Gibraltar info needed

[Beachlady1950]

We will be there in September for a day and would love to take the cable car up to the top.  But I also want to see the caves and the tunnels.  Would there be a cab at the top to drive down to see these sites?  I don’t think we would be capable of walking the trail going down.  Also would like recommendations for a cab/tour should I accept that I can’t get to the top any other way!

[John Bull]

No, there are no taxis available to hire on the Upper Rock. 

No local buses either.

It's pretty remote up there, and there's the cablecar to go down, so there's simply no demand for taxis or buses..

 

From the top station, St Michael's cave is a 20-minute walk south and the Great Siege tunnels are mebbe 25 minutes walk north - walking between those two places you pass within a couple of minutes of your start point at the top station.

So if you want to see them without a long walk, a van/taxi tour is the only way to do it.

 

The Upper Rock is a ridge from end-to-end, but with high points at O'Hara's Battery, the top station, and the Great Siege Tunnels.

If you're keen to see the "Top of the Rock" at the top station you might be able to take a private taxi tour which does broadly the standard tour but stops at or near the top. But altho' there's a road which leads to the top station, I think it's for service vehicles only. And altho the standard taxi tour passes within a two-minute walk of the top station I'm not sure that there's anywhere that a private tour driver could park - the tour road is a narrow one-way single-lane.

https://goo.gl/maps/cFSMCkoov522mSM86

Taxi tours do stop at the upper apes den  - zoom in on this map &, you'll see a few taxis there (between the Skywalk and the top station) and it's only a 5-minute walk to the top station. But again I don't think there's anywhere to park   - taxis & vans simply block the narrow road while their passengers enjoy the apes and the views both west to the Atlantic and (up a few steps) east over the Mediterranean. When there's a line of taxis/vans, passengers simply walk up the line to the apes & each time a taxi/van leaves the others move forward until they reach the front & pick up their passengers - sounds horrendous but works very well.  

You'd need to ask a taxi-tour operator whether it's possible to park at or near the top station.

Try http://www.gibraltartaxiassociation.com/ and https://www.gibraltar-rock-tours.com/faqs/

 

Without that complication, it's easiest to simply join a taxi/van tour at the cruise terminal. As long as you're not late off the ship there should be no problem.

 

If it's the cablecar experience that you want, as well as visiting the sights without a long walk, you'd need to do both a taxi tour and the cablecar.  The bottom cablecar station is a walk of 30 minutes or more from the ship and I think mebbe 15 mins from the nearest Upper Rock taxi-tour stand in Main Street. I rate doing both as over-complicated, & not worth the grief.

 

JB 

 

Edited to add. I see you've posted in the Spain forum.

If you were a Brit you'd be hung for treason .

If you search the "other Mediterranean ports" forum you'll find more info about Gib.  

Edited June 19, 2019 by John Bull

[campolady]

20 hours ago, John Bull said:

If you were a Brit you'd be hung for treason .

If you search the "other Mediterranean ports" forum you'll find more info about Gib.  

Love it!!!

[Host Jazzbeau]

On 6/19/2019 at 6:00 AM, John Bull said:

If you were a Brit you'd be hung for treason .

If you search the "other Mediterranean ports" forum you'll find more info about Gib.

 

According to my long-time pen friend in Manchester, even questions about Britain shouldn't be in a category called "Europe."  

[John Bull]

9 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

According to my long-time pen friend in Manchester, even questions about Britain shouldn't be in a category called "Europe."  

 

There's nothing wrong with "Europe".

But the United States of Europe, or the "European Union" to give it its correct title, well that's a different matter .............. 

 

JB 

[dakacz]

What is the usual price for the standard taxi tour from the pier?

[Host Jazzbeau]

So, I noticed that the Cruise Critic description of "Other Mediterranean Ports" mentions Gibraltar, and moved this thread there.  I hope the small group that has been commenting will follow the link here – and also that others will see it now that it is in the 'right' place.

[VMax1700]

9 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

So, I noticed that the Cruise Critic description of "Other Mediterranean Ports" mentions Gibraltar, and moved this thread there.  I hope the small group that has been commenting will follow the link here – and also that others will see it now that it is in the 'right' place.

I hope you realize that you have made a very political statement by moving Gibraltar from the 'Spain' sub forum and placing it here! 😉

Is Gibraltar in the Mediterranean?  Perhaps Western Europe would have been better.  I have no idea why Lisbon and Madeira are listed as 'Other Mediterranean' ports as both are firmly placed in the N. Atlantic. 

[John Bull]

On 6/30/2019 at 12:48 PM, VMax1700 said:

I hope you realize that you have made a very political statement by moving Gibraltar from the 'Spain' sub forum and placing it here! 😉

Is Gibraltar in the Mediterranean?  Perhaps Western Europe would have been better.  I have no idea why Lisbon and Madeira are listed as 'Other Mediterranean' ports as both are firmly placed in the N. Atlantic. 

 

Methinks the Cork man is on a wind-up

Politically-incorrect is wanting it to stay in the Spain forum  

 

Yes, Gib is in the Med. 

Which it's true is more than can be said for Lisbon or Madeira.

.........or Varna, or Odessa or Sevastapol or Istanbul. 

And if we wanna be politically-correct, it's more than can be said for Venice or Zadar or Dubrovnik or Kotor. 

 

But there's limits to the number of sub-forums - I think Cruise Critic has got it about as close as is practical.

And anyone who can't figure the geography for themselves perhaps shouldn't be cruising there. 

 

JB 

[Host Jazzbeau]

I had a history professor in college who always included a map question on his final exam, because he was shocked at the lack of geography knowledge among Americans.  Since he was a proud Montenegran, his sly trick was to ask you to draw a map of the Baltic.  Many students would instead show him the Balkans.  

[VMax1700]

16 hours ago, John Bull said:

Methinks the Cork man is on a wind-up

😉

Edited July 2, 2019 by VMax1700