There are many reasons to visit Gibraltar and there’s lots of things to do in this beautiful place that I feel is overlooked. I don’t often hear it being recommend as a travel destination and it might surprise some of you that Gibraltar weather is lovely with over 300 days of sunshine a year! It’s only 3 hours away from the UK and is VAT free so you can get some amazing deals especially on fragrance. If you want to see all the perfume and the prices I paid when I visited you can watch my video on my YouTube channel.
The main tourist attraction is the Apes’ Den where you can visit the Barbary Macaques which live wild on the Rock of Gibraltar. There are many legends surrounds the monkeys including how they arrived there, one is that it’s thought they arrived from their native Morocco via a subterranean tunnel, however others believe that they were imported. Another legend claims that should the macaques ever disappear then the British will leave Gibraltar, it’s quite interesting hearing all of the different stories surrounding them and if you have a tour around the area you’ll be sure to hear all of them!
There are now plenty of warning signs around the area (which never used to be there) about not touching or getting too close to the monkeys as they are wild animals and can react violently, one glance at their teeth whilst they’re yawning should put you off getting too close anyway. It’s quite funny watching then run around and at one point I watched one steal a magnum from a woman and unwrap it before enjoying it in front of her! I would advise not going in your bag and having your cameras out ready beforehand because the moment you open your bag they will make their way towards you thinking you have food to share. Also the people of Gibraltar want these monkeys to live a free life so it’s best to interact with them as little as possible.
There are several ways to the top of the rock of Gibraltar including cable car, taxi and a walking route. We’ve walked to the top the past two times we visited as there are many other attractions to visit on the way such as the Devil’s Gap Battery, WWII Tunnels and the beautiful St Michael’s Cave which is incredible and definitely a must-see attraction. On the way up you will find the Gibraltar tourist information office which I’ve always found to be very happy with planning on what points of interest to visit.
Gibraltar is a vibrant destination and their yearly calendar is filled with celebrations, festivals and parties. If you’re interested in music I would recommend visiting in September for the Gibraltar Music Festival, or if gastronomy is more your thing then there’s a food festival in June which is called the Calentita (local traditional dish) festival. However it’s a beautiful place to visit all year round and is perfect for a weekend break!
Rebecca x
I’ve visited Gibraltar before and its such a lovely place! I loved driving up the rock and seeing all the monkeys!
Chloe X http://chloelxuise.com