1-Day Solo Itinerary in Gibraltar

Solo travel in Gibraltar has a particular quality to it. The Rock is a compact place but it rewards the person who is willing to slow down and look at it properly. One day alone here, moving at your own pace, covers more ground than a group trip of three days ever does. Start with the Mediterranean Steps. This is the path that most visitors skip, and that is exactly why it is the right call for a solo traveller who wants to see Gibraltar without the crowd. The trailhead is near Jews Gate in the south of the Rock, accessible by taxi from town. The path climbs steeply through the nature reserve, mostly on limestone slabs and loose rock, and takes around ninety minutes to reach the ridge at the top. The views from the upper section, looking back down over the Strait of Gibraltar as the shipping lanes pass below you, are among the best walking views in southern Europe. At the top, continue north along the ridge path. Apes Den is a twenty-minute walk, and solo visitors tend to get better macaque encounters than groups because the animals are less startled and more curious. After the apes, St Michael's Cave, then walk down via the Upper Rock road (about 40 minutes) or take a taxi from the top (around £10). Afternoon: the Great Siege Tunnels, which get better with age. The more you know about the 1779-1783 siege before going in, the more impressive the hand-carved limestone workings become. Then the Garrison Library on Library Street, one of the oldest libraries in the British Commonwealth, worth a quiet thirty minutes. Trafalgar Cemetery as the light drops: a small, shaded colonial graveyard where sailors from the Battle of Trafalgar are buried. Dinner solo at the bar of any of the restaurants on or near Main Street.