Anyone been to Gibraltar recently?

[MsCruiserT]

I've been reading alot of the threads but have not found answers to my questions. If you have been to Gibraltar within this year please let me know.

 

1)For anyone who took the cable car to the top of the Rock, did they take credit cards at the ticket booth, or cash only?

2)If anyone took the public bus from the pier to the cable car, how much was the bus fare, do you need change in coins or can they take bills, or is there a place to buy bus tickets before you get on the bus?

3)I have read from various posts that there is a shuttle bus that runs from the pier to downtown when the ships are in. If anyone has taken it recently, please let me know how much it was.

 

(We are not interested in a taxi tour as we want to explore on our own.)

 

I am deciding how much currency to purchase since we're only in GIB for 1 day. If the cable car takes credit cards then I won't need to buy as much. I'd rather not use Euro or USD. Thanks in advance for any answers! :)

[Keith1010]

We were there this past April and have been there other times as well.

 

There was no shuttle from the pier over to the downtown area. It is about a 15 minute walk to the downtown area. You could take a taxi if you have difficulty walking. If you have no difficulties you can just walk. The town is easy to walk around. We try to get out there early so there are less people in town the first couple of hours after arrival. After that it gets very busy.

 

There are also a number of vans by the pier where you can negotiate rates and they will take you up to the top of the rock or to other areas.

 

Sorry I can't answer the questions about the cable car.

 

Keith

[Hlitner]

The cable car does take both MC and Visa (not sure about AMEX).

 

Hank

[travelers2]

We were just there in July. There is no shuttle bus from the port to town, but the walk is very short. We did not go up the cable car. If you want to go to the very top of the Rock I believe you need to go by car. We were off the ship first thing and got an excellent tour with 3 other couples. You can pay for everything there in pounds, euros or dollars. After our tour we had the driver drop us in town to wander through the shops then we walked back to the ship.

[Hlitner]

I will repeat a posting similar to ones we have oft posted in the past for those wanting to do this all on their own. There is no public bus that can get you from the ship to the cable car station and personally, we love to walk. But its a pretty long walk and will take most folks about 40 min (the cable car station is on the opposite side of town from the pier). It is possible to get a taxi to take you to the cable car, but they will try to convince you to let them give you a tour. Once at the cable car we buy the round trip ticket and go all the way to the top station. From there, we have a lot of fun walking along the top road (you get good views of both sides) down past the cave (they have a cave tour) and eventually we make our way down to the mid-rock cable car station. This walk normally takes us over an hour since we take our time, stop for views, to see the monkeys, to grab a drink, etc. Once we get to the middle cable car station we simply take the cable car back down to town. Then you can just start walking in the direction of the ship which takes you right back through the heart of town where you can shop, go to a cafe, etc. It makes for a nice day for those that love to walk and we find the cable car a lot more fun then being crammed into a taxi/van and stuck in taxi traffic on the road up the rock.

 

Hank

[MsCruiserT]

I will repeat a posting similar to ones we have oft posted in the past for those wanting to do this all on their own. There is no public bus that can get you from the ship to the cable car station and personally, we love to walk. But its a pretty long walk and will take most folks about 40 min (the cable car station is on the opposite side of town from the pier). It is possible to get a taxi to take you to the cable car, but they will try to convince you to let them give you a tour. Once at the cable car we buy the round trip ticket and go all the way to the top station. From there, we have a lot of fun walking along the top road (you get good views of both sides) down past the cave (they have a cave tour) and eventually we make our way down to the mid-rock cable car station. This walk normally takes us over an hour since we take our time, stop for views, to see the monkeys, to grab a drink, etc. Once we get to the middle cable car station we simply take the cable car back down to town. Then you can just start walking in the direction of the ship which takes you right back through the heart of town where you can shop, go to a cafe, etc. It makes for a nice day for those that love to walk and we find the cable car a lot more fun then being crammed into a taxi/van and stuck in taxi traffic on the road up the rock.

