Visiting Gibraltar Cruise Port and wondering how to visit the Rock of Gibraltar? The Rock of Gibraltar is considered the main attraction in Gibraltar. The Rock of Gibraltar is protected, so you’ll also hear it referred to as the Gibraltar Nature Reserve.
There are three ways to reach the top of the Rock of Gibraltar (aka Gibraltar Nature Reserve): (a) Cable Car (b) Hike Up and (c) Mini-Van Taxi Tour.
So in this guide, I’ll share your transports options from Gibraltar Cruise Port to the Cable Car Station, so you can easily get up to the top of Rock of Gibraltar and explore on your own. I’ll also share what there is to see and do, once you get to the Rock of Gibraltar.
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Gibraltar Cruise Port: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎😎😎 Straightforward
If you’re wondering whether you can see the Rock of Gibraltar on your own, then you’ll be happy to know that my DIY Shore Excursion Rating for Gibraltar is 4 😎😎😎😎 Straightforward. Here’s why:
- Multiple Transport Options to Rock of Gibraltar: Bus, shuttle or just walk to the Cable Car station. From there, it’s an easy ride up to the Rock of Gibraltar
- Walk Around at the Top of the Rock: Once you’ve up to the Rock of Gibraltar, many of the attractions I’ll discuss below are within reasonable walking distance from the upper cable car station.
- Ad Hoc Taxi Tour: If navigating to the cable car station is too much for you, then there’s ad hoc taxi tours starting from just outside the Gibraltar Cruise Port gates. (Not every port has this option!)
In this guide, I’ll mainly focus on a DIY excursion via the cable car option, in keeping up with the DIY spirit of this blog!
Gibraltar Cruise Port Essentials: What Your Need to Know
- Gibraltar Cruise Port Schedule: Check whether your ship is the only one at port at Gibraltar Cruise Authority – the official website
- Gibraltar Cruise Port Address: 4JXM+3MQ, Gibraltar GX11 1AA, Gibraltar – see it marked on my map below 👇
- Currency: Gibraltar pound, which is pegged to the British Pound (GBP) 1 to 1. Most shops and even buses will take Euros notes and coins. If you choose to pay in Euros, you may find that the exchange rate is rather poor. You may also get your change back in Gibraltar pounds.
- GBP accepted: British Pound Sterling (GBP) notes and coins are accepted in Gibraltar. Note Scottish or Northern Ireland notes and coins are not accepted in Gibraltar.
- Gibraltar pounds are only accepted in Gibraltar and not accepted in United Kingdom. This means that if you withdraw or exchange any home currency into Gibraltar Pounds, you won’t be able to use them even if your cruise is, let’s say, heading off to Southampton or another British Isles port.
- Language: English. Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory.
- Official Tourism Websites: Visit Gibraltar
- Transport App: I used Google Maps to check directions. Gibraltar is so small that there’s only 1 or 2 bus routes that most tourists will use anyway and I’ll explain those below.
- eSIM for roaming in Gibraltar: For a great data connection without the huge roaming fees, use an eSim data pack from Airalo. I always recommend having a smartphone with a valid plan when you’re at port touring independently. Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo when you use ROXANN1666 when you sign up or apply it at checkout
Update 2025: UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is not required to enter Gibraltar as Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and technically not part of UK’s immigration system. To check whether you need a visa to enter Gibraltar, visit the official website of Borders & Coastguard Agency Gibraltar. As always, it will depend on which passport you hold.
Gibraltar Cruise Port Map
- On Desktop | Laptop? Use buttons on bottom left to zoom in/out. Click on the upper right hand corner to see a bigger version.
- On Tablet | Mobile? Pinch your screen to zoom in/out and use two fingers to move map around. If you have Google Maps installed on your tablet/mobile, my map will open in your Google Maps app if you click on the upper right hand corner.
- If map is not loading correctly, click here to see it directly on Google Maps.
