DIY: Gibraltar - please critique this plan

We arrive on Tuesday, June 7 aboard Independence of the Seas. After 2 sea days we will be itching for physical activity. We are in port from 12-6. We are active 50 year old parents w/17 & 18 year old athlete kids.

Our plan:

1) walk from cruise port to cable car base (see photo) ~30-45 minutes

2) table cable car to top ~30 minutes (with line?)

3) Wander the sights (Cave, possible steps, Apes' Den, tunnels, castle) - figure out what we want to see/how much time and see what we can during time we have (~2 hours)

4) Walk downhill, stopping in town on the way to the ship for a snack (possibly Confectionery shop at 228 Main) and/or souveniers ~1 hour

We plan to use most of the 6 hours and will carry a small string-bag/backpack with water and have appropriate walking footwear.

Any thoughts? Also, recommendations for a snack place or restaurant would be great - I found the place on Trip Advisor - not thinking we want a full meal, but a dessert, drink, appetizer type place would work.

Thanks!

If your group would like to burn off some energy, I suggest walking up the Mediterranean Steps instead of taking the cable car:

http://www.visitgibraltar.gi/upper-mediterranean-steps

We did this with our 19 and 15 year olds. The walk took about an hour for the adults and 45 minutes for the teens, and the views were fantastic.

You should have a plan B if you hit a windy day and the CC is not running.

The big potential snag with your plan is your ship's arrival time.

The line for the cablecar isn't to do with the size of your ship or how many ships are in, it's to do with the hordes of day-trippers who arrive by coach or car from the Spanish resorts.

The line is usually short until around 9.30, mebbe 10.00. For a ship that arrives in the morning, that's usually time enough to walk to the cablecar before the line is too long.

But your ship arrives at noon. :(

And wheezedr is correct that in moderately windy conditions the cablecar is suspended - awful pun intended. :o

Yes, the walk to the cablecar is about 35 to 40 minutes.

Can I suggest that instead you take a taxi from ship to cablecar.

When you reach the cablecar bottom station, if the cablecar's not working or there's a long line you can switch to Plan B or Plan C.

Plan C

Since you're at the cablecar station in a taxi or van, you can switch to a standard upper Rock tour. If you've shared a van from the ship, the folk you've shared with will very probably want to do the same, or there'll be others who've walked to the cable car station who'll not want to join a long line & will want to share. But if you've walked to the cablecar & the line is too long, you're stuck there to either join the line or hunt for a taxi or van.

Because the cablecar station is near the road which goes up the Rock, switching at this point won't cost much more than if you'd settled for a taxi tour from the ship in the first place.

But Plan C isn't really what you want - you want to roam freely on the Rock.

In which case I'd strongly recommend ...........

Plan B.

Taxi from the ship to the cablecar.

Ideally make that a taxi, not a shared van.

If the cablecar is problematic ask the driver to continue to St Michael's cave - that's the same road up the Rock from near the cablecar station.

St Michael's cave is as far as you can go on a one-way taxi ride, beyond that the roads are a one-way system.

But it's an ideal start point for your trek across the Rock. :)

St Michael's cave is the most southerly sight on the Rock, you walk from there to the top cablecar station, apes' den, across the saddle of the ridge line to the Great siege Tunnel, then down the Rock past the WW2 tunnels & the Moorish Castle to Main Street / Casemates Square.

This also has the advantages that you're at the top much quicker than walking to take the cablecar, from St Michael's cave you're walking north all the time - no doubling back for the cave as you'd have to do if you took the cablecar, and your walk is virtually all level or downhill.

It's what I'd do even if there was no delay with the cablecar - but then I am pretty lazy ;)

Googlemaps has that walk from St Michael's Cave to town at an hour & a quarter, but of course you're going to take longer even without the stops.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Saint+Michael's+Cave,+Gibraltar+GX11+1AA,+Gibraltar/Cable+Car+Top+Station,+Gibraltar/Great+Siege+Tunnels,+Gibraltar/Moorish+Castle,+Gibraltar/Casemates+Square,+Gibraltar/@36.1346009,-5.3584128,15z/data=!4m32!4m31!1m5!1m1!1s0xd0cbf73c202653d:0xcd541df125caaeb5!2m2!1d-5.3456323!2d36.1262256!1m5!1m1!1s0xd0cbf7a117c58ab:0x1de2a6c10bae9c5d!2m2!1d-5.3457922!2d36.1340978!1m5!1m1!1s0xd0cbf7626d7dff1:0x371754c647a02d4c!2m2!1d-5.3452019!2d36.1451951!1m5!1m1!1s0xd0cc08029c8a1d9:0xc0fe8b07161176b2!2m2!1d-5.3499649!2d36.1438715!1m5!1m1!1s0xd0cc07fea5fd753:0x84fe945cbec7dd76!2m2!1d-5.3532184!2d36.1449731!3e2

St Michael's cave is worth about 20 to 30 minutes, the same for the Great Siege Tunnels, and you can look round the little castle in just a few minutes. There are other distractions which will add to your time.