 

Hank

 

 

Thank you for the helpful information Hank. I had read somewhere that if you walked to the "Coach Park" you can catch a public bus to town. Is that no longer operational? Sounds like the walk to town can take anywhere between 15-40 minutes, according to various posters. Obviously depends one's fitness level. ;) And thanks for answering about the cable car taking credit cards too, I'm glad they do.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for the helpful information Hank. I had read somewhere that if you walked to the "Coach Park" you can catch a public bus to town. Is that no longer operational? Sounds like the walk to town can take anywhere between 15-40 minutes, according to various posters. Obviously depends one's fitness level. ;) And thanks for answering about the cable car taking credit cards too, I'm glad they do.

 

If the walk takes 40 minutes then the person is either stopping several times or the person has vast walking issues.

 

For the average walker we are talking 15 to say 20 minutes. It is really not too far.

 

Keith

[John Bull]

If the walk takes 40 minutes then the person is either stopping several times or the person has vast walking issues.

 

For the average walker we are talking 15 to say 20 minutes. It is really not too far.

 

Keith

 

Yep. The bottom of Main Street is about 15 min walk from the pier. It does figure that there'll be buses from the coach park (border to coach park is the only road that regular tour coaches from the mainland are permitted to travel), but by the time you get there you're halfway to town.

But the walk from pier to cable-car bottom station is at least 30 mins, the cable car is by the botanical gardens beyond the top of Main Street. Makes sense to leave early to minimise the line, take a taxi/minibus (or bus from the coach park??) direct to the cable car, then walk down Main Street back to the ship, taking as much time as you have left to explore Main Street's shops & sights.

 

I rarely disagree with Hank, but will on cable car vs taxi/minibus up the Rock.

Cable car costs time & money to reach, taxi/minibus tour can be direct from the pier.

Cable car is often subject to long lines (though I've not seen long lines for the return)

Cable car is often suspended (no pun intended :rolleyes:) in moderate-to-high winds or breakdown.

Cable car involves walking to St Michael's Cave.

Cable car isn't suitable to reach the Seige Tunnels or the magnificent view over the isthmus, though conversely taxi/minibus won't take you to the very top of the Rock (super views, but just one grubby cafe)

The only traffic hold-up tends to be at the apes' den, where you can walk the line of vehicles to the apes & re-board when your vehicle reaches the front of the line. Or if any in your party are scared of the apes, they can remain in the vehicle, they'll still get a secure but excellent experience as the apes will climb on the vehicle.

Your vehicle can drop you wherever you choose - as travellers2's post, most opt for Casemates Square at the bottom of Main Street for a beer & a bite, then explore the (compact) town & walk back to the ship.

Drivers are usually very friendly & informative.

I know Hank has a penchant for walking, which is very limited/limiting with a vehicle. And for setting his own agenda - with a vehicle the driver sets the agenda, though the timing is pretty-well spot-on for most.

Pros & cons, cruisers will want to make their own informed choice.

 

Pier, town, bottom cable-car station, are all on pretty level ground.

 

John Bull

[Keith1010]

Yep. The bottom of Main Street is about 15 min walk from the pier. It does figure that there'll be buses from the coach park (border to coach park is the only road that regular tour coaches from the mainland are permitted to travel), but by the time you get there you're halfway to town.

But the walk from pier to cable-car bottom station is at least 30 mins, the cable car is by the botanical gardens beyond the top of Main Street. Makes sense to leave early to minimise the line, take a taxi/minibus (or bus from the coach park??) direct to the cable car, then walk down Main Street back to the ship, taking as much time as you have left to explore Main Street's shops & sights.

 

I rarely disagree with Hank, but will on cable car vs taxi/minibus up the Rock.

Cable car costs time & money to reach, taxi/minibus tour can be direct from the pier.

Cable car is often subject to long lines (though I've not seen long lines for the return)

Cable car is often suspended (no pun intended :rolleyes:) in moderate-to-high winds or breakdown.

Cable car involves walking to St Michael's Cave.

Cable car isn't suitable to reach the Seige Tunnels or the magnificent view over the isthmus, though conversely taxi/minibus won't take you to the very top of the Rock (super views, but just one grubby cafe)

The only traffic hold-up tends to be at the apes' den, where you can walk the line of vehicles to the apes & re-board when your vehicle reaches the front of the line. Or if any in your party are scared of the apes, they can remain in the vehicle, they'll still get a secure but excellent experience as the apes will climb on the vehicle.

