Gibraltar Cable Cars

[pcrum]

We are docking in Gibraltar next month on the NCL Epic.  We are scheduled to be in Gibraltar from 10 am to 6 pm, so we planned to take the cable car on our own to to the top of the rock.  We've done the bus tour previously, so this time really wanted to go on our own.  Looking at google maps, it appears to be a 38 minute walk to the cable cars from the cruise dock.  Does anyone know if there is a shuttle bus available or even a taxi?  We don't mind a walk, but would rather spend our time on the rock, rather then walking to it.

 

Thank you.

[Milhouse]

We're there in September and have been researching too.

IIRC, I think some historical posts indicate that taxi/shuttle vans are generally only willing to take you to Casemate Square as most taxis hold out for more lucurative full tours.  

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2912404-gibraltar-itinerary/#comment-64754759

[Hlitner]

We have done that walk, a few times, and do not ever recall a shuttle bus.  There are usually taxis at the port and one might be able to get a taxi to take you to the cable car.  We are pretty fast walkers and can probably do it in under 40 minutes, but many cruisers need that much time to get from one end of the ship to the other :).  The walking route is quite nice since you walk right through the center of town.  

 

Keep in mind that if it is a busy day, the queue at the cable car station can be quite long.  The last time we were in Gibraltar we waited at least 30 minutes before we got to the ticket window.  And once you have your ticket, there is another wait.  On some other visits we had almost no wait.  

 

Hank

[pcrum]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We have done that walk, a few times, and do not ever recall a shuttle bus.  There are usually taxis at the port and one might be able to get a taxi to take you to the cable car.  We are pretty fast walkers and can probably do it in under 40 minutes, but many cruisers need that much time to get from one end of the ship to the other :).  The walking route is quite nice since you walk right through the center of town.  

 

Keep in mind that if it is a busy day, the queue at the cable car station can be quite long.  The last time we were in Gibraltar we waited at least 30 minutes before we got to the ticket window.  And once you have your ticket, there is another wait.  On some other visits we had almost no wait.  

 

Hank

Thanks for your post. We are planning on purchasing the cable car tickets ahead of time to try to save time. We are in decent shape so am not afraid of the walk, just hoping to get to the cable car quickly to avoid the crowds. 
 

Thanks again. 

[Hlitner]

11 minutes ago, pcrum said:

Thanks for your post. We are planning on purchasing the cable car tickets ahead of time to try to save time. We are in decent shape so am not afraid of the walk, just hoping to get to the cable car quickly to avoid the crowds. 
 

Thanks again. 

Having tickets in hand will avoid any queue to buy tickets, but it will not avoid the queue to get on the car.  As to the crowds, your ship will only be a small part of what makes up the "crowds."  I do agree that its smart to go early in the day, if for no other reason then you can take your time and explore the top.  We used to take the cable car to the top station, spend a few hours exploring, and gradually work our way down to the mid hill station.  But on our last visit the cable car was no longer stopping at the mid station (in order to save time and let them move more passengers per hour).  We do not know the current policy regarding the mid station.  

 

We also like going up top earlier in the day and then walking back to the ship once we return to the lower station.  We will stop for a drink or perhaps lunch, as we are passing through town, and later continue back to the port.  

 

Hank

[John Bull]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

As to the crowds, your ship will only be a small part of what makes up the "crowds." 

 

Hank

 

 

The bulk of the crowds mentioned by Hank will be the coach-loads who day-trip from the many Costa del Sol resorts as far away as Nerja.

So you'd do well to get there before about 10am.

 

JB 🙂

 

[pcrum]

5 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

 

The bulk of the crowds mentioned by Hank will be the coach-loads who day-trip from the many Costa del Sol resorts as far away as Nerja.

So you'd do well to get there before about 10am.

 

JB 🙂

 

Thank you. And, is walking the best way to get to the cable cars? Are there no taxis or buses available? 
 

Thanks again. 

[Hlitner]

28 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

 

The bulk of the crowds mentioned by Hank will be the coach-loads who day-trip from the many Costa del Sol resorts as far away as Nerja.

So you'd do well to get there before about 10am.

 

JB 🙂

 

They are fools for leaving Nerja.  Once stayed at the Parador (on the top of the cliff) and the paella, made by a beach vendor, was the best I have ever had!   Given a choice between Gibraltar monkeys or paella, it is an easy choice.    :).  Hope all is well with you.  If you see our mutual friend, tell her we say hi.

 

Hank

[Zana711]

From the cruise port, there is a bus called No 5&10 (yes, five and ten, not a typo) operated by Citibus. (Citibus is a different company to the government-run company running the local buses). 

 

The bus stop closest to the port is called “North Mole Road“, a 8-10 minute from the cruise terminal on flat ground. Just exit the cruise terminal gates and keep walking straight till the first big roundtable and you should see the bus stop. 

Get off at the last stop called “Boyd Street Terminus (Cable Car)”. A return bus ticket is £2.40 or €3.60. If you want to see the rest of the island, a day “hopper ticket” is £6 or €9.

I did a DIY excursion from Gibraltar cruise port as well. If you're interested, here's my experience of seeing Gibraltar on a DIY excursion!

https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/gibraltar-cruise-port-diy-excursion-guide

[MajSteve]

Going to be in Gibraltar on 16 April. The ship indicates docking at 10:00 am. (I realize that this is "flexible" to say the least!) Anyway, in my research, most folks say it is about a 30–40-minute walk to the cable station terminal from the cruise dock. I'm a good walker, so is this fairly accurate? Or would it be smarter to take the bus from North Mole Road as mentioned by Zana711 above in order to get to the cable station? Then I could always walk back to the cruise port to see downtown. (The bus fares are cheaper than a heart attack!) Thanks for the advice. 