Getting to the Top of the Rock of Gibraltar
There are 3 ways to get to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar:
- Cable Car: Get yourself to the base station of the Gibraltar Cable Car and you’ll be whisked to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar in 6 minutes! Note that the cable car may be closed in the event of high winds.
- Hike Up : It takes about 1.5 hours but it does depend on your pace. (I have never hiked up but I have walked down from the top!).
- Mini-Van Tour: Join a tour from just outside the port gates at Gibraltar Cruise Port. Standard tours are usually 90 minutes – 2 hours long and some operators offer extended tours up to 4 hours. Official taxis in Gibraltar start their tours from Gibraltar Cruise Port, while third party operators usually start their tours elsewhere in Gibraltar. The shortest 1.5 hr tour start from £45 per person, including entry tickets to the Rock of Gibraltar (aka Nature Reserve).
Note: I’ve never taken a mini-van or taxi tour at Gibraltar Cruise Port. So I won’t be doing any specific recommendations for either official taxi tours or third party mini-van tours. But you’ll find many online reviews if you search for them on Google.
Gibraltar Cruise Port to Cable Car Station: Your Transport Options
Due to local taxi association restrictions, your cruise line will not operate a cruise shuttle bus, whether that be a complimentary or paid shuttle bus. Your cruise line will, of course, still operate tours or shore excursions, just not a shuttle bus that effectively competes with the local taxis.
Here are your four options to get to from Gibraltar Cruise Port to the cable car station:
1. Bus 5&10 from Gibraltar Cruise Port
The Bus No. 5&10 (yes, five and ten, not a typo!), operated by Citibus will take you to the cable car station.
Note Citibus is a private bus company. The government-run bus company called “Gibraltar Bus Company” runs quite a few other local bus routes but not a route that runs directly from Gibraltar Cruise Port to the cable car station.
- Finding the Bus Stop: The bus stop closest to Gibraltar Cruise port is called “North Mole Road“, a 8-10 minute from the cruise terminal on flat ground. Exit the cruise terminal gates and keep walking straight till the first big roundabout and you should see the bus stop.
- Where to Get Off: Get off at the last stop called “Boyd Street Terminus (Cable Car)“
- Timetable: Services run every 15 mins but less frequently on a Sunday – check bus timetables here
- Tickets: A return bus ticket is £2.40 or €3.60 for adults and £2 or €3 for kids. Cash only. Purchase tickets from the driver.
- Day Hopper sold online: An unlimited-ride 1-day “hopper ticket” is £6 or €9 for adults and £4 or €6 for kids. If you don’t have any £ or € cash with you, then you can purchase the day hopper ticket online on Citibus website. Note that one-way or return tickets are not sold online.
2. Local Taxi Shuttle Bus to City Centre, then Walk
Local taxis in Gibraltar operate a 6 – 8 people mini-van type shuttle bus from Gibraltar Cruise Port to the City Centre. From the city centre, you can then walk to the cable car station in about 15 minutes.
These taxi shuttles don’t take you directly to the cable car station. As you imagine, the local taxis would prefer not to take you directly to the cable car station. Taxis would much prefer that you join a taxi tour instead.
Tickets for the local taxi shuttle can be purchased directly with the local taxis with no pre-booking required. Both £ and € are accepted. Shuttle tickets are £5 return.
3. Walk for around 30 minutes
My Experience: On my last visit to Gibraltar in April 2023, I did do the walk from the cruise port to the cable car station, with some of my fellow cruisers who wanted to do the same. We did it in 35 minutes! Most of the walk was on flat ground but the last 5-10 minutes have some uphill sections. Believe it or not, even with the walk, we arrived before the crowds from our ship attending group excursions got there. We also got on to the second cable car, after about a 5 minute wait.
Start early! I would, however, recommend this early in the day, or at other times, as a last resort. Gibraltar’s average temperature is around 28°C – 30°C (82°F – 86°F) in July and August. I arrived on a particularly warm day in April and fortunately did the walk early in the morning when it was still relatively cool. By noon, it would certainly have been too hot to do the walk.
