Travelling to Gibraltar

For anyone looking to travel to Gibraltar there are regular flights from the UK but no direct flights from Spain at present although these are expected to resume from Madrid and Barcelona when the new terminal opens. This is currently under construction and will have four gates and a capacity for 1m passengers a year.

Until it´s ready, those arriving at Gibraltar are treated to a magnificent first view of the Rock from the top of the airplane steps. After it opens, the famous main road across the runway will remain in place for pedestrians. This heads towards the land border with Spain and actually intersects the runway, so consequently has to be closed every time a plane lands or takes off.

If you are going to travel to Gibraltar from Spain there are several ways to do this. Firstly by car, which takes just under an hour from Marbella or slightly more from further along the coast but at peak times of the day there may be lengthy queues as the traffic waits to go through the border checks for which you will need to show your passport. When the new airport terminal is completed vehicles will then enter Gibraltar via a new tunnel under the runway at eastern Beach.

Alternatively many travel agencies offer day trips where a coach will collect you and take you to La Linea which is on the Spanish side of the border. From there you will walk the short distance – a few hundred yards – across the border and into Gibraltar.

There are also public transport buses on the Costa del Sol that go from Fuengirola to La Linea, stopping everywhere in between including Marbella and these are run by Portillo Bus Company. However, while this is the cheapest way to travel to Gibraltar, due to the numerous stops along the way this often takes several hours and can be quite a lengthy experience.

The border is about 2 Kilometres from the town centre but there are regular bus services and taxis are available from a taxi rank at the airport, just inside the border on the Gibraltar side.