Tourist Information

The Rock of Gibraltar is located at the entrance of the Mediterranean. Its strategic location and history have made it an international symbol of solidity and strength.

Gibraltar is connected to the Spanish mainland by a sandy isthmus, and has been the subject of many conquests and sieges. The Rock fell to an Anglo-Dutch force in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession; it was formally ceded by Spain to Britain under Article X of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Since 1704 Gibraltar has been a British Territory, and part of the EU since British accession in 1973. On the 1st January 1973 Gibraltar joined the EEC with Britain, as a European territory for whose external affairs a member state is responsible. A number of special arrangements were negotiated which means that Gibraltar is not liable to pay VAT, does not belong to the Customs Union nor to the Common Agricultural Policy.

Largely self-governing, Gibraltar has a solid economy, which in a modern Europe, has its emphasis on offshore finance, shipping, tourism and the Internet, rather than the military past, although there is much of that for the tourist to see and enjoy.

The Official Rock Tour

Taking 'The Official Rock Tour' is the best way to visit some of Gibraltar's most interesting sites. The tour lasts approximately 90 minutes so at each stop you will have plenty of time to look around. Simply ask one of our official taxi or coach guides to take you and your party on 'The Rock Tour' - or you can arrange with them an individual tour of your choice.

Here are some of the exciting stops in the 'Official Rock Tour':

1. The Frontier (Stop optional)
Closed by the Spanish Government in 1969, the Frontier reopened without restrictions on the 5th February 1985, and is now crossed by over four million visitors each year.

2. Catalan Bay (5-minute stop)
From your panoramic vantage point you will see the delightful beach and village of Catalan Bay - home to some of the original Genoese settlers in the eighteenth century and a haven for Spaniards fleeing from Napoleon's invasion of Spain in the nineteenth century.

3. Watercatchments, East Side (5-minute stop)
Some of the most impressive faces of the Rock are on its eastern side. There is no natural source of water on the Rock other than a few wells; the sheets above the road were once used to collect rainwater, which was then stored in huge reservoirs inside the Rock. These sheets overlie an impressive prehistoric sand dune.

4. Lighthouse (5-minute stop)
Situated on the southernmost tip of Gibraltar, the lighthouse at Europa is the only one outside the United Kingdom, which is regulated by Trinity House. Standing 49-metres (156 feet) above High Water, its loom can be seen a distance of 37-kilometres (17 miles).

5. Upper Rock Nature Reserve
5.1 Jews' Gate (5-minute stop)
This spot commands spectacular views of The magnificent Rif Mountains of Morocco and the towering Jebel Musa, the second Pillar of Hercules. Beyond, across the Atlantic, there is nothing between you and America!

5.2. Saint Michael's Cave (30-minute stop)
One of Europe's most dramatic natural grottoes, the cave is a unique subterranean auditorium, now a special venue for concerts and other live performances

5.3. O'Hara's Battery (15-minute stop; optional - summer season only)
See the most outstanding views from the very top of the Rock and explore the complex machinery associated with the large 9.2-inch gun, which still commands the Rock's summit.

5.4. Apes' Den (10-minute stop)
Perhaps the best known of Gibraltar's attractions is the Barbary Ape. Friendly, charming and highly inquisitive, the apes have lived on the Rock for over two centuries. A visit to their den, high on the Rock, is a must.

5.5. Military Heritage Centre (5-minute stop; optional)
Housed in Princess Caroline's Battery you can see artefacts of military history within this complex.

5.6. Great Siege Tunnels (15-minute stop;
optional) Excavated during the Great Siege of 1779-83 to permit the mounting of a gun on the North Face of the Rock, they were later extended to provide an impregnable line of artillery.

5.7. Gibraltar, a City under Siege (10-minute stop; optional)
The exhibition is within the oldest buildings on the Rock. It includes original eighteenth-century graffiti and an old water system.

5.8. Lime Kiln (5-minute stop; optional)
The last remaining lime kiln on the Rock, which dates to the late nineteenth century.

5.9. Moorish Castle (15-minute stop; optional)
The fourteenth-century Tower of Homage is a survivor of countless sieges and a testament to a once larger complex, which reached Casemates on the waterfront.

6. The Gibraltar Museum (20-minute stop or start/finish)
See under one roof unique story of Gibraltar with a specially produced film and many galleries full of original artefacts, old prints and photographs. Take a tour through time, from the origins of the Rock 200-million years ago to the Gibraltarians of today and its natural history. In the basement is the best-preserved Moorish Bath House in Europe.

7. Nelson's Anchorage (15-minute stop; optional)
See the unique Victorian Super Gun located close to the site where Nelson's body was brought ashore after the Battle of Trafalgar.

8. Parson's Lodge (15-minute stop; optional)
On the opposite side of Rosia Bay is this historical battery which dominates the entrance to the Bay.

9. Alameda Botanical Gardens (20 minute stop; optional)
Visit these attractive nineteenth-century gardens and relax after a day's shopping or sightseeing.

10. Optional Tours
If you have spare time you can choose specific customised tours of your own. For example, a visit to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, with its many sites and trails, would need at least two days to be fully conferred and an entire day could be comprehensively spent in the Gibraltar Museum. Tours that combine compulsory stops with the Cable Car are also available. You can also take one of the available boat trips, starting from one of our Marinas, to see Gibraltar's wild dolphins.

Specific tours of your choice can be arranged through your hotel representative.

REMEMBER, IRRESPECTIVE OF YOUR CHOICE, THE OFFICIAL ROCK TOUR REQUIRES OPERATORS TO STOP AT ALL THE COMPULSORY POINTS.

The official tour with the different facets of history and nature is an appetiser, intended to give you a brief look at the different sites available. The optional stops can be negotiated, within the time available, with your tour operator thus giving you the flexibility to make up your own tour. Each site requires more time than indicated and we strongly urge you to allow yourselves sufficient time in Gibraltar to be able to visit all of them. If you do not have enough time, you will find a return visit a must. For more information please visit the Gibraltar information site www.gibraltar.gi

Treaties of Utrecht

The Treaties of Utrecht (April 11, 1713) were signed in Utrecht, a city of the United Provinces. Along with the Treaties of Rastatt and Baden, this concluded the War of the Spanish Succession (as well as Queen Anne's War).

The Treaties of Utrecht confirmed Philip V as the king of Spain, provided that Spain and France remain separate. The Spanish Netherlands, Milan, and Naples were granted to Austria. England was granted possession of the Hudson Bay Territory, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. France and the Holy Roman Empire would not settle their differences until 1714, and Spain and Portugal did not cease hostilities until 1715.

The main provisions of the treaties confirmed that Louis XIV's grandson Philip V would remain on the throne of Spain, and retain Spain's new world colonies. Many of Spain's other territories were partitioned out among the allied powers. The Emperor received the Spanish Netherlands, the Duchy of Milan, Naples, and Sardinia. The Duke of Savoy received Sicily and some strips of land in Lombardy. The British received Gibraltar and Minorca, which they had captured during the war.

There were also some colonial provisions pertaining to North America: France recognized British control of the Hudson Bay Territory and Newfoundland and ceded Acadia to the British. France retained Cape Breton Island, the St. Lawrence Islands, and fishing rights off of Newfoundland.