4. Taxi to Cable Car Station
There are also taxis available to take you to wherever you like – you’ll find them outside the port gates. Walk past the taxis acting as shuttle buses.
Note that the taxis also sell private tours up to the Rock and to other attractions, so they may prefer to sell you a tour rather than just a ride to the cable car station. As always, my DIY guide list options besides taxis because they can be hard to secure when there’s a shipload full of cruisers who all want one! 😅
Also, do not expect to easily secure a taxi back to Gibraltar Cruise Port. Locals have complained for years that it’s impossible to secure a taxi in Gibraltar when they need one, because licensed taxis are off during more lucrative work of chauffeuring tourists in tours to the Rock.
Rock of Gibraltar (aka Nature Reserve): Your Ticket Options
1. Return Cable Car & Nature Reserve Ticket Combo
- 2025 prices: £49 for adults, £31 for kids under 12, £47 for seniors 65+ and students.
- ALL attractions on Rock of Gibraltar included: Once you’ve paid for the Nature Reserve ticket, all the attractions on the Rock of Gibraltar are included. There is no additional entry fee or surcharge for any of the attractions I list below.
- Without a ticket to the Nature Reserve, you won’t be able to see any of the attractions I discuss below. You’ll only be able to enjoy the views from the cafe and restaurant at the cable car station.
2. One-Way Cable Car & Nature Reserve Ticket Combo
- 2025 prices: £46.50 adults, £31 kids under 12 (that’s right, same price as return cable car!), £45 for seniors 65+ and students.
- If you intend to see most of the attractions in the Nature reserve, you can walk down to each of them, then walk back to the town centre. This way, you’ll only need the cable car up. I found that walking back up to the cable car station was the most difficult option! 😅
3. Return Cable Car Only, No Entry to Nature Reserve
- 2025 prices: £19 for adults, £9 for kids under 12 and £17 for seniors 65+ and students. No access to Nature Reserve. But you can stay in the cable car station and enjoy the views from the cable car station viewing platform
4. Nature Reserve Ticket: Hikers Only
If you’d like to hike up to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar, you still need to purchase an entry ticket to the Nature Reserve. 2025 Prices: a 1-day Nature Reserve entry ticket is £30 for adults and £22 for kids.
Should I Ride The Cable Car? Or Join a Tour?
It depends on (a) how long you want to tour Gibraltar for, (b) whether you want to visit all the attractions on the Rock of Gibraltar and (c) whether you’re comfortable walking between the various attractions.
A tour typically doesn’t visit everything that I list below, purely because touring them all isn’t possible in a typical 2-hour tour. The cable car option will inevitably involve more walking than joining a tour.
Tours are the Short and sweet option: If you want to get to the top of the Rock, take a few snaps and be back to the ship in two hours, a group taxi tour is a good way to go. They follow a standard itinerary and will include the tickets to the Nature Reserve, making it a highly efficient way to tour Gibraltar. A standard 1.5 hr tour, typically scheduled with 4 stops, starts from £45 per person.
Join an “ad hoc” Taxi Tour at Gibraltar Cruise Port: You definitely won’t miss the taxi tours! You’ll see plenty of drivers holding signs just outside the port gates! The taxi marshall will put smaller groups together to fit everyone into the taxi van and then off you go! Taxis tours will take debit/credit cards but double-check with the driver first, just in case someone’s card machine isn’t working!
Pre-Book a Tour: Most tour operators (ie. not taxis) will commence their tours at 8 Reclamation Road, about a 20-minute walk from Gibraltar Cruise Port. (It’s because these tours largely cater to tourists crossing from the Spanish border.) Expect a 2-hour tour stopping at the Apes’ Den and St Michael’s Cave. For something different, see the Rock on an e-bike to make going up the hill easier – this tour leaves 15 minutes’ walk from Gibraltar Cruise Port.