[Zana711]

I did the walk in around 35 minutes with another couple. Mind you, the last 10 minutes is uphill! So it's definitely possible to walk. If you're one of the first lot of folks to disembark, you'll beat all the group tours, as I did to the cable car.

My honest recommendation is to play it by ear. It depends on how hot it is. I did it on a really hot April day around 30C but I did it early and I was at the cable car station by 9am. I'm certainly glad I didn't do that walk at midday! My blog post talked about walking in the heat! 😂

 

Another option is the shared shuttle from the port - they are 8-person taxis and I think they charge €3-5 to take you to the cable car station. But obviously they want to wait till the taxi is filled before they go. 

Edited March 30 by Zana711

[pcrum]

On 3/29/2024 at 10:23 AM, Zana711 said:

From the cruise port, there is a bus called No 5&10 (yes, five and ten, not a typo) operated by Citibus. (Citibus is a different company to the government-run company running the local buses). 

 

The bus stop closest to the port is called “North Mole Road“, a 8-10 minute from the cruise terminal on flat ground. Just exit the cruise terminal gates and keep walking straight till the first big roundtable and you should see the bus stop. 

Get off at the last stop called “Boyd Street Terminus (Cable Car)”. A return bus ticket is £2.40 or €3.60. If you want to see the rest of the island, a day “hopper ticket” is £6 or €9.

I did a DIY excursion from Gibraltar cruise port as well. If you're interested, here's my experience of seeing Gibraltar on a DIY excursion!

https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/gibraltar-cruise-port-diy-excursion-guide

Thanks for this information. Can you pay the bus fare on the bus or do you purchase bus tickets in advance?

 

Thanks again. 

[Zana711]

5 hours ago, pcrum said:

Thanks for this information. Can you pay the bus fare on the bus or do you purchase bus tickets in advance?

 

Thanks again. 

Cash only on the bus for single & return tickets. If you want to purchase the daily hopper ticket, then you can purchase online if you wish - https://www.citibus.gi/tickets-and-fares. Have a wonderful port day in Gibraltar!

[Malleykatt]

Our Gibraltar stop last August was an overnight due to storm and fog. We found the Gibraltar pass good value and can use across the rock.

[John Bull]

18 hours ago, Zana711 said:

 

Another option is the shared shuttle from the port - they are 8-person taxis and I think they charge €3-5 to take you to the cable car station. But obviously they want to wait till the taxi is filled before they go. 

 

Whilst that makes a great deal of sense, it can be difficult to persuade drivers at the port to accept such a short trip - they generally want something more lucrative.

 

If you can get together a small group of like-minded folk (via your ship's RollCall?) you can ask a driver to take you to the cablecar station, and if the cablecar turns out to be a no-no he can give you a standard upper Rock van tour, the cablecar station is only a few yards off the route - that's particularly important if it's late in the day with a long line for the cablecar, or if its a windy day when the cablecar service is suspended (deliberate pun 😏),  

 

JB 🙂

[Zana711]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

Whilst that makes a great deal of sense, it can be difficult to persuade drivers at the port to accept such a short trip - they generally want something more lucrative.

 

I wasn't referring to taking a normal taxi from the port to the cable car station. I agree with you - the taxis don't want do a short trip because they're waiting for the more lucrative trips to do a 2-3 hour tour. 

I was there in April 2023 and there were official taxis "selling the seats separately", just like a tour but for the trip to the cable car station. That's why I called them "shared shuttles". They'll let you sit inside the taxi and wait till the taxi is full and they'll take everyone to the cable car station. 

[tc-cruise]

How much is the taxi fare for two from cruise terminal to cable car terminal? 

[namdert]

There is no shuttle from the port to the Cable Car station.

[spethstation]

On 3/29/2024 at 11:23 AM, Zana711 said:

I did a DIY excursion from Gibraltar cruise port as well. If you're interested, here's my experience of seeing Gibraltar on a DIY excursion!

https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/gibraltar-cruise-port-diy-excursion-guide

 

Wow, love your blog! I will be referencing it for my upcoming Med cruise! 

[Zana711]

10 hours ago, spethstation said:

 

Wow, love your blog! I will be referencing it for my upcoming Med cruise! 

Thanks very much indeed @spethstation 😊. Glad it's useful for someone! 

[ollienbertsmum]

On 3/30/2024 at 2:28 PM, MajSteve said:

Going to be in Gibraltar on 16 April. The ship indicates docking at 10:00 am. (I realize that this is "flexible" to say the least!) Anyway, in my research, most folks say it is about a 30–40-minute walk to the cable station terminal from the cruise dock. I'm a good walker, so is this fairly accurate? Or would it be smarter to take the bus from North Mole Road as mentioned by Zana711 above in order to get to the cable station? Then I could always walk back to the cruise port to see downtown. (The bus fares are cheaper than a heart attack!) Thanks for the advice. 

You have already had your trip.  I hope that you had a good day even though the weather was a bit dodgy across the region.  For the benefit of others I would say that it is easily walkable from ship to cable car if you are a regular walker.  
 

The 2, 3, 4, 9 and 5/10 all go to the cable  car station.  I often walk by after visiting Alameda gardens with my nephew and notice the queues.  They can be longgg.  I recommend getting out there early.