Hidden Gibraltar - 2: Essentials.

A Gibraltarian's Guide to Gibraltar.
- Essentials

On this page you will find information about what time of the year is best to visit Gibraltar, how to get here, Gibraltar Airport and its quirks, currency and how to obtain it.




When to Visit Gibraltar.
During April to May its sunny & warm and very pleasant. Towards June the temperatures start climbing into the mid to high twenties, before peaking into the high twenties to low thirties for July/August. Early September can be delightful, but its all pretty much dead, beach wise by mid to late September. However, even as late as November you can still have the odd hot Sunny day with temperatures in the low 20's on some days. After that, expect quite a bit of rainfall.

With a unique charm of its own Gibraltar has much to offer those looking for a family holiday or a long romantic weekend break with that special someone. The only downside to Gibraltar, is if you're into clubbing. Gibraltar hasn't got a decent nightclub to speak of, so if clubbing is your scene, consider other places. That said, if you like a drink, I promise you won't go thirsty here!

Getting to Gibraltar
Its easy getting to Gibraltar if you live in the UK and a pain in the proverbials if you aren't, All the flights with the exception of one, fly from the UK to Gibraltar and these tend to be from the Southeast/London airports, i.e. London Luton and London Gatwick. However Later this year, (2008) Monarch will restore the link to Gibraltar from Manchester Airport, providing a much needed route from the northern end of the UK. Typical Journey times from the UK to Gibraltar is around the 2 hour 30 minutes mark. The airlines serving Gibraltar are:

• British Airways (London Gatwick)
• easyjet (London Gatwick)
• Monarch.(London Luton)

Only one other Airline flies to Gibraltar, Iberia, which flies from Madrid to Gibraltar twice a week.


Gibraltar Airport.
All flights arrive at Gibraltar Airport, located at the North Front. It is also the only Airport which travels across a main road, when I say main road, I mean the main road into and out to Spain and the airport terminal itself. This means that when a plane is about to land or take off, the barriers come down at either end and stop the traffic while the plane taxis across.

Money/Cash
The currency in Gibraltar is the Pound Sterling - the same pound as in the United Kingdom.
You don't actually need to take any cash with you. "Beware of UK airport Bureaux-de-Change / Foreign-Exchange money changers asking for a 10%(!) premium to change from 'GBP' to 'GIP' - the coins and notes actually have parity of value, and both are used intermixed in Gibraltar at full face value". To obtain cash, all you will need is your bank debit/cash card to use at the cash tills situated around the centre of Gibraltar.
Cash tills /banks available are:-

• Nat West Bank
• Barclays Bank
  
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• Norwich & Peterborough (No Cash Till)
• An additional Barclays Bank Cash Till can be found at Morrison's Supermarket.

Other Cash Tills

• Gibraltar Airport
• Burger King (Main Street)
• BP Petrol Station (Near Airport)
• The cash tills above make a charge of between £1.80 to £1.99 per transaction)
  

There should be no charges on your bank account for withdrawing your money in Gibraltar, it should works just as if you were back home. However, it may be best to check with your bank before flying out, just in case. Finally do remember that you cannot use Gibraltar Pound Notes in the UK so you should try and remember to exchange them or to spend them before flying back.
- Don't worry about the coins, you can always feed them into a machine in the UK

What to See and Do.
There are many reasons to visit Gibraltar, the rock itself, The Apes, Cable Car, Dolphin Safari, St Michael's Cave, Cheap duty free etc. If that sounds too energetic, then how about spending a day lazing about on the beach, or as a handy base to visit all that southern Spain has to offer. Gibraltar can be many things or all depending on how much you wish to do. On the following pages are my recommendations of what to see and what to miss, in Gibraltar starting at the top and working our way down.

Next: Places of Interest: The Upper Rock.