12 Best Things to Do in Gibraltar for First-Time Visitors

Gibraltar looks like a British high street that someone accidentally dropped onto the Mediterranean coast. That’s not a criticism. That’s exactly what makes it interesting.

Most people don’t realise Gibraltar isn’t part of Spain at all. It’s a British Overseas Territory, with red post boxes, fish and chip shops, and pubs serving Sunday roasts… all within sight of the African coastline. As UK residents, we found the whole thing wonderfully disorienting.

It’s also often treated as a quick day trip from southern Spain. And while you can see the highlights in a few hours, that’s also how you miss what actually makes Gibraltar worth visiting.

We spent four days exploring Gibraltar properly. The honest verdict? You don’t need that long, but you do need more than a rushed stop if you want to experience it beyond the surface.

Here are the 12 best things to do in Gibraltar, the ones we’d actually prioritise after seeing what’s worth your time, and what isn’t. Highlights include meeting the only wild monkey population in Europe, the cave light show at St Michael’s that we’re still talking about, and spotting dolphins on a sea cruise we almost didn’t book.

1. Meet Europe’s only wild monkeys

Before we even started researching Gibraltar, we had no idea that Europe had wild monkeys. Around 300 Barbary macaques roam freely on the Upper Rock, the only wild monkey population in Europe.

The lighthouse is the best photo spot, in our opinion. While we were there, we spotted black speedboats patrolling the waters below, border control vessels monitoring one of the world’s busiest maritime crossings between Europe and Africa.

We hadn’t expected that, and it made the whole place feel more significant somehow.

We took the bus to get there, got ice cream from a kiosk nearby, and spent about an hour and a half before heading back.

If you only have one day in Gibraltar, this one can wait. With two days, we’d definitely recommend stopping by.

From the outside, we initially mistook it for a WW2 bunker. On the inside, it’s essentially a stairwell and a few rooms with a few signs to explain what you’re looking at.

But climb to the top and it earns its place on this list. The views over the city are phenomenal, and then you notice the runway directly below.

A plane lands, taxis away, and a few minutes later they open the gates and people just walk across. From the castle you can watch the whole sequence play out. It’s without a doubt one of the most unusual things you can do in Gibraltar.

4. Spot dolphins on a sea cruise

The Strait of Gibraltar is home to three dolphin species, and sightings are about as close to guaranteed as wildlife experiences get.

Don’t skip this one! We didn’t plan to take a dolphin tour. Four days in Gibraltar left us with spare time, and honestly, it turned out to be the best decision we made.

Our top tip: If you want to see wild dolphins without spending hours figuring out the best spot or operator, we booked this dolphin watching tour and truly loved it. The guide’s knowledge about dolphin behaviour and habitat added a lot.

On the tour, we were scanning the water for a few minutes before the guide pointed ahead. And then suddenly there were dozens of them, swimming alongside the boat and leaping through the waves we created.

In summer, whale watching trips are also available out into the Strait.

👉 Watching dolphins leap beside the boat is something you don’t forget. Book the Gibraltar dolphin tour and see it for yourself.

5. Visit the colourful fishing village of Catalan Bay

Catalan Bay is hands down the most picturesque spot in Gibraltar, and somehow, hardly anyone seems to know it.

When we walked there from the main town centre, there wasn’t a single tourist in sight. Just locals going about their day, colourful houses lining the bay, and the Rock as a background.

It’s small (you can walk the whole village in about 10 minutes) but it looks a bit like a colourful scene in Disneyland… in the best possible way.

The largest chamber in the cave doubles as a 400-seat concert venue.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a performance on the day we visited, but we can imagine that seeing a concert down there would be something we’d love to experience.

When you go, definitely bring a light jacket. It drains consistently through the rock and gets quite wet inside.

If you only do ONE thing on the Rock, make it this!

If the tunnels remind you of somewhere, that’s not a coincidence. They’re often compared to Luxembourg’s Bock Casemates, sometimes called the Gibraltar of the North.

At 340 metres (1,115 feet) above sea level, the views over Gibraltar, the Costa del Sol, and Morocco on a clear day are impressive.

It’s smaller than the photos suggest, and less frightening than Busan’s X the Sky or NYC’s Edge at Hudson Yards. The glass isn’t particularly clear, which makes it more accessible if heights aren’t your thing.

