Gibraltar

Looking for information on a place in Andalucia or simply asking for advice on somewhere to visit? Post here and someone out there may know the answer.
telboy
Resident
Posts: 845
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2004 2:40 pm
Location: Fuentes de Cesna/Granada Province

Gibraltar

Postby telboy » Wed Feb 14, 2018 1:41 pm

Is Gibraltar worth a visit?

I've lived in Andalusia for fourteen years now but not ventured that way. Just checking out the hotels on the peninsula for a one-night stay, they are very few and very pricey. Is it worth staying for than one night nearby this side of the border or taking a day trip with a travel company?

terry

flyeogh
Resident
Posts: 287
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:07 pm
Location: Puerto de Santa Maria (and Asturias)
Contact:

Re: Gibraltar

Postby flyeogh » Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:02 pm

Is it worth it? Difficult question to answer as defining Gib is not easy. There is a lot of history but it isn't pretty history. The monkeys if you like animals running free who have character. Good real ale and a british pub if you don't get back to blightie. Lovely people but, on a day visit you won't get to know many.

Personally I'd stay in Gib for the night as a 5 to 7 hour trip will just be a rush around the tourist spots. For example to go up top by cable car and come back down walking, visiting the cave, the galleries, and fort is great. But takes a while.

There are concerts occassionally in the cave and that is special if you can get tickets.

I'd cross the causeway on foot. Get a Gib tour sorted in Gib.

I guess Gib is like marmite. But personally love the place and the people. :D
El raton de watford

ajtg1952
Resident
Posts: 1612
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:11 pm
Location: Concas, Los Ventorros de Comares

Re: Gibraltar

Postby ajtg1952 » Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:23 pm

I like Gibraltar. We go by coach every three months for a Morrisons shop [including breakfast], cheap cigarettes and a couple of pints of Old Speckled Hen. Bought a phone and a laptop on a recent visit.
The Bristol is a reasonable priced hotel and right in the middle.

elusive
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3275
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:49 am
Location: East of Malaga

Re: Gibraltar

Postby elusive » Wed Feb 14, 2018 3:16 pm

Do you like morrisons supermarkets? I suppose it might be worth a night for the novelty value and to go up the rock if you like good views and theres the tunnels etc that you can take on one of the organised trips.

We go twice a year for banking and to do a morrisons shop and a look around some of the clothes shops.its not somewhere i would go unless i had to.its typically british expensive,overcrowded and the foods poor. Theres the main street full of shops (not very good ones) but thats about it bar the rock.the only good thing i like about going there is seeing all the different people jews muslims etc etc all living in one small space.makes a nice change

Last time we went we stayed over as we were meeting some old friends.normally its an in and out. We stayed at the hotel campo de gibralter ohtels just over the border in la linea. Right on the front with cracking views of the rock on around 55 euros for the room. Most seem to stay in la linea from what ive seen and just walk over ad its far cheaper.

probe
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 234
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:41 pm
Location: Pizarra, Malaga

Re: Gibraltar

Postby probe » Wed Feb 14, 2018 3:26 pm

We went in October for the first time. We parked on the Spanish side and walked in. Most of Gibraltar is easily accessible on foot. A trip up the rock is great for the views but beware the apes as they will try and get anything they can off you. There is a good commentary of the history available in the cafe at the top. You submit your passport and they give you a small table and headphones with the commentary on it.

The shops are British and fine if you haven't been for a while. We had a nice pie and a pint.

So, I would say worth a daytrip.

flyeogh
Resident
Posts: 287
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:07 pm
Location: Puerto de Santa Maria (and Asturias)
Contact:

Re: Gibraltar

Postby flyeogh » Wed Feb 14, 2018 3:37 pm

Just a tip. If you go and stay overnight and want to buy a ticket for all the entrances (cave, fort, etc.) and you can't get to them all in one day, just mention it, and as long as you haven't got the jobs worth, they'll extends its use over 2 days. We just invariably arrive with family or friends and by after lunch don't have time to fit it all in.

Interesting it is my spanish family who like the place a lot (even if they thought they wouldn't beforehand). My spanish wife would certainly now reject any joke of a spanish take over. On the other hand some brits I know think it is horrible. Each to their own :mrgreen:
El raton de watford

elusive
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3275
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:49 am
Location: East of Malaga

Re: Gibraltar

Postby elusive » Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:16 pm

I guess the novelty issue is the main factor. Seeing uk traffic lights telephone boxes etc. Its all very random and abit confusing. I guess its one of those places that if you havnt seen then its worth it for the above as it is unique in that sense but also one of those once youve seen it youve seen it type of places aswell and contains some of the reasons why some left the uk in the first place.

User avatar
costakid
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5754
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2005 11:55 am
Location: malaga este

Re: Gibraltar

Postby costakid » Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:35 pm

Well worth a visit.I have friend who lives there and i thought Gib was rubbish until a local took us around. The back of the island is lovely and no tourists. All the brits are in main street and casemates square. Ocean village is ok for food but there are places for locals in little side streets that are better. Best to park in La Line and walk across or get the bus to the centre. Go up the rock, the views are stunning.

ValL
Resident
Posts: 904
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:36 pm

Re: Gibraltar

Postby ValL » Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:14 pm

I have been quite a few times and got married in The Alameda Gardens, beautiful gardens. I like a wandering the back streets.

ajtg1952
Resident
Posts: 1612
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:11 pm
Location: Concas, Los Ventorros de Comares

Re: Gibraltar

Postby ajtg1952 » Wed Feb 14, 2018 9:45 pm

elusive wrote:Seeing uk traffic lights
Where are the traffic lights?

