The Coolest Neighbourhoods in Gibraltar

If you’re walking from the airport, Gibraltar’s old town is about 15 minutes away. You reach it by strolling across the runway (no joke), past the first red telephone boxes and under a couple of old tunnels before emerging into the busy Casemates Square, where the country’s National Day celebrations are held every year. The Lord Nelson is its best pub and has a lovely terrace. From there, stroll northwards up Main Street for a rather surreal experience: English-style pubs and shops betray the fact that you’re not in Spain, but the blend of Moorish and Spanish architecture and the blistering summer temperatures mean you couldn’t possibly be in the UK. Running parallel to Main Street is the fashionable thoroughfare of Irish Town, which sounds like a neighbourhood in itself but isn’t.

The Lord Nelson, Casemates Square, Gibraltar, +350 200 50009

As its name suggests, this residential area of Gibraltar extends southwards from Referendum Gate all the way down to Europa Point, from which views of the north coast of Africa can be enjoyed in good weather. The Gate itself is of historic importance, commemorating as it does the 1967 plebiscite in which 99 percent of Gibraltarians voted to remain under British control rather than become Spanish. The neighbourhood has a few pubs and eateries (including the bar and restaurant of the famous old Rock hotel), but this is almost entirely a residential quarter featuring a mix of architectural styles, from old Ministry of Defence buildings converted into houses, to state-of-the art apartment blocks. Queensway Quay is a pleasant place to have a drink or meal, although go in a patient frame of mind: the service in some of the waterfornt restaurants can be as relaxed as the setting.

The Rock Hotel, 3 Europa Rd, Gibraltar, +350 200 73000