Where is Gibraltar located?
Short answer
Gibraltar is at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, joined to Spain by a narrow isthmus to the north and facing North Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar. The nearest larger airports are Malaga and Jerez, each about an hour and a half by road from the border.
Detailed answer
Gibraltar lies at latitude 36°07'N and longitude 5°21'W, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. Its total area is about 2.25 square miles (around 5.8 square kilometres). The Rock runs 3 miles from north to south, is three-quarters of a mile wide and rises to 1,396 feet. To the north, Gibraltar is joined to Spain by a sandy isthmus about a mile long and half a mile wide. The airport sits on this isthmus, right on the border, and the Spanish town of La Linea lies on the other side. The land frontier is open 24 hours a day. Since the UK/EU Treaty began to apply provisionally on Wednesday 15 July 2026, there are no routine passport checks at the land frontier, although you should still carry valid travel documents. To the south, northern Africa lies across the Strait of Gibraltar. Jebel Musa in Morocco, the other Pillar of Hercules, is 24 km away, and Morocco can be seen in the distance from Europa Point. By air, Gibraltar International Airport has direct flights only from the UK: British Airways from London Heathrow and easyJet from London Gatwick, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham, with an average flight time of about 2 hours 45 minutes. Malaga and Jerez airports are each about 1 hour 30 minutes by road from the frontier and offer wider connections. By road, take the A7 or N340 along the coast, turn off at junction 119 onto the N351 to La Linea and follow the signs for Gibraltar. The frontier is a five-minute walk from La Linea bus station, and buses run every half hour from Algeciras to La Linea, taking about 30 minutes. Drivers can also park at the frontier and walk across. By sea, cruise ships berth at the Cruise Terminal close to the town centre, and visiting yachts use the marinas at Ocean Village, Marina Bay and Queensway Quay.