Cable Car Option means flexibility: You can see what you want to see and stay at each attraction for as long as you want. The group tours, unless you buy a private full day excursion, won’t cover all the main attractions on the Rock of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar Cable Car & Rock of Gibraltar FAQs
I’ve received loads of great questions in the comments section below! So to save you having to read through all the comments and my replies, here’s all the FAQs:
Top Attractions on the Rock of Gibraltar
I’ve listed the attractions below in the order that you would see them as you walk downhill from the upper cable car station. If you want to catch the cable car back down, then my recommendation is to plan ahead and decide what’s the furthest attraction you will see before you turn around and walk back up to the cable car station.
1. Enjoy the Views from Cable Car Viewing Platform
As soon as you get off the cable car, you’ll see signs to both the viewing platform and a cafe at the cable car station. From the viewing platform, you can see the western half of Gibraltar and Spain, across the Bay of Gibraltar.
2. Walk the Skywalk
The Skywalk is a glass platform at the top of the Nature Reserve. It is glass on the side as well as the bottom. I’m scared of heights and that’s probably why I have no photos to show for it! 😅
From this vantage point, there’s a 360-degree vista that stretch across the Strait of Gibraltar to the coast of Africa, over the Bay of Gibraltar towards Spain and across the expansive Mediterranean Sea.
Built on the foundations of a former WWII lookout point, the Skywalk is located at an altitude of 340m (~1,115 feet) above sea level. While it’s not the highest point that visitors can hike up to within the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, the Skywalk nonetheless gives you incredible views!
How to Get to the Skywalk: From the upper cable car station, follow signs and walk downhill. There’s only one road when you exit the upper cable car station! You’ll be at the SkyWalk in about 8-10 mins – the walk is about 400m or ~1,300 feet.
3. Hike to O’Hara’s Battery
For hikers and keen walkers only: Shortly after departing Skywalk, you will see a fork in the road – one path heading uphill and the other path heading downhill. The uphill path leads to O’Hara’s Battery, the highest publicly accessible point in Gibraltar. The downhill path leads to St Michael’s Cave – see below.
O’Hara’s Battery is named after General Charles O’Hara, who served as Governor of Gibraltar from 1795 to 1802. He commissioned the construction of a watchtower near this location, believing (mistakenly) that it would allow observation of the Spanish fleet movements in the distant port of Cadiz.
Atmospheric haze made this impossible and the tower was dubbed “O’Hara’s Folly”. The tower is long gone but the name stuck. Today, you’ll see a massive Mark X breech-loading gun, installed in its current location in 1901.
4. Visit St. Michael’s Cave
St. Michael’s Cave is one of Gibraltar’s most spectacular natural wonders! It’s not just a single cavern but a network of limestone caves.
The primary draw is the breathtaking display of stalactites (hanging down from the ceiling) and stalagmites (growing up from the floor), formed over thousands of years by dripping rainwater filtering through the limestone rock. You’ll see formations of all shapes and sizes, some massive and ancient, others delicate and intricate.
The Cathedral Cave is the largest chamber and is famous for its incredible natural acoustics. There’s seating available in the Cathedral Cave and you can enjoy a mini-light show called “The Awakening” that illuminates the rock formations to music. So this is a good resting spot too, if it’s a particularly hot day outside.
How to Get to St Michael’s Cave: From Skywalk, follow signs for St Michael’s Cave. The walk is slightly uphill for a bit before heading downhill again. The walk is about 10 minutes, around 650m (~0.4 miles).
5. Cross the Windsor Suspension Bridge
The Windsor Suspension Bridge in Gibraltar spans a 50m (~165 feet) deep gorge. It’s a relatively recent addition to Gibraltar’s attraction, having only been open in 2016.
This suspension bridge is 71 metres (233 feet) long. There’s great views of the harbour as well as the gorge underneath the suspension bridge. As with all suspension bridges, note that the bridge does sway!
How to Get to Windsor Suspension Bridge: After you leave St Michael’s Cave, follow along the road downhill. (If you walk uphill, you’ll be heading to Spur Battery.) The walk is about 800m (~0.5 miles) and should take about 10-12 minutes. You’ll be walking downhill the entire way.
