An absorbing blend of the familiar and the exotic, Gibraltar is a must-visit. This tour ticks off all its top attractions – the Barbary apes of the Rock, St Michael's Caves and Main Street. Rosa, one of our local guides, says: ‘Gibraltar is one of the most unusual culture shocks I've ever encountered. It feels like my native Andalusia, but everything looks British. Wandering around, listening to the locals chat in their cute dialect is always a joy.'
The fun kicks off on a high with a minibus tour of the Rock of Gibraltar, which juts 426 metres above the Mediterranean. The first stop is Europa Point, where there's a monument to General Władysław Sikorski, who died here during WWII. At the Upper Rock, you'll meet the free-roaming Barbary apes – Europe's only wild monkeys. Rosa says, ‘There are about 300 monkeys on the Rock. A local legend says that if the monkeys disappear, Gibraltar will stop being British.' Next up is St Michael's Cave. Once home to Neanderthals and used as a war hospital during World War II, they're now an atmospheric concert hall.
Back at ground level, Gibraltar's town centre has a distinctly British feel to it, whether it's the more obvious red phone and post boxes or the more succinct ones such as arched Georgian doorframes. Tuck into a pie or maybe some fish and chips for lunch, before some retail therapy. Main Street, where many of the British high street chains have outlets, is famed for its duty-free shops.
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