The WW2 tunnels is a guided tour & will cost about 90 minutes, and the exit is further up the Rock than the entrance. So you may not have the time, though this isn't far from the end of your trek so you can decide on the spot whether you'll have the time.

And I don't know that you'll have the time to walk up the Mediterranean Steps, or even up the roads - there's a lot of zig-zagging. And this is right at the beginning of your walk, time you can't really make up later.

From Castemates Square it's an easy & level walk of about 20/25 minutes back to the ship.

Just MHO as always.

JB :)

Thanks all - I will pull up Google maps some more and do some more research! I like the idea of the taxi one-way to St. Michael's, just for speed and to get us up as quickly as possible, leaving more time to wander on our own.

Will it be fairly easy to get a taxi? It seems in most reviews I read they want to "upsell" you to the complete tour, not just drop you off

 

Will it be fairly easy to get a taxi? It seems in most reviews I read they want to "upsell" you to the complete tour, not just drop you off

Can't really help here - cruised into Gib just the once (took a taxi tour that time), many other times I've crossed into Gib on foot from Spain - amongst those hordes of day-trippers that I mentioned ;).

But yes, I've seen the same comments.

And also comments about drivers taking folk to the cablecar as requested but continuing to try to persuade on the way, so I think it's just a question of persistence. And mebbe early off the ship will give the driver the chance to take you to cablecar, or St Michael's cave, or the bottom of the Mediterranean steps, and then return to the ship to take other folk on the taxi tour.

If all that fails, you'll have no difficulty in getting a taxi in town - about 20 mins walk from the ship. But hopefully that won't be necessary.

JB :)

Thanks all - I will pull up Google maps some more and do some more research! I like the idea of the taxi one-way to St. Michael's, just for speed and to get us up as quickly as possible, leaving more time to wander on our own.

 

Will it be fairly easy to get a taxi? It seems in most reviews I read they want to "upsell" you to the complete tour, not just drop you off

Coming in to this thread a bit late, but I hope that I can help.

I second John Bull, that your noon arrival might mean longish queues at the Cable Car, I don't know. I am rarely around that area mid day.

You have to decide to do either the Med steps or the Cable Car. In 6 hours you cannot do both. The steps are lovely and as long as it is not raining there are photo ops all around. They are a very popular "work out" for fit Gibraltarians on a Saturday and Sunday morning. Wear flat shoes/sneakers.

You could either get a taxi to the start of the steps (the driver will hate you, but the ordinary route drivers cannot oblige you to upsell, I am not sure if the port taxi drivers are allowed to refuse customers). An alternative is to walk into town (about 1.5 kilometers and catch the number 2 bus from the market place (you will not miss it as it is at the entrance to Main Street (you can pay in sterling or euro) to the "Old Casino" tell the driver you want to walk up the Rock. He should tell you where the stop is.

Walk up the hill and pay about £1 a person to enter the Nature Reserve. If you plan on visiting any sites on the way down you will need to pay the full entrance price. Ask the warden to show you where the start of the Med Steps is (just opposite where you pay) and follow the route around. Get the map to keep an eye on the route down. There is one point on the Med Steps route which is not clearly marked and you have to double back, it is by some old WW2 shelters. When you get to the top you just follow the road down and you will get the opportunity to see some Apes. This is where you get to if you take the Cable Car up and want to walk down.

Do not feed the apes and be careful of your camera and sunglasses. They are animals not toys. Apes can bite.

Start to keep your eye on the time at this point. From here you will pass by St Michael's Cave, the Great Siege Tunnels and the Tower of Homage. You just keep following the road down.

Eventually you will come into town. You need to turn right along Main Street. At this point you can do your shopping. Make up and perfume are particularly well priced.

There are good choices of food in Casemates Square. Some are bars and some are more snack bars. I think the quality of food in Verdi Verdi is great, the food is Kosher and there are salads and vegetarian food. Cafe Solo across the square is a place that I have always enjoyed. Gatsby's, which is on the way to the cruise ship, has never let me down, I am sure they offer something in the way of tapas or snacks.

I am rather wanting to skip work that day (my office has a window looking onto Casemates Square so I am a tourist-watcher) and join you. Take water and sun protection but the weather should be kind to you in early June.

Thank you so much!!! I love your recommendations and details! I will report back after our visit!!

