There’s a lot more to Gibraltar than just shopping in Main Street. Once you’ve bought your Duty Free goods, you will be surprised at the amount of interesting sites the centre of Gibraltar has to offer. The information below is ordered as you go into town from Casemates Square. Follow the sites in the order you read them for an interesting tour of the town centre.
Casemates Square
This square was once the site of public executions on the Rock, and today it is still a focal point of Gibraltar life, but thankfully in a more positive fashion: it’s here that many major events bringing passing crowds take place, eg. vintage car and motorbike shows, National Day celebrations and the like. Casemates Square is also a tourist hub, crammed with numerous bars and restaurants, many of which take up premises in its old barrack buildings to the north of the square. Casemates also houses the famous Gibraltar crystal factory and a fine arts centre, amongst points of interest.
Gibraltar Crystal Glass Factory
Definitely worth a visit, the factory allows you to watch highly skilled glassblowers in action, creating work in molten glass by hand. In an adjoining room you can purchase their work, including anything from bowls, vases and glasses to key rings and jewelry.
American War Memorial
Take a walk along Line Wall Road, parallel to Irish Town, and you will find the prominent golden arch built into the original main city wall in 1932. It commemorates the achievements and comradeship of the US Navy and Royal Navy during the First World War.
King’s Bastion Leisure Centre
Once a hub of defenses during the Great Siege, King’s Bastion was later the site of the Rock’s electricity generating centre. It was then converted into a top-class leisure centre, featuring bowling alleys, restaurants, games machines, ice skating rink and a multi cinema. The building interestingly retains many of its original features, incorporating them with state-of-the-art architectural designs.
Gibraltar Museum
This centrally located museum offers an excellent audiovisual presentation and exhibits of original Gibraltarian artifacts, particularly old prints and photographs. It covers the cultural and natural history of Gibraltar with a focus on the Rock’s military history. The lower part of the building holds one of Europe’s best preserved Muslim bath houses.
John Mackintosh Hall
This is a centre for many of Gibraltar’s cultural activities and also contains a public library and a tourist office. The theatre and conference hall are used for public shows and exhibitions.
Trafalgar Cemetery
This cemetery contains the remains of soldiers who died in the Battle of Trafalgar. A ceremony is held each year to commemorate Lord Nelson’s victory. From here you can pick up a taxi tour to the Upper Rock and the famous Apes’ Den.