Go up
The Rock isn’t just the rock you can see from the bay. At the top is the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, y A single ticket gives you access to everything inside.
Here’s what you’ll find, and the best order in which to view it.
The entrance to the Reserve costs £30 for adults and £22 for children aged 5 to 11, free below. Rates for August 2026.
Full details at how to climb the Rock y the condition of the cable car.
A single ticket covers all of this, so you don’t have to pay separately at each stop:
A glass walkway 340 metres long over the sea, jutting out from the cliff. It is taller than The Shard in London.
And the name is no coincidence: it was opened in 2018 Mark Hamill —Luke Skywalker- cutting the ribbon with a lightsaber, escorted by a brigade of stormtroopers. It was the Gibraltar Government’s idea and it worked: it is now the island’s most visited attraction.
For those who are unsure about trying it: the floor are 42 four-layer laminated glass panels and 4.2 cm thick. It can withstand the weight of 340 people —or five Asian elephants— and winds of over 150 km/h. It is secured with 30,000 kilos of steel and 70 metres of rock anchors.
They only allow 50 people in at a time, so there may be a queue.
It is built on the Mount Misery battery, a Second World War artillery emplacement, from which paths lead off towards the Windsor Suspension Bridge and the Monkeys’ Lair.
It is the highest point on the Rock: 426 metres, just south of the Skywalk.
And it has a brilliant story. The governor Charles O’Hara He ordered a watchtower to be built here, convinced that from it Cádiz would be visible and ships approaching Gibraltar could be sighted.
You couldn’t see it. The tower came to be known as «O’Hara’s Folly», and it ended badly: HMS Wasp sank it with cannon fire in 1888, during a shooting exercise.
The current battery dates from 1890 and still retains its 9.2-inch gun overlooking the Strait. It opened to the public in 2010.
Note: this is the summit of the Mediterranean Steps, which are closed following a landslide in May 2026.
A karst cave with large chambers, stalactites and stalagmites, at an altitude of 300 metres.
What makes it different: during the Second World War It was converted into an emergency military hospital, and today its main hall serves as an auditorium, with a light show and concerts. The acoustics are remarkable.
Practical tip: Inside, it stays cool and stable all year round. In summer, it’s the best place to stop for lunch. Allow between 30 and 45 minutes.
They are constantly being confused, yet they are different things:
Excavated from among 1779 and 1783, during the The Great Siege during which Spanish and French troops attempted to recapture Gibraltar. The British garrison dug tunnels by hand to position guns that would bombard the north face.
You can see the embrasures overlooking the isthmus. It is 18th-century defensive artillery.
A system much more extensive, excavated in the 1940s, which turned the Rock into an underground city: warehouses, hospitals, accommodation, storage facilities and internal roads to sustain the garrison during a prolonged siege.
They opened to the public in May 2005. Not all sections are open to the public.
City Under Siege It is housed in one of the first buildings erected by the British garrison and recreates how the soldiers lived during the sieges. It is a short tour and provides some background on the tunnels.
The Moorish Castle It is the oldest part of Gibraltar. Its Tower of Homage, dating from the Muslim period, overlooks the northern entrance and still bears the marks of the sieges. It can be seen from all over the city.
Around 300 Barbary macaques, the only primates living in the wild in Europe. They roam freely throughout the upper area.
The trick to seeing them for sure: they are officially fed at 8.00 am and at 4.00 pm at Apes’ Den.
And a serious warning: Feeding them is an offence, punishable by fines of up to 4,000 pounds. Put your bags away: they’ll take your rucksacks, glasses and mobile phones.
Its history, in the monkeys of Gibraltar.
The southernmost point, now at sea level and outside the Reserve. Here is the lighthousethe Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque and the monument to the Pillars of Hercules.
That monument has its significance: for the old-timers, the Rock and the Jebel Musa, in Morocco, were the two Pillars of Hercules, the edge of the known world. It’s right there in front of you.
The full programme, at what to see in Gibraltar in one day. For lunch, Where to eat in Gibraltar. And to get in, what you need.
We are a local tour operator based in Málaga with over 50 years’ experience organising trips around Andalusia. With the cable car out of service, the excursion takes care of the climb, with a guided tour and stops at Punta Europa, the San Miguel cave and the macaque area:
More at Ten interesting facts about Gibraltar y whales and dolphins.
A single ticket grants access to the Skywalk, Windsor Suspension Bridge, St Michael’s Cave, the Great Siege Tunnels and the Second World War Tunnels, the ‘City Under Siege’ exhibition, the Moorish Castle, O’Hara’s Battery, the 100-tonne cannon and the footpaths, as well as the Monkey’s Den. It costs 30 pounds for adults and 22 for children aged 5 to 11, according to prices in August 2026.
At 340 metres above sea level, which makes it taller than The Shard in London. Its floor consists of 42 panels of four-layer laminated glass, each about 4.2 centimetres thick, capable of supporting the weight of 340 people and withstanding winds of over 150 kilometres per hour, although the capacity is limited to 50 visitors at any one time.
At its opening in 2018, when Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in *Star Wars*, cut the ribbon with a lightsaber whilst escorted by a brigade of stormtroopers. The play on words between ‘Skywalk’ and ‘Skywalker’ was deliberate, and the attraction quickly became the most visited in the park.
O’Hara’s battery, at 426 metres. It is named after Governor Charles O’Hara, who ordered a watchtower to be built there, convinced that it would provide a view of Cádiz. As this was not the case, the tower became known as «O’Hara’s Folly» and was eventually demolished by cannon fire from HMS Wasp during firing exercises in 1888. The present-day battery dates from 1890.
The Great Siege Tunnels were dug by hand between 1779 and 1783, during the Spanish-French siege, to house cannons that would defend the northern face of the Rock. Those dating from the Second World War form a much larger system, excavated in the 1940s, which transformed the rock into an underground city complete with hospitals, warehouses and internal roads; they were opened to the public in May 2005.
Not at the moment. The cable car closed in November 2025 for a complete refurbishment and is not expected to reopen until around 2027. As private vehicles are also not permitted to enter the Nature Reserve, the alternatives are a tourist taxi, walking up the hill, or an organised tour.
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