User avatar
Flexo
Resident
Posts: 442
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 10:14 am
Location: Cordoba province

Re: Gibraltar

Postby Flexo » Wed Feb 14, 2018 10:35 pm

Whatever you do, don't bring your car in. The waiting time is terrible, there is no parking available in Gibraltar and if you are unlucky the customs might decide to disassemble your car and I am not sure they have to reassemble it again.

User avatar
costakid
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5754
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2005 11:55 am
Location: malaga este

Re: Gibraltar

Postby costakid » Wed Feb 14, 2018 10:43 pm

If they dismantle it and find nothing they have to put it back together. Thats scaremongering from you as they don’t strip cars for nothing. They work on intelligence and also use sniffer dogs.

northandsouth
Resident
Posts: 458
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2013 7:00 pm
Location: Casares

Re: Gibraltar

Postby northandsouth » Wed Feb 14, 2018 11:18 pm

ajtg1952 wrote:
elusive wrote:Seeing uk traffic lights
Where are the traffic lights?
There are several sets UK style traffic lights throughout Gib

elusive
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3275
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:49 am
Location: East of Malaga

Re: Gibraltar

Postby elusive » Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:30 am

We have taken the car in many times. Takes about 20 mins getting in.normally less coming out. The time it takes is the just the build up of traffic and it going down to one lane as you go into gib.certainly not customs issues as getting your passport checked going in takes all of 5 secs and you will be lucky to see spanish police or your way back in let alone get stopped.we park in the big new multi storey. Once it was full due to a majority of floors been rented out to locals so we parked at morrisons where i think it says you can park for upto 3 hrs which is enough if you are just going shopping in the centre

ajtg1952
Resident
Posts: 1612
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:11 pm
Location: Concas, Los Ventorros de Comares

Re: Gibraltar

Postby ajtg1952 » Thu Feb 15, 2018 10:03 am

Flexo wrote:Whatever you do, don't bring your car in. The waiting time is terrible, there is no parking available in Gibraltar and if you are unlucky the customs might decide to disassemble your car and I am not sure they have to reassemble it again.
I've never had a problem taking my car in There is more than enough parking. Also fuel is duty free. Only delay I've had is when there are aircraft landing or taking off. And I've never seen a car being taken apart. I wonder if Flexo has ever been in Gibraltar?

Superplonk
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 232
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 1:06 pm
Location: Coin

Re: Gibraltar

Postby Superplonk » Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:24 pm

I enjoy eavesdropping on the locals in Morrisons.

She: "El problema con Richard es que tiene un inferiority complex."
He: "Well there's nothing wrong with that!"
She: "Claro!"

User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5879
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

Re: Gibraltar

Postby Wicksey » Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:34 pm

ValL wrote:I have been quite a few times and got married in The Alameda Gardens, beautiful gardens. I like a wandering the back streets.
We very first went there when we were in Tangier on holiday in 1985 and flew 20 mins in an old prop plane over to Gib for the day. My OH proposed to me in the garden of the register office, even going down on one knee, and we had considered going back to get married there.

We have waited an hour or more each way in queues in the past but it may have been when the border checks had been stepped up and they checked every single vehicle going out. Hopefully they are not doing that now.

Must say it's not my favourite place and I've found the food very poor quality, but the historical side is interesting and we enjoyed visiting the caves and tunnels up the Rock. It is certainly worth the trip if you've never been before.

User avatar
Flexo
Resident
Posts: 442
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 10:14 am
Location: Cordoba province

Re: Gibraltar

Postby Flexo » Thu Feb 15, 2018 2:15 pm

ajtg1952 wrote: I've never had a problem taking my car in . Also fuel is duty free. Only delay I've had is when there are aircraft landing or taking off. And I've never seen a car being taken apart. I wonder if Flexo has ever been in Gibraltar?
Yeah I have and I am relaying the information I stated above from several locals who have witnessed the above mentioned procedure with disassembling vehicles without reassembling.
There is more than enough parking.
Where exactly?

User avatar
Flexo
Resident
Posts: 442
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 10:14 am
Location: Cordoba province

Re: Gibraltar

Postby Flexo » Thu Feb 15, 2018 2:44 pm

costakid wrote:If they dismantle it and find nothing they have to put it back together. Thats scaremongering from you as they don’t strip cars for nothing. They work on intelligence and also use sniffer dogs.
What I know of customs is that the dogs are only for show, real sniffer dogs are way to expensive for that given that a real smuggler might kill it in desperation. To the best of my knowledge they use electronic sniffers, x ray machines and laser rephractometers.

And yeah, I have had my stuff tossed around a couple of times. And I am old enough to remember how it was back in the cold war days which we seemingly are headed back to.

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Gibraltar

Postby Miro » Thu Feb 15, 2018 5:15 pm

Is Gibraltar worth a visit? IMHO, everywhere in the world is worth a visit if you've never been. First hand experience is so much better than second hand accounts. I've been to plenty of rubbish places over the years, some despite warnings from others that they were rubbish, but don't regret visiting any of them. Personally I quite like the place, mainly for the simple fact that it is quite an anomaly, but admit that once you've seen it, you've seen it. But I love the Marmite analogy!
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests