Gibraltar With St Michael Caves Guided Tour From Costa Del Sol

This tour makes for a long day from Malaga! Our bus ride was over 2 and 1/2 hours. The coach bus company makes many stops along the Costa Del Sol, so it is very slow going. Once we got to Gibraltar, it was very interesting especially the tour of Gibraltar itself which was done by a local company once we arrived in the city. Our guide Eric had grown up in Gibraltar and was very knowledgeable. The Main Street of Gibraltar is EXTREMELY touristy and crawling with cruise passengers. Because it is duty free, there is nothing but liquor, perfume and jewelry stores. If you need a fix of the UK, you will get it here. There’s even a Marks and Spencer. The drive to the top of the rock is great and has an audio guide with information. The guide on the coach bus, Alice was not very friendly and a bit rude.

Terrible. Terrible communication that had to be initiated by the guest. Canned responses on Viator directed us to call their office whose operators seem woefully unprepared to answer the simplest of questions. Between the phone conversation and WhatsApp messaging, we received not one but three potential pick up points. It is no wonder we never picked up. We went to the point indicated in writing (bus stop at the hard rock Marbella) and waited well beyond the appointed time. We did call again on international roaming where the operator indicated they would contact the guide and call us back. Suffice to say this did not happen and has yet to happen at the time of this writing. I want to mention this was not failure of language as a member of our party is Spanish fluent and each agent contacted also spoke English. This is incredibly unacceptable and untrustworthy.

Guild was pretty useless and did next to nothing during the trip. Impractical timing. People in coach were playing musical chairs and some were sent to the back of separated to elderly or young family members. She 1st did nothing when people complained to her. She then told everyone to sit where they were when I told her that I was going to make complaint to company. The local tour guide/ driver was excellent and really looked after everyone. I would recommend the tour but not the female guide

Too many stops picking up because they stopped at almost every hotel in Malaga so it wasted a lot of time. Then crossing the border was a nightmare with ridiculous long line and only 3 machines working. The tour of “the rock” was interesting and informative. The guide had to repeat his story 4 times for different languages so that could have been avoided by booking only 1 language per bus. Had some free time for shopping but again not very organized so had to rush to eat and shop too. Overall interesting to see but spent an entire day and quite a bit for the trip itself so probably wouldn’t do it again if I know all this.

The day was well organised. We chose the rock tour on top of the trip. We had just over an hour to explore the town ( wasn’t worth looking at to be honest) then onto a minibus for the rock tour. Driver was knowledgeable, funny and gave us lots of information. Cave tour was great and the monkeys were cute and funny. Long day but enjoyable and well worth the money.

We were picked up in Malaga city centre. I knew it was a long way but I think the journey was faaaar too long in comparison to what your get at the destination. The guide was fine, not informative, just got people on and off the bus. We had about 50 in our group. We had almost two hours to shop although we didn't bother buying anything - there's nothing particularly interesting about the place itself, it looks like any European street. We got on smaller buses divided by language. We had a different guide for this who was more informative. We had a few minutes at Europa Point and then went up to the cave which was free. The cave was much smaller than I'd imagined, it looks nice but takes about 5 minutes to take it in. We then went outside to see the monkeys - this was nice. We took pics of the monkeys for about 10 minutes and then we left. How long the jounrey is is not the tour provider's fault but I honestly wouldn't recommend it as the journey from the pick up points is far too long for not much reward, there's nothing particularly interesting about the place.

It was a very informative tour. I would have liked the opportunity to see things more…our driver ( of the “van” not the large bus!)was driving so fast there was no time to take photos! The free time:shopping time was good but a little long…would have liked more time on the tour instead!

Don't know how they managed to get the minibus round all the narrow streets and sharp bends. The caves were excellent and the light show was great, beware lots of steps. The views from the rock point of Morocco and the harbour area were excellent.

Read everything carefully. We read the sentence about our passbook numbers but missed the one about bringing the passports. Should have known really but to bring passports should be number one one list not buried at the end

Excellent bus driver to Gibraltar. Highly recommend the Rock of Gibraltar tour and St Michael’s Cave. Well organized.

Very dissapointed! Too many stops on the way from Malaga picking up passengers on the way. Took 3 hours. Total tour took 13 hours instead of 11. Three languages at a time. 6 hour for first possible time to eat/drink. No wc in bus. No details about schedule.

We needed to change our tour to another day due to a mixup in dates by our travel agency. We ended up canceling the tour well in advance of the 24 hour money back guarantee as we couldn’t get a reply from Viator or the tour operator. We booked a new tour for two days later and requested the refund which was promoted by Viator. Viator and the tour provider have reused the refund as “the tour operator needs it to cover expenses “. WHAT A RIPOFF!!! We will be posting this on trip advisor and other sites to help others avoid the frustration of dealing with this type of situation. Now we are paying for 2 tours for 4 adults each. This is gouging seniors at its best!