Your vehicle can drop you wherever you choose - as travellers2's post, most opt for Casemates Square at the bottom of Main Street for a beer & a bite, then explore the (compact) town & walk back to the ship.

Drivers are usually very friendly & informative.

I know Hank has a penchant for walking, which is very limited/limiting with a vehicle. And for setting his own agenda - with a vehicle the driver sets the agenda, though the timing is pretty-well spot-on for most.

Pros & cons, cruisers will want to make their own informed choice.

 

Pier, town, bottom cable-car station, are all on pretty level ground.

 

John Bull

 

Yes, I was just noting the time it takes to walk from the cruise ship pier to the downtown area which is about 15 minutes or so.

 

Keith

[John Bull]

Yes, I was just noting the time it takes to walk from the cruise ship pier to the downtown area which is about 15 minutes or so.

 

Keith

 

Hi Keith,

Yep, was agreeing with you, 15 mins to town

I added that the walk to the cable-car is 30 mins plus, because OP's mention of 40 minutes makes sense for that distance.

Regards,

JB

[Keith1010]

Hi Keith,

Yep, was agreeing with you, 15 mins to town

I added that the walk to the cable-car is 30 mins plus, because OP's mention of 40 minutes makes sense for that distance.

Regards,

JB

 

I agree.

 

Keith

[Hlitner]

We do agree with much of what John says. And we do figure on about a 30 min walk from the pier to the cable car....in fact it probably takes us longer since that walk goes right through town and we will usually do some window shopping. And John is absolutely correct that we love to walk when ashore which is probably the result of having been cooped-up on a ship, seeing many fellow passengers who do not any longer have the ability to walk, and needing the exercise. On the other hand, with spending the time walking to the cable car, going up the rock, spending at least 2 or 3 hours walking down to the mid-rock station, and stopping in town for a pint (or two) we find that it still leaves us with a few hours with not much to do. Now if we could just get John and his fellow Brits to put Gibraltar back to the charming place it used to be before being overrun with all the Condo overdevelopment :)

 

Hank

[MsCruiserT]

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions! We are very fit and active so honestly it's not a problem for us to walk 30-40 minutes to the cable car(we'll probably make it in 20 ;)). We also love taking pictures and hiking so I can see us being up on the Rock for most of the day walking through the sites and taking in the views. Not being on a taxi tour will allow us the flexibility to spend the time at each place as we desire. Our ship is in until 7pm so we will have lots to time to come back down and wander through the streets and shop. I did read about the WWII tunnels and how you have to buy a special ticket. Is this something we do once we get to the top?

[Keith1010]

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions! We are very fit and active so honestly it's not a problem for us to walk 30-40 minutes to the cable car(we'll probably make it in 20 ;)). We also love taking pictures and hiking so I can see us being up on the Rock for most of the day walking through the sites and taking in the views. Not being on a taxi tour will allow us the flexibility to spend the time at each place as we desire. Our ship is in until 7pm so we will have lots to time to come back down and wander through the streets and shop. I did read about the WWII tunnels and how you have to buy a special ticket. Is this something we do once we get to the top?

 

I also want to stress to walk up and down as many of the little alleys as you can.

 

We love this port because we try to get beyond some of the tourist attractions and try to make contact with those people who live here.

 

As such, we went off the ship as soon as we were cleared on our last visit here which was late April of this year. We have been here before.

 

We went to a church and spoke with some of the locals and then we went to a couple of different jewish synagogues. The synagogues are not so visible so you have to walk closely as you walk the side streets. We went to a children's school. We went to some little grocery shops and a butcher. In each case we spoke with the locals and just had a great time with them. The town is especially nice before all the tourists get out and about.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Keith

[John Bull]

I did read about the WWII tunnels and how you have to buy a special ticket. Is this something we do once we get to the top?

 

No. The WWII tunnels (not to be confused with the Great Seige tunnels) are near the base of the Rock, the entrance is below the moorish castle. That's about all I know, though taxi drivers & most locals will know the exact location.

Here's a link to a fairly long thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1194866

Near the end of that thread is info about the WWII tunnels, though I'm afraid it's a bit thin.

