A trip with the kids across the Rock of Gibraltar to Euro Point

A scenic hike through Gibraltar

Starting point

Since we drove to Gibraltar from Málaga in a rental car—and rental companies often have issues with cross-border travel—we’re leaving the car in a parking lot in the Spanish town of La Línea de la Concepción, right on the border with Gibraltar, just next to the Gibraltar airport.
 

Description of the hike

From the parking lot in La Línea de la Concepción, we go through passport control (passport required, as the UK is no longer an EU member) and cross the airport runway. This is the only pedestrian route from Spanish territory to Gibraltar.

The city begins right behind the airport; soon we pass through the famous Grands Casemates Square and continue along Main Street. This is probably the most famous street, lined with many shops, cafés, and restaurants. We continue along Europa Road, where there aren’t many shops or restaurants left.

Following this street, we reach the southernmost part of Gibraltar at the Europa Point Lighthouse. Right next to the lighthouse, you’ll find Harding’s Battery with a historic cannon that once guarded the Strait of Gibraltar. In this part of town, there’s also one of the few restaurants, the Europa Point Café, where you can get a pretty good meal (mainly fried foods, fish and chips, burgers, etc.).

From the lighthouse, we head back along Europa Road the same way until we reach the staircase leading to Windmill Hill Road, which takes us to the entrance of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve. Admission is £30 for adults and £22 for children. There are several ways to explore the park—we walked from the Pillars of Hercules entrance to St. Michael’s Cave, which I highly recommend.  

St. Michael’s Cave is the most visited of the system of more than 150 caves located inside the Rock of Gibraltar. The largest of the chambers, the Upper Cave, has been transformed into a unique auditorium. Thanks to its incredible natural acoustics, concerts, ballet performances, and plays are held here. It has a capacity of about 600 seats. The cave offers an immersive experience called The Awakening. Using modern lighting technology and projections (known as video mapping), thousands of years old stalactites and stalagmites are illuminated, creating the illusion that the rock “comes to life.” The entire show highlights the limestone layers and the geological history of this site. Entry to the cave is included in the national park admission fee (they check the QR code on your ticket).

From St. Michael’s Cave, we continue uphill to O’Hara’s Battery overlook, which features another decommissioned World War II cannon. From there, we follow Douglas Path, one of the few trails that isn’t paved—it’s a classic forest trail. Along this path, you’ll soon come across the Skywalk, which offers a spectacular view in all directions. Interestingly, this Skywalk was officially opened in 2018 by actor Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. In true style, he cut the ribbon with a lightsaber.

From the Skywalk, we simply head back down the northern route, Signal Station Road, toward downtown. Just before the switchbacks, there’s an opportunity to explore the intricate tunnels and bunkers from World War II, which feature detailed exhibits. After the tour, we make our way back down the switchbacks to Grands Casemates Square.
 

Difficulty

This is an urban hike through hilly terrain. Half of the route is entirely within the city, while the other half on the Rock of Gibraltar is more lush with greenery, though 95% of the path is still on paved roads. With a total elevation gain of 600 meters and a distance of 20 km, this hike is a decent challenge.

The difficulty of the route stems solely from the steep hills with paved paths, and in the summer, the weather will also be hot. By the end of March, it was already quite warm enough for a T-shirt and shorts.
 

Water availability

Throughout the day we spent walking around Gibraltar, we needed 1 liter of water per person, and that was the bare minimum. 1.5 liters would have been better. Water is readily available throughout the city.

Just past the airport, in the northern part of Gibraltar, there are several restaurants and shops. Then, in the southern part near the lighthouse and Europa Point, there is one larger restaurant with a wide selection of dishes.
 

Mountain peaks

We didn’t climb to the only peak, the Rock of Gibraltar (426 m above sea level), because we really didn’t feel like it anymore :)) and we were very close—at the O’Hara’s Battery lookout, which is really just a short walk away.
 

Danger

Since this is essentially urban sightseeing within the Gibraltar Nature Park, there are no real dangers here. If you encounter monkeys, definitely do not feed them or touch them — they could bite you. Along the way, there is one spot where guides feed the monkeys and also offer food to tourists, but personally, I wouldn’t do it—the monkeys tend to be more aggressive around food and fight over it. 
 

Attractions

A Brief History

In ancient times, Gibraltar (along with Mount Jebel Musa in Morocco) was considered the edge of the known world. According to legend, Hercules split the Atlas Mountains to connect the sea with the ocean. The modern name Gibraltar comes from the Arabic Jabal Tariq (Tariq’s Mountain), named after General Tariq ibn Ziyad, who launched his conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from here. The Moors ruled here for over 700 years.

During the War of the Spanish Succession, Gibraltar was occupied by an Anglo-Dutch fleet. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht formally ceded Gibraltar to Britain “in perpetuity.”
 

Interesting Facts About Gibraltar

1. An Airport Crossed by a Road
Gibraltar Airport is one of the most unique in the world. The main road connecting Gibraltar to Spain (Winston Churchill Avenue) crosses the runway directly, and unlike anywhere else, pedestrians are even allowed to walk on it. Every time a plane takes off or lands, the barriers come down, and cars and pedestrians must wait, just like at a railroad crossing.

2. The only wild monkeys in Europe
Around 300 Barbary macaques live on the Rock. They are local celebrities and also notorious food thieves. There is a superstition: “As long as there are monkeys in Gibraltar, it will remain British.” During World War II, their population declined, so Winston Churchill himself had new monkeys brought in from Africa so that Britain would not “lose” the Rock.

3. Is it a country or not? 
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory. It has its own parliament, government, and currency (pegged to the British pound), but relies on the United Kingdom for defense and foreign policy. Although it is located on the Iberian Peninsula, they drive on the right here (due to its connection with Spain), but mailboxes and phone booths are typically British red.