Cable Car

A simple yet breathtaking way of reaching the top of the Rock and quietly enjoy the view, is by the Cable Car. You can travel from the Alameda Gardens to the Apes' Den and then on to the summit, where the view is amazing: you can see past the Strait into the Atlantic with the Mediterranean behind you, Spain is to the north and to the south the coast of Morocco - two continents meeting the two great bodies of water.

Perched on the very summit of the Rock of Gibraltar, with the sheer cliffs of the east face of the Rock to one side of the building and steep slopes leading to the City of Gibraltar on the west on the other is the Top Station of the Cable Car.

From this spot one has uninterrupted views southwards across the Straits of Gibraltar to Africa; westwards, of the City of Gibraltar and across the Bay to Algeciras; a birds eye view of Gibraltar airport and Spain to the north; and the blue expanse of the Mediterranean and the beaches and cities of the Costa del Sol to the east.

Every corner of the Rock oozes with history and it is worthwhile to take the time to find out a little about what you are looking at by either listening to a commentary on multilingual tapes available at the Top Station or by combining your trip on the Cable Car with a tour of the Rock.

You might learn for example about the spot where Admiral Nelson's body was brought ashore after his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, or of the many tunnels inside the Rock from where General Eisenhower masterminded the invasion of North Africa in World War II, or of the fact that parts of the first Cable Car to be built in Gibraltar can still be seen (although it took the form of a basket into which a man or some ammunition might by transported to the gun emplacements which used to be located close to the site of the existing Top Station).

The present Cable Car was originally constructed in April 1966 by Von Roll of Switzerland, and was extensively refurbished by the manufacturers in 1986. Within the Top Station complex there is a Self Service Restaurant, English Pub and Souvenir Shop where you can have a meal or a drink whilst enjoying the views on one of the many panoramic terraces.