There are two service buses (Portillo) that will take you from Benalmadena on a Saturday to La Linea (the bus station there is in the shadow of Gibraltar). They leave at 7.30 and 2.30 and take two and a half hours. The one for you would need to be the early trip, as the only bus back suitable is 5.30pm. It costs 8.52 euros single.
On Sunday, times are the same, although there is an additional bus leaving Benalmadena at 2.30 which would allow you to get the 8.45pm service home. Hope this helps.
http://www.ctsa-portillo.com/horarios.html

Tony thanks for the info, exactly what I was after. It's our 1st time to mainland Spain. (Usually opt for Canaries).
The fantastic Airline ticket/Hotel Prices make the Costa Del Sol an irresitable temptation even in February.
Hopefully the 1st of many trips.

Cheers

jh

Glad to be of help, JH. Was down at Gib last Friday, and got thoroughly soaked for my pains. Only consolation was paying £4.35 for a litre bottle of Smirnoff and £1 more for Bacardi. I'm not wed to the weed, but my wife's pal will appreciate the 400 Benson and Hedges we picked up for £17.60 the lot.
Enjoy your visit. If I can be of any further help, just ask.
Tony.

Hi, i use an english guy to run us down to gibb, his email is rentals4u@hotmail.co.uk i think he charges about 20 euros per person, return.

Thanks for the tip, seems a reasonable price, it's another option and probably more flexible.

Cheers

JH

To be honest I reckon the coach will be a complete pain - hire a car (can be as little as 10 pounds a day through Carjet.com) and you can drive through on Saturday morning - when the queue in won't be too bad. Drive out in the late afternoon and the queue out won't be too bad. Good luck!

Peter

Edited to remove unauthorised personal signature/weblink
David HT Mod

Thanks for the tip Peter,
The cheapest Car Hire I'm able to find including the add-ons is £21.50 for the day from the other big Car Hire Internet player.
I consider the price very reasonable bordering on cheap.
The downside to the low price is the massive Deposit required if the vehicle is taken out of Spain to Gib or Portugal = (£212+Fuel Dep.).
I realise the money is returned but I'm hesitant about big Deposits like this in other countries in case the worst happens.
Another possibility is leaving the Car at La Linea (Spanish side) and walking across the border. Unfortunatly I don't know the logistics of doing this. ie. Distance etc, plus is it safe.

Still Pondering

Thanks

Jeremy H

Don't take the car into Gibraltar. There is an underground carpark in La Linea, pretty much opposite to the entrance to the customs posts. The walk across the border into town does not take very long.

If you decide to go up the rock, take one of the local taxi rides rather than the cable car. The cable car is exciting enough in it's own right, but once at the top you will be left to your own devices. There is a lot to see and you will never do it all without guidance.

We took one of the local taxis up. It was basically a people carrier, holding eight passengers, so we were with other groups. It cost 25 euro per person, as opposed to 27:50 per person for the cable car. However, the taxi driver was friendly and knowledgeable.

He took us on a complete tour of the rock, allowing us to see every feature. As the drivers do this run several times a day, feeding the Barbary Apes titbits every time, the apes become familiar with them. The advantage of this is that the drivers can brush the apes off in a way you would not, and can also get them to pose easily on your shoulder, should you want to take advantage of such a great photo opportunity.

Hope this helps.

JJ.

Just as a matter of interes, the normal shopping hours in Gibraltar are Mon-Fri 0930-1930, Sat 1000-1300. Some shops open Sunday.

I've been caught out there before.

Hi All,

Thanks to everyone for all the useful information and suggestions.
We decided to go with the flow and hire a car, parking at the car park in La Linea and walking across to Gibraltar.

I notice from the RAC Routeplanner that the Motorway South form the Costa Del Sol is a Toll Road... Does anyone know how much ?

Best regards

Jeremy H

there are 3 sectors and average about 2 euros but the price is different at peak periods such as August etc. maybe double.

I agree that the best way to view the rock is to take one of the taxis. These are by far the best value and save an awful lot of walking. However, PLEASE don't go with one of the drivers that feed the monkeys.Not all of the drivers do this. When you get there you will see signs explaining, with very good reason why visitors are not encouraged to feed or interact with them. You will still see plenty and they will run around very close to you. I would have hated it and felt very uncomfortable if I had been with one of the drivers that ignored the signs. Luckily our driver was marvellous and obviously had a great love, and a lot of respect for his environment.

Hi Jeremy. No need to look out for that underground car park should you go to La Linea on a Sunday. When I was out there a fortnight ago, I noticed that the parking meter bays are free that day!

I have found the best way to see Gib is to book a tour from one of the shops that do them. The cheapest one is in Toremolinos follow the steps down the steep hill and there are 2 shops we went in December and only paid about £12 each including the tour of the rock only day they dont go is a Sunday, saves all that driving and finding somewhere to park.
Have fun Imp

I agree with Kayley that the monkeys could be a frightening experience for anyone of a nervous diposition. However, our driver was very responsible and warned us beforehand not to feed them, or indeed to eat food in their vicinity, as they won't hesitate to grab it from you.

The advantage of the driver feeding them was that he had their full attention. They did not go onto anyone who didn't want this. However, when I asked him to get one onto me for a photograph, he was able to do so easily and I felt no' threat whatsoever.

when we were there in December the driver of our mini bus fed them and the man who sells food for them up there was encuraging us to feed them I think it was dried pasta he was selling the apes where jumping on all of us even though we werent feeding them. But yes if you were scared of them it was very off putting. There was 12 of us friends in our party and we had a great day out.

Hi,

Can anyone tell me what Local (Fuengirola/Benalmadena) Travel Agents are charging for Excursions to Gibraltar, preferably including a trip up the Rock.
It is possible to book from the UK via a well known international reseller, the prices being quoted are £27.50 or £15 for the Shopping trip only.
On my last visit to the Costa in March I recall local Agent being less than this but just cannot remember how much.

Thanks

The return shopping trip was 8 euros per person in March of this year from a pick-up point outside the Minerva Apartments in Benalmadena. It was booked at the travel agent opposite Hercules Apts.

Hi,

I booked the rock/shopping trip at an agent just down from the bali hotel on telefonica avenida. I think it was called Armeni tours or something similar. It was 21 euros for this or 8 for shopping only.

We had a really good guide on the bus who gave us a lot of info on the 2 hour drive to Gibraltar. As part of the trip you go into St Michael caves and see the stalagmites for about 15 mins. Then you drive up to see the apes where you spend another 15 mins roughly. Then back down for 2 hrs worth of shopping.