The best surprise? The monkeys have claimed the glass platform as their own and seem very happy about it.

The ascent involves 660 steep steps, but we didn’t find ourselves stopping for rest.

The views got better with every single step, the monkeys kept us entertained along the way, and knowing the history of what you’re climbing made the whole thing feel surprisingly meaningful.

It spans 70 metres (230 feet) and does sway a little, but this is no Indiana Jones bridge.

It’s perfectly manageable for anyone who isn’t afraid of heights. What makes it memorable is looking straight down at the entire city of Gibraltar below you, with the bay stretching out behind it. We were grinning the whole way across.

A nice way to end a day on the Rock.

The wax figures are a bit cheesy if we’re honest, but seeing the period uniforms and the original machinery in context makes the whole place feel more real.

Standing in that control room, you start to actually imagine what it must have been like to be stationed up here during wartime. You’re so high up on the Rock, so exposed, so far from everything.

The cannon installed here in 1901 had a range of 26 kilometres (16 miles). That number means a lot more once you’re standing next to it.

You can also buy it on ticket booking platforms like GetYourGuide, which we love for most things, but the same pass there costs significantly more, so for this specific ticket the official website is the better option.

That said, if you’re physically fit, we’d still recommend hiking. We did both (cable car one day, hiking another day), and the hike is far more rewarding.

Our top tip: If you’d prefer to explore the Upper Rock with a local guide, this Upper Rock walking tour has a 4.9-star rating and covers the highlights with context you won’t get wandering on your own.

We’ve visited 450+ cities across the world, and Gibraltar still managed to surprise us. But here’s the thing: a lot of what makes it so special only lands if you’ve already travelled a bit.

The red phone boxes, the fish and chips, the British pubs… all of this sitting on the Mediterranean coast, right next to Spain. If you’ve never been to Britain or Spain, those details won’t hit the same way.

What’s universally special is the combination of wild monkeys in Europe, standing close enough to see Africa, crossing an airport runway on foot, and walking through 18th-century tunnels. There is nowhere else on the continent quite like it.

If you’re already in southern Spain, then visiting Gibraltar is an easy yes. If you’re planning a first trip to Europe, there are European cities we’d put ahead of it. But at some point in your travels? Absolutely!

Both months are strong, but June edges it with up to 11 hours of sunshine and very few rain days. September is also solid if you’ve missed the early summer window, with even fewer rain days, though slightly less sunshine.

We spent four days in Gibraltar, which was too long. Two days give you enough time to cover all the highlights without running out of things to do.

On day two, come back down to street level. Walk Main Street and Casemates Square, explore the southernmost point of Gibraltar (Europa Point), see the marina area in Ocean Village, and visit the colourful fishing village of Catalan Bay.

This is where you actually feel the British-Spanish mix.

If you prefer to go at your own pace, hiring a car is the most flexible option. Drive to La Línea de la Concepción on the Spanish side, leave the car there, and walk across the border into Gibraltar.

Parking inside the territory is limited and not worth the hassle.

If you’d rather have the logistics taken care of, a guided day trip from the Costa del Sol is a great alternative.

You’ll have a local guide who shares context about the region on the way there, and once you arrive, all the navigation is handled for you.

Ready to plan your Gibraltar trip?

Gibraltar is one of those places that’s hard to categorise. It’s not quite British, not quite Spanish, not quite like anywhere else in Europe.

The monkeys alone are reason enough to visit, but the Rock, the tunnels, the bay, and the British-Spanish vibe of the place make it one of the most unexpected destinations we’ve come across in all our years of travelling.

Two days is all you need. Spend day one on the Upper Rock and day two at street level, with Europa Point and Catalan Bay rounding it out nicely.

Did you know Gibraltar has its own language, you can get married there with one day’s notice, and its tunnels are twice as long as its roads? Our Gibraltar facts post covers 20 things worth knowing before you go.

And if you’re building a wider southern Spain trip, don’t sleep on Seville. It’s about two hours from Gibraltar by car and one of our favourite cities in Europe. Stunning Moorish architecture, incredible food, and a completely different energy to the coast. Our guide to the best things to do in Seville is a great place to start.

All pictures captured with Panasonic Lumix S5