← Maratón de Estepona·Day trip

Gibraltar: Across the Border to the Rock

A walk across the frontier into a British territory, a flat Main Street and the cable car up the Rock, which spares marathon legs the climb.

DurationDay trip
TransitBus to La Línea de la Concepción, about 1 hour, then on foot across the border
DepartsEstepona bus station

After the Maratón de Estepona: Gibraltar

The Route: Estepona → La Línea de la Concepción → Gibraltar → Estepona Logistics: Bus west along the coast to La Línea, about an hour, then a 10-minute walk across the border. Flat in town; the Rock by cable car. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

Estepona ──(about 1 hr bus)──> La Línea ──(10 mins on foot, border)──> Gibraltar ──(return the same way)──> Estepona

The Maratón de Estepona's western turn, at the Puerto de Estepona, points down the coast towards the Rock of Gibraltar, which is visible from the town on a clear day. It is about 45 km away, close enough for a day trip that needs no car and very little walking uphill, provided the cable car is running.

October in Gibraltar is warm, usually in the low twenties, and the cruise-ship crowds of summer thin out. The Levante, the easterly wind that pushes a cloud bank over the top of the Rock, can blow at any time of year and sometimes stops the cable car. Check the forecast and the operator's website before leaving.

Buses from Estepona's bus station run west to La Línea de la Concepción, the Spanish town on the border, in about an hour. From La Línea bus station, walk about 10 minutes to the frontier. Take a passport. Gibraltar sits outside the Schengen area and border arrangements with Spain have been changing, so check the current requirements for your nationality before travelling. Gibraltar uses the pound, and cards are accepted almost everywhere.

The walk into town crosses the airport runway on a road that closes when planes land. Beyond it, Main Street runs the length of the old town.

Main Street and the town

Main Street is a flat, pedestrianised shopping street of about a kilometre, with red pillar boxes, pubs and shops selling duty-free goods, and a strange mix of British and Andalusian architecture. Casemates Square, at its northern end, is the obvious place to sit down. The Gibraltar National Museum, off Main Street, covers the Rock's history from the Neanderthals, whose remains were found in caves here, to the Great Siege of the late eighteenth century. It is indoors and on level ground.

The Rock

The Rock rises 426 m above the town. The climb on foot is long and steep and is not a sensible idea after a marathon. The cable car from the southern end of Main Street reaches the top station in a few minutes, and tickets can include entry to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, which covers St Michael's Cave and the Great Siege Tunnels. At the top, the views reach across the Strait to Morocco, and the Barbary macaques, the only wild monkeys in Europe, sit on the railings. Do not feed them and keep food out of sight.

The top station has a viewing terrace and a café. Walking between the reserve's sites involves slopes and steps; choose one and take the cable car back down. If the cable car is closed, the minibus tours that leave from the town are the alternative for tired legs.

The return

Walk back across the border to La Línea and catch the bus to Estepona. Queues at the frontier can be long in the late afternoon, so allow time. The last buses back leave in the evening; check the timetable in the morning.