6. See the Barbary Macaques at the Apes’ Den
The Barbary Macaques are Europe’s only free roaming monkeys. Because they are free roaming, you may indeed start to encounter them as soon as you hop off the cable car at the top of the Rock.
Note that it is illegal to touch and/or feed the Macaques. Also secure all food & drink when you’re visiting the Apes’ Den. Otherwise, food & drink may be grabbed from you!
Legend has it that if the macaques even disappear, the British will leave Gibraltar. So Sir Winston Churchill imported additional macaques from Morocco. Today, about 300 of them live on the upper part of the Nature Reserve.
How to Get to the Apes’ Den: Follow the main road and continue your walk downhill. The Apes’ Den is about 5 minutes walk from the Windsor Suspension Bridge.
After the Apes’ Den, it’s a good time to decide whether you’d like to do the partially uphill walk to the northern part of the Rock of Gibraltar. It’s about a 30-minute walk to see the next few attractions.
If not, then you can continue walking downhill, with some steps, back to either Gibraltar City Centre for more sightseeing or to Boyd Street Terminus (next to the lower Cable Car station) for a bus back to Gibraltar Cruise Port.
7. Walk the Great Siege Tunnels
Not to be confused with the WWII Tunnels (see below), the Great Siege Tunnels were constructed mostly by hand, using rudimentary tools, during the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779-1783), when France and Spain made a determined attempt to recapture Gibraltar from the British.
From May 1782, soldiers began the arduous task of excavating the tunnel by hand, using sledgehammers, crowbars, and gunpowder for blasting. Needless to say, progress was slow and difficult. As they tunnelled, ventilation became an issue, leading them to blast openings out onto the cliff face and you can still see these today, set up as gun embrasures.
You can have an excellent northern view from here, all the way to Gibraltar Airport’s runway, towards Spain.
Walk from Apes’ Den to Great Siege Tunnels: The walk is around 1.7km (~1.1 miles) and takes about 30 minutes. Note that the walk is partially uphill, but it’s not overly steep. I did remember needing to stop, as I did the walk on a very warm day. Stick to the main road and follow signs to navigate.
8. Military Heritage Centre
The Military Heritage Centre is housed within Princess Caroline’s Battery. The Military Heritage Centre. The exhibits cover a broad overview of Gibraltar’s military history and focuses on the development of its fortifications and the artillery used over the centuries. There’s also excellent views on the terrace!
How to Get to the Military Heritage Centre: You would have walked past it on the way to the entrance of the Great Siege Tunnels! So just return back to the main road. The Military Heritage Centre faces the western side of Gibraltar – ie. the Gibraltar Cruise Port side.
9. City Under Siege Exhibition
The City under Siege exhibition is housed in some 18th century buildings near the Moorish Castle which originally served as gunpowder magazines. It’s meant to show the harsh realities faced by both civilians and soldiers during the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779-1783).
You can see extensive original graffiti carved into the building walls by soldiers over the centuries, with the earliest examples dating back to 1726.
How to Get to City Under Siege: From the Military Heritage Centre, follow the main toad that’s going downhill. Continue for about 2 minutes and you’ll see the sign.
10. Explore the World War II Tunnels
2025 update: The WWII Tunnels are now open after it was closed for renovations for most of 2024..
Gibraltar has always been a place of strategic importance due to its location, nestled between Europe and Africa. The WWII tunnels were constructed during between 1940 – 1944 and turned the Rock into an underground city.
Facing the threat of Axis invasion or prolonged siege during World War II, the British military undertook a monumental engineering project to turn the Rock into an impregnable underground fortress. The tunnels were designed to safely house a garrison of up to 16,000 soldiers along with months’ worth of supplies, including food, water, ammunition, fuel, and essential equipment.
The tunnels span an impressive network, totally 55 kms or 34 miles. There are food stores, hospitals and even a bakery.
