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⚠️ The Gibraltar cable car is closed. It stopped working in November 2025 for a complete reconstruction and It is not expected to reopen until around 2027.
If you were hoping for a price rise over the next few days, there are no tickets on sale. But The Rock is still very much open to visitors, and here’s how to sign up now and how much it costs.
It’s not a fault or a closure for maintenance: it’s a comprehensive overhaul of the system. The original facility was built by the Swiss Von Roll in 1966, on the initiative of a local businessman John G. Gaggero, and he was carrying almost sixty years in service.
The base station building is closed to the public whilst the works are underway. When it reopens, the operator will publish the new fares via its official channels.
Just to give you an idea of how much it cost: when, in November 2025, the ticket for A return ticket with access to the Nature Reserve cost 49 pounds per adult. Any lower price you might come across — such as 18 or 20 pounds — is based on fares from years ago.
This is the useful bit. The Upper Rock, the Nature Reserve, it remains completely open. What changes is how you get to the top.
And here’s something you should know first of all: Private vehicles are not permitted to enter the Nature Reserve. It is not a recommendation, it is a ban. So there are three options:
The most practical option now that there’s no cable car. Licensed taxis depart from the area of Grand Parade —where the base station was— and they take a tour lasting about two hours, stopping at the main points of interest.
The drivers know the route inside out and pick up passengers from nearby streets.
You can walk up it, but it has about two and a half hours of continuous uphill climbing. In summer, when it’s hot, it’s demanding.
An important notice: the Mediterranean Steps, the most spectacular walking route on the south face, have been closed since a rockslide in May 2026. Check the conditions before planning a hike up that route.
By minibus or on an electric bike with a guide. Sort out both transport and the route in one go.
With the cable car closed, the main expense is the entrance fee to the Nature Reserve, which gives you access to all the attractions up there:
Guide prices as at August 2026. It is advisable to check these when making a purchase, as they are reviewed periodically.
And that single ticket includes all of the following:
You can collect your ticket at five different entry points, including Jews Gate, the Moorish Castle and the cable car base station itself.
This has changed very recently, and many people are unaware of it: from the 15 July 2026 the land border with Spain it no longer has any controls. La Verja is no longer operating as a checkpoint and has been dismantled.
Crossing the border from La Línea de la Concepción is much quicker now than it used to be. Even so, you should carry your identification documents with you.
The base station is at Grand Parade, on Red Sands Road, alongside the Alameda Botanical Gardens, at the southern end of Main Street. From the centre, they are a fifteen- or twenty-minute walk.
Even though the building is closed, the area remains the natural starting point: that’s where the tourist taxis leave for the Upper Rock.
By the time I get back: six minutes up to the upper station, at 412 metres above sea level, with trams running approximately every ten minutes.
From the top, there is a panoramic view of 360 degrees: Algeciras Bay, the Mediterranean, Spain and, on clear days, the coast of Africa on the other side of the strait.
And the monkeys. Barbary macaques are roaming freely throughout the upper area. Do not give them any food or carry open bags: they take whatever they can. We talk about it in the monkeys of Gibraltar.
Everything to see, at the Rock of Gibraltar, and how to get on how to climb the Rock.
We are a local tour operator based in Málaga with over 50 years’ experience organising trips around Andalusia. With the cable car closed, the excursion takes care of transport, crossing the border and the tour of the Rock, with a tour guide:
The second combines the Rock with dolphin-watching trip by boat around the bay, which is an option that doesn’t rely on the cable car. More at whales and dolphins in Gibraltar.
And to prepare for the visit, Ten interesting facts about Gibraltar y where to eat.
No. The cable car closed in November 2025 for a complete refurbishment and is not expected to resume operations until around 2027. The base station building remains closed to the public whilst the works are underway, so there are no tickets on sale and no current fares.
At the time of closure, in November 2025, a return ticket for an adult, including access to the Nature Reserve, cost 49 pounds, with discounts available for children and local residents. The much lower prices still circulating online – in the region of 18 or 20 pounds – relate to fares from several years ago and do not reflect the actual price at the time the service ceased operating.
There are three options, as private vehicles are not permitted in the Nature Reserve: a tourist taxi, which is the most practical option and departs from the Grand Parade area for a journey lasting around two hours; on foot, which takes around two and a half hours of continuous uphill walking; or via an organised tour by minibus or electric bike.
Entry to the Nature Reserve costs 30 pounds for adults and 22 for children aged 5 to 11, whilst it is free for children under that age, according to the August 2026 rates. This includes access to St Michael’s Cave, the Skywalk, the Windsor Suspension Bridge, the Great Siege Tunnels, the Moorish Castle, the 100-tonne cannon and the footpaths.
Since 15 July 2026, there have been no routine border checks at the land crossing with Spain, following the entry into force of the agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom, signed the previous day in Brussels. Crossing from La Línea de la Concepción is now immediate. Checks remain in place at the port and airport in Gibraltar. For Spanish nationals and citizens of the European Economic Area, a valid national identity card is sufficient, and it is advisable to carry it with you.
No. This walking route up the south face of the Rock – the most spectacular of those leading up to the Upper Rock – remains closed following a rockfall in May 2026, and its reopening is pending further assessment. It is advisable to check its condition before planning a walk up this route.
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