Gibraltar. Taxi from ship to rock only

[nelderwoman]

Hi

First trip to Gibraltar

We just want to have a wander on Main Street and go up the rock, I want to save the caves tours for another time so:

 

We are only in port from 1-6

 

How far would it be or how long would it take to walk from the ship to the cable car. We could then walk down Main Street back to the ship

 

Or

 

How much would a taxi fare be to the cable car station and are the taxi drivers willing to take you. I know they will be looking for tours

 

Which currency is best. British pounds or Euros

 

Thanks

Any tips or advice gratefully received

[Scouse mum]

Just got back from Gibraltar. We never booked any tours was told to book them when we arrived but it's finding them when we arrived. We walked up the Main Street then had to wait 30mins for a taxi it was chaos but the cable car queue was 2 hrs.

We did the 1 1/2 hr tour £22 each 4 people which if we had pre booked would of been £25 each and would of picked us up at the ship. The tour did include st Michael's cave but it was a quick stop and well worth seeing. The taxi drivers know how to get the apes to sit on you for good photos and are v knowledgable. Our friends who did the cable car said they were sorry they didn't do the tour cause it was nearly the same price but no 2 hr wait an no interaction with the apes.

We used £s but everything can be bought with £s or euros

 

Have a good time I really enjoyed Gibraltar and can't wait to go back.

 

 

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[nelderwoman]

Thank you so much for this, really good points, gives me something to think about.

How long did tour last and had you time for a wee bit of shopping on Main Street

[Scouse mum]

Tour lasted 1 1/2 hours an taxi will drop you back in the centre for shopping. We really enjoyed the tour would of been a shame going to Gibraltar and not getting to hold an ape.

 

 

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[nelderwoman]

Tour lasted 1 1/2 hours an taxi will drop you back in the centre for shopping. We really enjoyed the tour would of been a shame going to Gibraltar and not getting to hold an ape.

 

 

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Thanks SCousemum. I think I'm sold

[roothy123]

You really don't want to HOLD an ape, believe me. They should not be touched at all.

 

There is generally a shuttle to Casemates Square from the dock for a 3 or 4 euro charge. They will also take pounds (forget the price). When we were there 2 weeks ago, there was a small booth close to where the taxis line up for the tours. There is also a bus going to town about a ten minute walk away from the dock. Then again, in 20 you can walk to Casemates Square, which is the start of Main St. To the cable car is farther, and the lines can be very long, I hear. We didn't do the cable car; just took a taxi tour and then I took a bus a couple places. My pictures are at http:// http://www.pbase.com/roothy123 Gib was our 3rd stop.

 

Quite honestly, I would just take a taxi tour from the port - first one you run into that has some people already lined up. It's the best way to get to see things on the Rock in the least amount of time. Right now the value of the euro is fluctuating, so I don't know which is better - paying in euros or pounds. We had euros and just paid in euros.

 

If you're really on a limited budget, you can go a lot of places in Gib on the public buses with a day pass (maybe 5 euros? I forget). There's only one bus that goes a small part of the way up the rock, so just take the tour for the Rock. Then g to Europa Point (pretty) and "the Frontier" near the airport to walk across the runway. I ran out of time for the town and for cable car, but had a wonderful time doing just everything else. I read that the cable car is nice (but crowded) but the distances between attractions on the Rock are greater than you might think, so to see anything much there, you'll probably end up walking all the way down.

 

There are other threads on here that will help you. I got a lot of good info by asking questions on this forum.

[roothy123]

Oh, and check out the Gibraltar port guide here: http://www.tomsportguides.com

 

Great info, written for cruisers.

[nelderwoman]

You really don't want to HOLD an ape, believe me. They should not be touched at all.

 

There is generally a shuttle to Casemates Square from the dock for a 3 or 4 euro charge. They will also take pounds (forget the price). When we were there 2 weeks ago, there was a small booth close to where the taxis line up for the tours. There is also a bus going to town about a ten minute walk away from the dock. Then again, in 20 you can walk to Casemates Square, which is the start of Main St. To the cable car is farther, and the lines can be very long, I hear. We didn't do the cable car; just took a taxi tour and then I took a bus a couple places. My pictures are at http:// http://www.pbase.com/roothy123 Gib was our 3rd stop.

 

Quite honestly, I would just take a taxi tour from the port - first one you run into that has some people already lined up. It's the best way to get to see things on the Rock in the least amount of time. Right now the value of the euro is fluctuating, so I don't know which is better - paying in euros or pounds. We had euros and just paid in euros.

 

If you're really on a limited budget, you can go a lot of places in Gib on the public buses with a day pass (maybe 5 euros? I forget). There's only one bus that goes a small part of the way up the rock, so just take the tour for the Rock. Then g to Europa Point (pretty) and "the Frontier" near the airport to walk across the runway. I ran out of time for the town and for cable car, but had a wonderful time doing just everything else. I read that the cable car is nice (but crowded) but the distances between attractions on the Rock are greater than you might think, so to see anything much there, you'll probably end up walking all the way down.