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Thank you so much!!! I love your recommendations and details! I will report back after our visit!!

 

 

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My daughter who is now 23 mentioned that she was doing the steeps and I told her of my recommendations to you. She said that if she and her sister had been "dragged" around the steps when they were teenagers they would have been pretty annoyed :D. They are a bit of a workout- anything from 40 minutes or more depending on how many photos you stop to take. . Check out the photos of the steps on Trip Advisor to see the level of effort you need for the steps.

I would say that it is at least 99% certain that the white van taxis by the ship will be there for tours and will probably not be taking you to the cable car.

So i suggest you walk to the cable car or walk to market place bus terminus and take the bus from there to the cable car station. You also could just join one of the taxi tours, if you do it upon your arrival you could then walk to catalan bay to have some great food, a beer and a swim in the med.

Your kids may love you much more!!!!!

Could you please advise the expected cost of joining one of the taxi tours from the port and is there a designated office to arrange such tours?

ignore that question just found the answer on another thread:o

The standard 4 stop tour is 22 pounds sterling or 33 euros and lasts roughly 90 mins.

Enjoy your visit.

In case it helps anyone with deciding what to do here are 3 videos from my time there in 2013. We walked to the Trafalgar Cemetery and took a taxi (€22 pp from memory) up to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. After viewing the Great Siege Tunnels we walked back down to the town, calling at the World War II Tunnels where by chance a tour was just about to start. It took an hour and was an additional €8 pp. All the best, Tony

[YOUTUBE]EHNGMyY7v-A[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]0UWYOuN4phs[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]QpBAu6E7vEA[/YOUTUBE]

In case it helps anyone with deciding what to do here are 3 videos from my time there in 2013. We walked to the Trafalgar Cemetery and took a taxi (€22 pp from memory) up to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. After viewing the Great Siege Tunnels we walked back down to the town, calling at the World War II Tunnels where by chance a tour was just about to start. It took an hour and was an additional €8 pmp. All the best, Tony

 

[YOUTUBE]EHNGMyY7v-A[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]0UWYOuN4phs[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]QpBAu6E7vEA[/YOUTUBE]

I have enjoyed your videos. Thanks for posting. The Greeat Siege Tunnels and the Med steps are my favourite Upper Rock Sites. The Steps for the views and the Tunnels for the ingenuity of those who built them.

If your group would like to burn off some energy, I suggest walking up the Mediterranean Steps instead of taking the cable car:

 

http://www.visitgibraltar.gi/upper-mediterranean-steps

 

We did this with our 19 and 15 year olds. The walk took about an hour for the adults and 45 minutes for the teens, and the views were fantastic.

I fully agree with the comment on the view from the steps! Fantastic!

We did the Steps today! We took the #2 bus to the road to Jews Gate and climbed up. Hit the Steps, St Ms Cave and hiked down. The Steps were definitely a challenge but we loved the views!

I'll come back and post photos once we're home (or have better wifi) but wanted to say thanks to all who provided input!

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We did the Steps today! We took the #2 bus to the road to Jews Gate and climbed up. Hit the Steps, St Ms Cave and hiked down. The Steps were definitely a challenge but we loved the views!

 

I'll come back and post photos once we're home (or have better wifi) but wanted to say thanks to all who provided input!

 

 

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I am so glad that you enjoyed it. I think the steps are wonderful.

It was a good job it was not today. It was the hottest day of the year so far and so foggy this morning. I thought about you because I could not remember which day you were coming.

You should have a plan B if you hit a windy day and the CC is not running.

Also Plan B if you get the shocking gale force winds and torrential rain that we got all the morning. We were ever so glad that we had a tour and managed to see the main sights anyway.

In case it helps anyone with deciding what to do here are 3 videos from my time there in 2013. We walked to the Trafalgar Cemetery and took a taxi (€22 pp from memory) up to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. After viewing the Great Siege Tunnels we walked back down to the town, calling at the World War II Tunnels where by chance a tour was just about to start. It took an hour and was an additional €8 pp. All the best, Tony

 

[YOUTUBE]EHNGMyY7v-A[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]0UWYOuN4phs[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]QpBAu6E7vEA[/YOUTUBE]

Thanks for your videos cornishpastyman. How lucky you are to live in St Ives, I do hope you appreciate it. The videos have helped me decide what I'm going to do when on my cruise in August.

Thanks for your videos cornishpastyman. How lucky you are to live in St Ives, I do hope you appreciate it. The videos have helped me decide what I'm going to do when on my cruise in August.

Thanks Debbie, I really do enjoy living in St Ives and know how lucky I am. Gibraltar is a superb port of call, one of my all-time favourites and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. All the best, Tony