Europa Point

Europa Point is the furthest south you can stand on the Rock of Gibraltar, and on a clear day the view across the Strait to Morocco is one of those moments that makes you realise how extraordinary this small piece of land actually is. The African coast is 14 kilometres away. You can see it with the naked eye, distinct and detailed when the air is clear. The ships passing through the narrows below you are making a crossing that has defined the history of the Mediterranean world for thousands of years. The point itself is a wide open headland at the southern tip of the peninsula, free to visit and accessible by car or the number 2 bus from town. It is a public space rather than a ticketed attraction. Locals run here, families come in the evenings, and the lighthouse marks the boundary where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque stands here, a gift from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, opened in 1997. Its white domes and minaret are visible from well out to sea. The Europa Point Lighthouse, formally known as Trinity Lighthouse, has been guiding shipping through the Strait since 1841. Rosia Bay, visible from the point looking north-west, is where HMS Victory anchored after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 carrying the body of Admiral Nelson. There is a small cafe and public facilities at the point, plus a football pitch where the Gibraltar national team sometimes trains. The Shrine of Our Lady of Europa, one of Gibraltar's oldest places of worship with origins in the 14th century, sits within a small building near the lighthouse and is open to visitors. Come at sunset if you can. The light over the Strait with Morocco silhouetted across the water, ships cutting through the narrows, and the lighthouse coming on as dusk falls is one of the genuinely free and genuinely great things available in this corner of the world. Just go.