Getting There

How to get there

Gibraltar, for those who don’t know, is a little piece of Britain just below Spain, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic.

Flights to Gibraltar

Gibraltar has its own airport, which is is probably unique in functioning simultaneously as a civilian airport, an air force base and a pedestrian crossing.

Flights are operated to and from London Gatwick and/or Heathrow by British Airways (www.ba.com) and “London Luton” (which obviously is in Luton, and therefore nowhere near London) by Monarch. (www.flymonarch.com).

Although it’s exceptionally rare during the summer, flights to Gibraltar are occasionally diverted due to cross winds. Diversions are now directly to Malaga (and no longer via Tangiers). However, passengers are then bussed very slowly down the coast: in all, about 3 hours are added on to the journey. Please bear this risk in mind if you plan on flying in on the day itself.

Flights to Malaga

Malaga is about 90 minutes up the coast in Spain. Various airlines fly here from numerous destinations – these include easyjet and various other budget airlines.

Getting from Malaga to Gibraltar:

	By car: the drive takes around 90 minutes, sometimes less, if you take the motorway. Which you should, as the tolls are negligible (about €7 from one end to the other), the roads empty, and the speed limits pretty much a work of fiction. Note that Spain refuses to put road signs to Gibraltar until it’s actually looming in front of you, so you have to follow signs to Algeciras.
	By taxi from the airport: will cost you about €70. Note that the taxi will drop you at the frontier, on the Spanish side: you’ll then need to cross on foot, and take another taxi or bus into Gibraltar.
	By bus: although much the cheapest option this is the slowest and most inconvenient. Take a taxi from Malaga airport to Malaga bus station; the bus will then take 2 to 3 hours to get down the coast. As with the taxi, it will drop you on the Spanish side of the frontier.

Flights elsewhere

There are other airports, with fewer connections than Malaga, somewhat further afield: Jerez (2 hours), Seville (3 hours), and Grenada (4 hours). Though not ideal for Gibraltar unless you can’t get a flight there or to Malaga, they may be better if you’re planning to spend some time elsewhere.

Car Hire

Many of the major car hire companies operate from both Gibraltar and Malaga airport – the easiest solution is probably to check their respective websites. There are also some car hire companies just the other side of the frontier from Gibraltar airport – these will appear on websites as ‘La Linea’ or ‘Campo de Gibraltar’. They may or may not be cheaper than places on the British side.