Gibraltar tips for seniors (and everyone else)
May 30th, 2023, 03:14 AM
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Gibraltar tips for seniors (and everyone else)
Hi,
We’re active seniors (70 and 75) that have been travelling abroad for the last 20 years. We came back from our trip to Spain two weeks ago. We started in Valencia, rented a car and drove down the coast to Gibraltar and back to Malaga. We enjoyed every minute!
We stayed at a hotel south of Estepona in order to drive to Gibraltar for a day trip. I researched this topic quite thoroughly so I knew where to park (on the Spanish side) and where to go once we entered Gibraltar.
All the sites that I read online recommended buying the cable car/ nature reserve combination ticket. When you get up to the peak, you start walking from site to site. In addition, they recommended buying the ticket online (you get a free shuttle to the cable car station etc….). So I did and it was a big mistake!
First of all, when we crossed the border, we discovered that the cable car was shut down that day because of strong winds. So if you’re planning on buying the combo ticket, do it at the kiosk at the border to avoid this situation. I got a refund afterwards but you still have to deal with it.
We didn’t know what to do since we only had one day scheduled to visit Gibraltar. The girl at the kiosk said that we could join a van tour with a guide – 2 and a half hours, entrance to all the sites and the van was leaving shortly. It cost a little more than the cable car combo ticket but what could we do?
Well, it turns out that we were just plain lucky that the cable car was shut down! When we began touring, we realized that we wouldn’t have been able to get to all the sites on the peak of the Rock by foot. The distances between the sites were long and very often there were steep inclines (going down a steep incline is difficult too!). We would have wasted most of the day walking from site to site which would have been exhausting for my partner. He can walk 6-7 kilometers a day but not up and down a steep road. The roads are extremely narrow (more like paved lanes) and are filled with these vans touring around the peak. The walkers and bicyclists have to hug the side of the road or wait until the vehicles pass. If we had gone up by cable car, we would have ended our visit pretty quickly.
As they say – all well that ends well. The sites that I read on Gibraltar were all young(er) bloggers. So here’s a trip report for those of you who can’t or don’t want to walk around the peak.
By the way, the van tour was excellent. The guide was a very good driver and he spoke several languages. He told us a lot of interesting information and was very helpful and attentive. There are many van tours offered. This is the one we arranged at the kiosk.
We’re active seniors (70 and 75) that have been travelling abroad for the last 20 years. We came back from our trip to Spain two weeks ago. We started in Valencia, rented a car and drove down the coast to Gibraltar and back to Malaga. We enjoyed every minute!
We stayed at a hotel south of Estepona in order to drive to Gibraltar for a day trip. I researched this topic quite thoroughly so I knew where to park (on the Spanish side) and where to go once we entered Gibraltar.
All the sites that I read online recommended buying the cable car/ nature reserve combination ticket. When you get up to the peak, you start walking from site to site. In addition, they recommended buying the ticket online (you get a free shuttle to the cable car station etc….). So I did and it was a big mistake!
First of all, when we crossed the border, we discovered that the cable car was shut down that day because of strong winds. So if you’re planning on buying the combo ticket, do it at the kiosk at the border to avoid this situation. I got a refund afterwards but you still have to deal with it.
We didn’t know what to do since we only had one day scheduled to visit Gibraltar. The girl at the kiosk said that we could join a van tour with a guide – 2 and a half hours, entrance to all the sites and the van was leaving shortly. It cost a little more than the cable car combo ticket but what could we do?
Well, it turns out that we were just plain lucky that the cable car was shut down! When we began touring, we realized that we wouldn’t have been able to get to all the sites on the peak of the Rock by foot. The distances between the sites were long and very often there were steep inclines (going down a steep incline is difficult too!). We would have wasted most of the day walking from site to site which would have been exhausting for my partner. He can walk 6-7 kilometers a day but not up and down a steep road. The roads are extremely narrow (more like paved lanes) and are filled with these vans touring around the peak. The walkers and bicyclists have to hug the side of the road or wait until the vehicles pass. If we had gone up by cable car, we would have ended our visit pretty quickly.
As they say – all well that ends well. The sites that I read on Gibraltar were all young(er) bloggers. So here’s a trip report for those of you who can’t or don’t want to walk around the peak.
By the way, the van tour was excellent. The guide was a very good driver and he spoke several languages. He told us a lot of interesting information and was very helpful and attentive. There are many van tours offered. This is the one we arranged at the kiosk.
Nov 3rd, 2023, 05:59 AM
#6
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We had a car. I don't think that Gibraltar is worth an overnight but it is definitely worth a visit. It's unique. We stayed near Estepona to shorten the drive to Gibraltar I think if I wasn't driving, I would book an organized tour to Gibraltar and let someone else do the driving.
Nov 3rd, 2023, 06:21 AM
#7
We've been to Gibraltar twice, staying a couple of nights in one case. I quite enjoy the place: We stayed at The Rock Hotel, which combines wonderful views and an impossibly rich history (John and Yoko got married there; it hosted the likes of Churchill, Sean Connery and many others) along with an anachronistic atmosphere like that of Raffles Hotel in Singapore - stiff upper lip, chaps.
The Rock itself is fascinating; the times we were there the gondola wasn't working, but that was okay - we enjoyed just driving and walking around the city - out to Europa Point with its big lighthouse and nearby giant mosque, built by the Saudi king and said to be visible from Morocco. One notable feature of Gibraltar is its sizable Jewish community, the biggest (as far as I know) in Iberia.
Oh, and apes. Lots of apes.
Europa Point lighthouse
Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim mosque
Jebel Musa, the southern Pillar of Hercules in Morocco, from The Rock hotel
On our hotel verandah
The Rock itself is fascinating; the times we were there the gondola wasn't working, but that was okay - we enjoyed just driving and walking around the city - out to Europa Point with its big lighthouse and nearby giant mosque, built by the Saudi king and said to be visible from Morocco. One notable feature of Gibraltar is its sizable Jewish community, the biggest (as far as I know) in Iberia.
Oh, and apes. Lots of apes.
Europa Point lighthouse
Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim mosque
Jebel Musa, the southern Pillar of Hercules in Morocco, from The Rock hotel
On our hotel verandah
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