Gibraltar attractions include Moorish fortress, cable car visit to the top of rock of Gibraltar, St. Michael’s Cave & Gallery tunnels, Catalan Bay, and shopping at Main Street.
Moorish fortress, built by the Marinid Dynasty from 8th century AD onward, contains several Medieval buildings, a gate, and a reinforced wall, located within a strategically important section of Gibraltar.
The most important still remaining section of the partially destroyed fortress is its Tower of Homage, made out of bricks and tapia-concrete.
The tower historically housed both a Moorish spa and the residential facilities of the fortress.
Another highlight in the fortress, which, as a whole, represents the finest in medieval Islamic architecture, is its massive, dome-roofed gatehouse.
A cable car visit to the rock of Gibraltar, on the other hand, is one of the best ways to see unobstructed views to…
- Strait of Gibraltar,
- African side,
- city of Gibraltar,
- Spain and,
- Costa del Sol coastline.
From the top, you can also find a souvenir shop, a self-service restaurant, and an English pub, which means you can enjoy a meal at one of the available terraces, with breathtaking panoramic vistas.
Top Gibraltar attractions also feature St. Michael’s Cave & gallery tunnels, meanwhile, represent both man-made engineering skills and the best in natural attractions.
All in all, you can find more than 150 naturally formed caves in Gibraltar, of which the dramatically lit St. Michael’s Cave, located about 300 meters above sea level, is the most famous.
Of the cave’s chambers, the biggest one is called ‘Cathedral Cave’.
Today, the Cathedral Cave section is a 100 seat auditorium (with great acoustics), used for the concerts by such musicians as Marillion singer Steve Hogarth.
The Gallery tunnels, also known as Great Siege Tunnels, from 1779, were built by British forces, who were under a siege at the time.
Of the mountain tunnels, the British used, for example, air intakes as openings for shooting at the opposing forces.
All in all, the tunnels include…
- chambers,
- great views to the surrounding areas (from the air intakes), and
- walking paths, with the original gallery caves having a total length of 304 meters (332 yards).
Within the entrance to the “Upper Galleries” section, you can see historical firearms at the air intakes, including an original 18th century cannon.
Top Gibraltar tourist attractions also include Catalan Bay beach, one of the six beaches in Gibraltar, offering a fine sand area, as part of a picturesque fishing village, on the east coast of Gibraltar.
That fishing village has a rich history as a Genoan settlement, and today, its second biggest sandy beach in Gibraltar is a popular destination for both locals and tourists alike.
Highlights within the beach include:
- Caleta Palace Hotel (www.caletahotel.com),
- number of restaurants specializing in fish dishes, and
- Church of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Finally, of the Gibraltar attractions, Main Street, a central commercial street, is the main through-way in the city.
Along the street, you’ll find, for example…
- excellent jewelry shops,
- watch stores,
- glass and porcelain boutiques, and
- shops selling leather goods, silks, and perfumes.
One of the unique factory shops within the street is Gibraltar Crystal Factory (www.gibraltar-crystal.com), where you can see authentic glass blowers at work, shaping hot glass into beautiful, truly hand-made crystal objects.