 

There are other threads on here that will help you. I got a lot of good info by asking questions on this forum.

 

 

Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to answer, we have decided to take the tour, best idea.

[RavennaM]

Hi there, Do you guys know if we could just walk up to the rock? Haven't heard anyone saying if that is doable. We are in very good physical shape, we do marathons and crossfitt, so we don't mind if the climb is challenging.

[Scouse mum]

I did hear someone on the ship say they walked down cause queue was too big for cable car so I presume you can walk up. I did see people walking but I thought they came off the cable car. It is very steep. Good luck.

 

 

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[RavennaM]

I did hear someone on the ship say they walked down cause queue was too big for cable car so I presume you can walk up. I did see people walking but I thought they came off the cable car. It is very steep. Good luck.

 

 

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Thanks, I think we are going to give it a try.

[roothy123]

Yes, you can definitely walk all the way up, and of course, down. I hear it's grueling, but I'm older and not in top shape, so everything can be grueling to me! Just remember to take a little bit of money with you, as I believe even walkers might have to pay a small amount. I think if you google Mediterranean steps rock of Gibraltar you'll find info on the walk. What I don't know is where you go to begin the walk, distance from the port, and whether you can walk all the way up to the top of the rock, or at least walk to where you'll get an excellent view. The link I mentioned above (Tom's Port Guides) may have that information.

[RavennaM]

Yes, you can definitely walk all the way up, and of course, down. I hear it's grueling, but I'm older and not in top shape, so everything can be grueling to me! Just remember to take a little bit of money with you, as I believe even walkers might have to pay a small amount. I think if you google Mediterranean steps rock of Gibraltar you'll find info on the walk. What I don't know is where you go to begin the walk, distance from the port, and whether you can walk all the way up to the top of the rock, or at least walk to where you'll get an excellent view. The link I mentioned above (Tom's Port Guides) may have that information.

 

Thanks, I have been trying to find that information from several places, but no one seems to have the exact information. I think we will just ask from some local people where to start.

[epixx]

Thanks, I have been trying to find that information from several places, but no one seems to have the exact information. I think we will just ask from some local people where to start.

 

 

Our family did this last year. Here's the entrance:

 

http://www.gibraltarinfo.gi/gibraltar-jews-gate.aspx

 

We took a taxi from the cruise port to then entrance. I believe it cost about 8 pounds. The climb took about us about one hour, but that's only because the parents were slow. My teenagers kept walking up and waiting for us, and I think they could have done it in about 30-45 minutes.

 

Yes, you can walk all the way to the top. Once at the top, two of us took the cable car down and walked back to the port, while the other two walked down a more direct route (not the Mediterranean Steps) and then back to cruise port. The walk down from the top and back to the ship was about 1.5 hours.

 

See map:

 

http://www.gibraltarinfo.gi/pdf/gibraltar-atrractions-map.pdf

[eandj]

Hi

First trip to Gibraltar

We just want to have a wander on Main Street and go up the rock, I want to save the caves tours for another time so:

 

We are only in port from 1-6

 

How far would it be or how long would it take to walk from the ship to the cable car. We could then walk down Main Street back to the ship

 

 

You can easlily walk to the cable car from your ship. Less than a mile. No need for a cab to and from. Altho there will be many available and pretty pushy to use their services for a "tour".

We waited till around 10:30 to leave the ship. By then the early tours and anxious cruisers were already up and down the "rock" and we had no wait to do the cable car up or down. And it was a weekend. VERY easy and on a clear day like ours, the best view all the way to Africa!

[roothy123]

Don't expect bargains on Main Street, tax free or not. I thought I lost my lens cap, and walked into one store to ask about buying one. They wanted 20 euros for a plastic lens cap that I can get at home for $6. As many people will tell you, yes, there are a lot of shops (see list in Tom's Port Guide), but no, there aren't necessarily "bargains." I was totally bored after one block and my husband after two. I headed to Casemates Square to catch a bus and he headed back to the ship.

 

Obviously, it depends upon what you like to do, but I found that taking a city bus down to Europa Point to the lighthouse, mosque and end of Gibraltar, plus taking a bus to the airport to walk across the runway were a lot more fun than Main Street. However, we were in Gib from 8 until 5 or 6, so had plenty of time - others may not be able to see so much. (See attached pictures.)

 

Ravenna, when we got off the ship, there was a person from the tourist board there with maps and information. The map we were given shows the walking routes for the Rock. It looks like you can get to the Caves (which only take about 20 minutes to see, but are nice), plus I imagine you'll see apes, but you may not be able to walk to the Siege Tunnels (not sure).

Edited September 17, 2014 by roothy123