Day Trip To Gibraltar From Malaga: Practical Travel Tips [2024]

If you’re planning to book a Day Trip To Gibraltar from Malaga, you came to the right place!

This article has been written by a local ex-pat living on Costa del Sol and will give you answers to all the questions you might have about this trip!

If you prefer to skip the reading and book your trip right away, below you will find a link to my recommended tour operator.

Your Options for Day Trip To Gibraltar From Malaga

If you’re planning your day trip to Gibraltar from Malaga, there are a few options available to you, each taking a different amount of time and cost for the day trip, which you should consider before choosing the one that’s right for you.

Option 1: Book Online with Bus Transport

Probably the easiest and most cost-effective way to get to Gibraltar from Malaga, without the hassle of driving a car and navigating the local traffic. Great value trip that will leave you plenty of time to explore Gibraltar and do a bit of shopping, before returning to Malaga.

This day trip has the option to upgrade and also book your tour of the Nature Reserve. You can select the upgrade option when you choose the date in the calendar from the link below. Make sure it says ‘Including Rock Tour from Malaga’ in the options, you will have to scroll lower down on the page to see it.

Option 2: Drive with a Rental Car

If you already rented a car or planning to do so, you can also drive to Gibraltar on your own, but there are a few things you should keep in mind.

There are road tolls to pay on your way, on top of petrol and the cost of the car rental. It is also highly recommended to leave the car at La Linea parking lot to save a lot of time waiting for passport control and crossing on foot (see more information on this in the essential info section lower down in the article).

It might end up costing you a lot more than booking a day trip with a tour operator, plus the added hassle of finding parking and paying the extra fees.

Option 3: Using Public Transport

If you would like to explore the options with public transport, they are fairly limited as the trains don’t run south further from Fuengirola, and only option is a bus from Malaga which would take you only to La Linea de la Conception. There are up to 7 buses per day, with journey time between 1.5 hours up to over 2 hours, depending on which bus you take.

The bus can’t cross the borders of Gibraltar, so you will have to get to La Linea bus station and walk to the border crossing from there. From the border crossing, you can walk to Gibraltar on foot via the airport runway crossing, or take a local Gibraltar taxi to the town.

While it’s certainly an option, the daily connections are pretty limited and you will have to pick the shorter travel time buses so you have plenty of time to explore Gibraltar.

Book Online: Day Trip To Gibraltar From Malaga

As I mentioned earlier, I highly recommend booking your trip online with a tour operator, which has a number of advantages:

• Cancel up to 24 hours ahead of the trip for a full refund
• Reserve your spot now and pay later
• Runs 3x a week
• 9.5 hours total trip duration which is perfect for a day trip
• Travel in a comfortable air-conditioned bus with wifi and USB sockets
• Information about Gibraltar from English speaking guide on board
• Option to book a nature reserve tour (not included in the basic trip rate)
• Free time to explore Gibraltar on your own

How to Book Your Day Trip To Gibraltar From Malaga Online

• Head over to the day trip info page here, and select your dates from the calendar.
• Add the number of tickets you want for this day trip
• Once you have the date selected, you will be shown a number of cards with different departure locations, make sure you select the one which says Malaga
• PLEASE NOTE: the list of the pickup locations is long, and if you scroll down further you will see Including Rock Tour from Malaga as a trip option – select this if you would like to see the Nature reserve while on this day trip (for a different price of course)
• Once you found the correct trip from the selection, you will see the meeting point marked on a link and also added starting time for the day trip (usually around 7am)
• Click book now which will navigate you to a payment page
• Once you complete the transaction, you will get a confirmation email which lists all the details you need to know for your trip

Itinerary For Your Day Trip To Gibraltar From Malaga

Here is an overview of your itinerary for this day trip:

• Pick up from a designated pick-up location in Malaga, at Avda. de Andalucía (Rotonda)
• Travel with a comfortable air-conditioned bus until you reach the border crossing
• The tour operator didn’t make it clear whether you cross on a bus or you will have to do it on foot – in either case, the bus might wait on the other side to take you to the city. You will get details for the arrangements in your trip confirmation email
• Tour of the nature reserve in Gibraltar (total duration of 1.5 hours), if you have selected this option when purchasing your day trip (see how to book the day trip above for instructions)
• Free time to explore Gibraltar, do shopping or wander around
• Return to Malaga from the agreed pick-up location in Gibraltar

Essential Info For Your Day Trip To Gibraltar From Malaga

As Gibraltar is a UK territory abroad, you are entering a foreign country and there are a few things you should keep in mind when planning and booking your trip:

• It is your responsibility to check the entry requirements to the country, especially if you’re from a non-EU country.
• Gibraltar was annexed to the UK by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, following the end of the war. It is considered a British territory abroad, most often referred to locally as ‘the Rock’ (no, not the actor).
• As a British territory, the same rules will apply as if you’re visiting the UK. These rules have changed a little since the UK left the EU.
• Before you plan your trip, please make sure that you check the legal requirements for entry to this UK territory on the official Gibraltar government website, where you will get advice for every nationality
• As of spring 2023, you can enter Gibraltar with a valid EU passport without any additional paperwork, or even a valid national ID card (EU citizens only).
• If you’re not from the EU, VISA requirements may apply – check the link above for more details
• There are some restrictions on how much good you can bring to Spain from Gibraltar and another way around, you can check the HM Customs page which has more details. The customs check is both on entry to Gibraltar and also exit.

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