Sometimes spontaneous and not very well planned trips are some of the best and most amusing in a traveler’s life! We had rented a car for a couple of days during our vacation in Malaga and thought to ourselves “Why not visit the cute funny monkeys?”. And so we did!

It is only a few hours drive through the beautiful Andalucia from Malaga to Gibraltar. There is a huge parking space located right next to the border on the spanish side. The easiest way is to leave your car there and simply walk through. As a european citizen you only need to show your ID. You cannot miss the right way, because you can already see your goal – the Rock of Gibraltar!

There are buses (which by the way are not very cheap, especially if you are paying in euros), but you could easily take a nice walk south to the city centre and the Rock.

But be aware! In the middle of the main road you are crossing…. the Airport of Gibraltar! They actually stop the traffic for planes to land or depart! It is one of the funniest and most surreal experiences of my life!

If you continue your walk south you will soon reach the city centre and the shopping area. If you arrive earlier in the day, take your time to do some shopping, because there are lots of brands and stores with really good prices (like duty free).

And walking further down the Main Street you will get closer to the Rock and maybe spot your first furry friend doing some monkey business!

The easiest way to go up is with the cable car. Unfortunately the last ride up is pretty early in the afternoon, so be sure to check time tables in advance.

Once you are on the top, the beauty of the view speaks for itself! Just take your time to enjoy every corner of the viewing platform. And yes, you can also see the shores of Africa!

Of course the funniest part of this trip are the monkeys! People say they are naughty. I thought otherwise. People who throw themselves on the poor animals with their phones and cameras are the naughty ones! The monkeys are funny and cute doing their own thing, please don’t scare them and push them literally to the edge just to get your “perfect” picture! But a good advice would be to only take bags with closed zippers, because they are indeed always looking for food.

If you want to have a dinner afterwards, make sure to also check the opening times, because unlike Spain, shops and restaurants in Gibraltar close pretty early. We found a really nice restaurant with a big garden on the Main Street.
Walking through Gibraltar is a very cool experience. It really is so “UK” with the red telephone boxes, but it is mixed up with palm trees and andalucian flair. Gibraltar is worth the visit, even only for an afternoon!