After leaving Estepona, our next destination was Gibraltar, which was only about 45 kilometers away. Since rental cars were not allowed to cross into Gibraltar, we opted to stay on the Spanish side in the town of La Línea, located right on the border with Gibraltar.
We chose our accommodation based on its location, and the hotel was Ohtels Campo de Gibraltar, just 700 meters walking distance from the Gibraltar border. The hotel was quite basic but clean, and the balcony offered views of the sea, which is always a plus.
La Línea itself didn’t really impress us, as the town had a rather stark feel to it. However, the beach and harbor area were quite nice, offering a good view of the Rock of Gibraltar.
Crossing the Border into Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, so it’s important to remember to bring your passport when visiting. At the border, there is a passport control, which is a straightforward process of walking up to the border and showing your passport. After that, you’re in Gibraltar. Quite easy and hassle-free, although quite familiar in European territories. Gibraltar is very small, so it’s easy to get around on foot. From the border between Gibraltar and Spain to the other end of the peninsula is just under 6 kilometers on foot.
After crossing the border, you’ll encounter the first unique feature: Gibraltar Airport is right after the border, and the runway is crossed on foot. This is probably one of the few places in the world where you’re essentially at a traffic light with airplanes. However, we’re not sure how often planes actually use the runway, as we didn’t see any during our visit. Nevertheless, the runway is operational, and it is closed to other traffic during takeoff and landing.
Britishness Everywhere
Once you’ve crossed the runway, you’ll notice that you’ve arrived on British soil, with red telephone booths, red fire hydrants, and other signs reminiscent of Britain. Before arriving, we wondered if Gibraltar would be much different from Spain, but the difference was quite clear.
Naturally, the currency is the British pound, but credit cards are widely accepted everywhere we went, so there’s no need to carry cash. Euros are also accepted, but the exchange rate is unfavorable, so it’s more expensive, especially if you use cash frequently.
The streets of the city center are full of shops, restaurants, cafes, and of course, British pubs. We spent some time exploring the city center and admiring the British atmosphere before heading towards the tip of Gibraltar.
On the way, there is the beautiful Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, located just after the cable car station leading up the mountain. It’s a nice-sized park where you can spend time exploring different areas. Admission to the park was free. It’s definitely worth a visit, a very beautiful place.
Along the way to the tip of the peninsula, there are many interesting sights, such as old cannons and other historical sites like fortifications. There are also several spots on the beach where you can enjoy the sea.
Here are a few highlights of interesting places further into Gibraltar:
– 100 Ton Gun Napier of Magdala Battery – A military museum featuring various artillery pieces.
– Rosia Bay – A nice spot on the southern edge of the bay to enjoy the sea and the waves.
– Camp Bay, Gibraltar – Seawater pools and a couple of restaurants right by the sea.
– Parsons Lodge – A striking fortress on a small hill, right by the sea.
Africa Just 20 Kilometers Away
From Gibraltar, you can easily see Africa, with the mountains of Morocco rising on the opposite shore just about 20 kilometers away. We admired the views here and the incredibly beautiful sunset, which first turned the sky orange and then purple. The sun set directly in front of us, so this was the perfect place to watch the sunset.
As evening fell, we headed back towards the city center. The atmosphere was quite special as the shops closed, and the streets were almost empty, allowing us to admire the beautiful buildings in peace. We even encountered a very stereotypical British policeman with a helmet on the street, which was amusing to see, but we didn’t dare to take a picture.
After marveling for a while, we headed back to the hotel with plans to climb the main attraction, the Rock of Gibraltar, the next day. However, our plans changed when food poisoning struck, confining us to bed the following day, with no hope of venturing far from the hotel. We had to take an extra night at the hotel until we recovered and could continue our journey. At this point, we decided to move on and skip the climb up the Rock. But at least we now have a reason to return to Gibraltar!
