especially up to the Upper Rock) are very steep. Taxis that will take the strain out of the climbs, and all the taxi drivers seem to know all the apes by name. There is (number 3) bus service that runs from the frontier, through the town and on to Europa Point.

[edit] See

• Europa Point - where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, and from which the coast of Africa can be seen

• Upper Rock - military installation, and nature reserve where the famous apes live (Barbary macaques)

• St Michael's Cave - an impressive natural grotto used by the neolithic inhabitants of the Rock

• Siege Tunnels - a system of tunnels dug during the Great Siege which acted as a defence system

• Dolphin Watching - short trips in the bay (several times a day) - there are plenty of playful dolphins to see

• Gibraltar Museum

Cable cars run from 9.30am until 5.45pm to the Upper Rock. A "cable car and apes" ticket costs £8 return, while a ticket including entrance to St. Michael's Cave and the Siege Tunnels costs £16. Entrance to each sight costs £8 without this ticket.

[edit] Buy

Gibraltar uses the Gibraltar pound with coins and notes issued by the Government of Gibraltar. The currency is pegged to the UK pound sterling at a 1:1 conversion rate (one UK pound equals one Gibraltar pound). The UK pound can be used freely in Gibraltar, so there is no need to convert UK pounds to Gibraltar pounds. However, Gibraltarian notes and coins are not legal tender in the UK.

Most shops will accept Euros and US dollars. Bear in mind that shops will generally give you a worse rate of exchange than the numerous exchange offices and generally won't accept small change. Government departments and the Post Office will only take Gibraltar and UK pounds.

[edit] Eat

Irish Town, the road which runs parallel to Main Street has a number of bars, like The Clipper which has good food, friendly staff, and satellite television. They serve a hearty English breakfast for £3.50. There is also Corks which serves more substantial lunches and Sacarello's Coffe Shop which also serves food.

If you prefer to sit outside and watch the world go by, head for Casemates Square where a number of pubs & restaurants serve fairly similar meals.

Biancas or Charlies at Marina Bay are also worth a visit, as are some of the places at Queensway Quay if you fancy dining waterside.

[edit] Drink

The Lord Nelson on Casemates Square is one of the more popular pubs in Gibraltar. If the live music gets on your nerves then take a walk down Main Street for plenty more bars. Some other good bars include The Clipper, Star Bar (the oldest pub in Gibraltar), and The Horseshoe Bar. Best night to go out is probably on a Friday evening after 11pm. There is also Summer nights from 7pm on a Tue and Thurs.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Budget Options

• Emile Youth Hostel, Montague Bastion (centrally located just off Casemates Square) is a family-run hostel with basic shared rooms for £15 including continental breakfast.

• The Cannon Hotel, 9 Cannon Lane, just off the middle of Main Street, will give you a single room and breadkfast for £24.50 ( for up-to-date rates check out Their Website ).

• The Queens Hotel, Boyd Street, is located at the south entrance to Main Street. Marketing themselves as "Gibraltars 'only' Budget Hotel" ( not what category they'd put the Cannon in ), a single room starts at £50 per night ( for up-to-date rates check out their website ).

[edit] Luxury Options

• The Bristol Hotel , Cathedral Square, near the south end of Main Street.

• The Elliot Hotel, Governor's Parade, is just off Main Street, located roughly half-way between the Cannon, and The Queens.

• The Rock Hotel, Europa Road, located approximately 400 metres south of the Entrance to Main Street, up a fairly steep hill, the Rock Hotel isn't as central as some of the others mentioned here. It's one of the more expensive hotels in Gibraltar.

• The Caleta Palace Hotel, Catalan Bay, on the opposite side of the rock, is about a 2 miles by road from the town centre. The upside to this is a quiet relaxing atmosphere, that you're unlikely to get in the Town Centre.

[edit] Stay safe

Gibraltar has a low crime rate and a large and efficient police force modelled on the British system to ensure it stays that way.

[edit] Stay healthy

Gibraltar is part of the European health insurance scheme and has a health service similar to the United Kingdom, with a modern Hospital. Tourists should be aware that the apes are wild animals and can bite and scratch.

[edit] Get out

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