Gibraltar is roughly 4 miles long by 1 mile wide. Approximately 30,000 residents live here so the only option is to build upwards, high rise apartment blocks prevail. Every inch of space has been utilised, roads are extremely busy, parking is a huge problem and scooters are everywhere. A massive luxury 5-star floating casino/hotel dominates Marina Bay casting shadows over parts of the marina, bars and restaurants that line the waterfront. It felt cramped! Our first impression was that we disliked the place but at this point we had only crossed the border and walked along the waterfront.



Since then we've explored more of the town and wondered down side streets and alleys littered with defensive walls, bastions and cannons. Casemates Square, lined with outdoor cafes and tapas bars provides a buzzing atmosphere no matter what time of day or night.


Casemates Square


Main Street

The pedestrianised main street has traditional pillow box red phone booths, post boxes and high quality shops selling everything from books, jewellery, perfumes, electronics, and cigarettes - most of it duty free. There are proper pubs serving pints, menus offering steak pies and fish'n'chips. If you’re into horticulture there’s a fantastic Botanical Garden with a significant number and variety of trees, shrubs and plants. We feel that we've seen Gibraltar at the best time of year (springtime and before the tourist season) and concluded that we actually like Gibraltar - it's very British with prices comparable to the UK.


Botanical Garden


lovely trees