You can only tour a small portion of these tunnels today but I spent over an hour here. There’s also a complimentary audio guide; don’t forget to grab yours if you’re interested in history!
How to Get to WWII Tunnels: Continue walking downhill from City Under Siege exhibition. The entrance to WWII Tunnels is about 2 minutes walk away.
11. Moorish Castle
The Moorish Castle is a medieval fortification complex from Gibraltar’s period of Moorish rule (711-1309 and 1333-1462). What’s still visible today is known as the Tower of Homage, built by the Marinid dynasty in the 14th century.
The Tower of Homage is considered the tallest tower of the Islamic period still remaining on the Iberian Peninsula. Parts of the Moorish Castle complex in fact served as Gibraltar’s main prison until as recently as 2010!
Interested in Gibraltar’s History?
Check out my blog post: Uncover the Strategic Rock’s history at the Mediterranean Gateway with a bonus tip on how to cross the airport’s runway! It’s once of those “only possible in Gibraltar” list of things to do!
If you have Gibraltar in your upcoming cruise itinerary, I hope that this has been a helpful guide to your planning! Drop me a comment below, if you’d like to see a blog post on what there is to see & do in Gibraltar outside of the Nature Reserve.
Have a wonderful day at port in Gibraltar! Zana
What a fantastic article. You have given me all the information I will need when our cruise ship comes to Gibraltar. Thank You
Thank you for posting this info about Gibraltar. I’ve read that the cable car will be closed until 2027. We are in port from 8a-4p. Would this be enough time to walk from port to top, see attractions and get back to ship. Would a taxi drop us off at the top so we could follow your suggestions on walking down and see attractions. The tours from the cruiseline are only 2-3 hours long.
Hi Linda, you’re right! Gibraltar’s cable car is indeed closed until 2027 for major refurbishment. Assuming that you’re a keen walker (and don’t mind walking uphill for at least a bit of it), an 8-hour port day is long enough to walk from port to the top, see most of the attractions and get back to the ship but you’ll need to be ready to disembark as quickly as possible once the ship is cleared.
Taxi regulations are very strict in Gibraltar and according to guidance from Gibraltar’s official tourism board, they won’t be relaxed while the cable car is closed. This means that even though the cable car option is not available, taxis are NOT allowed to drive to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. The furthest taxis can go is the Moorish Castle entrance and you’ll have to walk uphill on foot from there. The only cars/mini-vans allowed to drive to the top of Rock of Gibraltar are the official taxi tours I mentioned in the blog post.
Not sure when you’re visiting Gibraltar but I plan to update this post in the next few weeks with more details on how to manage the cable car closure. Bookmark the page and Stay tuned!
Thanks! We go in the fall. One other question, you stated that you have a fear of heights (me too), so how did you get around the Suspension Bridge?
Hi Linda, 😅 I only walked a few steps onto the bridge for a photo to be taken of me! I did not walk all the way across; it was quite windy and wobbly when I visited and it was just too much for me. To continue walking along the “main route” of visiting attractions, there’s no need to walk around the bridge unless you want to; there’s a “side route” around the bridge if you prefer.
Dear Zana,
We are on p and o Britannia, calling into Gibraltar from 15 August and we were hoping to go on a trip with the grandchildren and their parents to see dolphins. The ship do a tour but it’s very early in the morning and quite expensive . Have you any recommendations. Thank you.
Hi Clare, wonderful that you’re doing a multi-generational cruise together as a group! Yes, you can easily book a DIY dolphin watching tour in Gibraltar. It’s £25 for adults and half-price for kids under 12. The tours are about 90 minutes long but the chances of seeing dolphins are very good because the dolphins live nearby. You can walk there from the port gates in about 20 minutes – just keep walking straight from the port gates and on the third (3rd) roundabout, you’ll see a sign point to the left called Ocean Village. Take a left there and you’ll see a marina. Keep walking and you’ll be at the tour departure point in a few minutes. Enjoy your cruise!