 

JB

[Hlitner]

John Bull, You better behave yourself or we might drop-in the next time we in the Southampton area :)

 

Hank

[John Bull]

John Bull, You better behave yourself or we might drop-in the next time we in the Southampton area :)

 

Hank

 

You are welcome anytime Hank.

As long as you don't want to damn-well walk everywhere :)

JB

[Costafox]

Whilst there is no bus service as such from the cruise passenger teminal into town, the local van taxis offer a shuttle service to casemates square (which is at the northern end of main street). I'm not sure of the price but I know that return tickets can be purchased ( I would think they are now about £2.50/£3.00 for the return journey). I would say the cruise terminal is a 20 - 30 minute walk to town - it's just quite boring - there is nothing very interesting to look at on the way.

 

Unless you are very keen on walking, I would recommend taking the taxi shuttle into town to give you more time to look around at more interesting things.

[Hlitner]

Since we are on the subject of walking (we understand John Bull only takes taxis to the pubs) we should mention that there is a really decent supermarket within walking distance of the ship (its perhaps 1/3 of a mile). This is a good place for those that want to buy soft drinks or other stuff for the ship. In fact, as I recall, they had pretty good wine prices at the supermarket.

 

Hank

[MsCruiserT]

I've been checking out this website which has great info about the attractions of the Rock. http://www.discovergibraltar.com/mainlogo/mainfrm.htm Which leads me to the next question for all you GIB experts: do they give you some sort of a map of the Rock(similar to the one on the website) when you pay for the cable car?

 

Thanks JB for clarifying the WWII tunnels. I know they are different from the Great Siege Tunnels but I didn't know they aren't at the top of the Rock.

[Hlitner]

We do recall getting a free tiny brochure (might have been like a small fold-out map) that had a simple map of the roads and attractions. There are also a few posted signs along the road that have simple guide maps. Also keep in mind that if you do a lot of walking up on the rock you will not be alone so you can always ask others if you think you are taking the wrong road or pathway.

 

Hank

[MsCruiserT]

We do recall getting a free tiny brochure (might have been like a small fold-out map) that had a simple map of the roads and attractions. There are also a few posted signs along the road that have simple guide maps. Also keep in mind that if you do a lot of walking up on the rock you will not be alone so you can always ask others if you think you are taking the wrong road or pathway.

 

Hank

 

 

Perfect. Thank you!

[mdwoodman]

Thank you for the helpful information Hank. I had read somewhere that if you walked to the "Coach Park" you can catch a public bus to town. Is that no longer operational? Sounds like the walk to town can take anywhere between 15-40 minutes, according to various posters. Obviously depends one's fitness level. ;) And thanks for answering about the cable car taking credit cards too, I'm glad they do.

 

The Gibraltar bus #4 (Blue Line) runs past the coach park and has a stop right by the cable car. There are two stops near the coach park:

 

Europort Avenue (Sir William Jackson Grove)

Waterport Roadway (Varyl Begg Estate, East)

 

I just haven't been able to figure out which one is closest to the cruise ship pier.

[MsCruiserT]

The Gibraltar bus #4 (Blue Line) runs past the coach park and has a stop right by the cable car. There are two stops near the coach park:

 

Europort Avenue (Sir William Jackson Grove)

Waterport Roadway (Varyl Begg Estate, East)

 

I just haven't been able to figure out which one is closest to the cruise ship pier.

 

 

Thanks for the info. How easy is it to spot the bus stop if we are walking from the pier to cruise park? Will it be on the street we are walking on? It's difficult to picture where to look since we've never been there before. Did you take it recently?

[mdwoodman]

Thanks for the info. How easy is it to spot the bus stop if we are walking from the pier to cruise park? Will it be on the street we are walking on? It's difficult to picture where to look since we've never been there before. Did you take it recently?

 

I've never been there. My information comes from the Gibraltar web sites and studying satellite photos.

 

The main road from the cruise port is Waterport Roadway, so it appears that the second stop I listed is on that road. However, the first one that I listed is on a road that goes off to the right as you're walking toward town and it looks like it's actually closer to the cruise port than the other one (although not by a lot). The bus will be coming northbound on Europort and making a right onto Waterport towards town.

 

Here's a picture that shows my best estimate of the bus stop locations (click on the picture to make it larger):

 

 

If anyone has better data I'd love to hear it!