The tour chaperone did absolutely nothing, provided no information going or coming back from the trip. The only information of what we were seeing was from the separate tour operator that took us inside Gibraltar. Waste of 11 hours of our time.

Trip started off by being picked up 14 minutes late by our tour guide & bus. Other issues include: we booked an English speaking tour & were mixed with two other groups; French & Spanish. Because our guide had to provide information in three different languages we didn’t get the experience expected. The tour was also horribly disorganized. At one point we stood around for almost 40 minutes waiting for them to transfer us to smaller buses to go up The rock of Gibraltar. One bright spot was the driver & guide of the smaller bus, Jesus, was organized, informative & funny. He saved the day.

A pleasant day trip to Gibraltar from Marbella. St Michael's Cave is a must see. The monkeys were cute too. The weather was that good we could see across to Africa.

On the minibus part of the trip, myself and my 3 friends (all 70 years old) were forced to sit in a “seat” which folded down in the aisle. The seat was appropriate for a child. It was so uncomfortable. We could not believe we were expected to sit there. Also, the bus had French recorded guiding so all we had was the driver’s commentary. My friend speaks enough French to know that we missed a lot. We were disappointed with how we were treated on such a beautiful tour!

If you leave from Malaga it’s a 3 hour bus ride each way which makes for a 12 hour day. Also our bus did not have a toilet on board and we were told the bus couldn’t make any stops except to pick up others on the tour. Gibraltar is nice. Well worth the trip.

It was a long day as the bus trip took about 3 hours each way with picking up and dropping off customers along the way. Still it was a nice experience seeing Gibraltar , the caves, the apes and the town centre. We were impressed by the driver who negotiated this huge bus on these narrow streets. The guide was friendly and helpful.

That it was along day but worth it crammed packed with interesting things to see and do.. although busy there was plenty of of time to explore Gibraltar town getting some duty free and good old English fish and chips. The caves we beautiful and the light show was stunning. And then of. Course were the monkeys. The stops are the rock were very short but the tour was well run the drivers and guides we all knowledgeable really enjoyed

Gibraltar is a beautiful place worth visiting. We had a wonderful and knowledgeable local bus driver and guide - greetings and big thank you to Derek! :) Unfortunately the greatest downside of the whole trip was the fact that we had only 4.5 hours on site at our disposal. It should have been at least 6 hours to fully enjoy this unique place on Earth. We had to get to the starting point by 6:50 AM and we were back in Malaga already at 5PM. We had an impression of wasted time that was required to collect the rest of participants from multiple starting points at Costa del Sol.

The caves were amazing especially the light show. Gibraltar is amazing. The journey there was too long. I felt sorry for Victoria, our guide. It was not well organised. We lost sight of 2 travellers due to the Immigration side. I would recommend people to drive independently rather than take this tour.

The tour itself was great and our guides were helpful and knowledgeable; however, since we were the first one on and the last ones off the bus that made many, many stops for other people, a 1 1/2 hour drive to 3 hours each way made for a very long day. To top it off, a pickpocket stole my husband's phone before we even got on the bus.

Taking a tour which includes a bus is a must. The guides were amazing. Remember to be patience and open minded. Seeing the Cave was cool, the Barbary Macaque were definitely the highlight. Beautiful animals with GREAT VIEWS. I really enjoyed this tour because of the history and comfort of transportation. ENSURE you pay attention to the time so you don’t get left behind.. Non EU passports have a longer process checking into Gibraltar ; they check the in and out stamps .You also have time to shop at the end which was great to know . Don’t expect cable car ride.. Thank you.

We enjoyed the caves, rock, monkeys and the coastal views. Would like to have done more contact with the rock like a short walk on it

Long bus journey to get there depending on your town pick up point. Not enough time in Gibraltar tour itself, everything was super rushed. 20 minutes at the caves and monkeys outside. 2 hours to ramble the streets for shopping. No need to change your currency from Euros. Lots of walking involved. No meal or drink included.

Took far to long to get to Gibraltar from Torromelinous 4 hours so only had 4 hours in Gib but st Michael’s cave was amazing

Overall, a good experience. Our pick up was from the bus station Avenida de Andalucia - Rotonda in Malaga (many people, ourselves included, were waiting around the CaixaBank for some sort of a meet-up with the guide, it would be easier to just have the meeting point in said bus station directly). Our guide, Javier, was very nice, tried his best to give us useful information and keep us as organized as possible. Our driver, JuanMa, did his best to get us to GIbraltar as fast as possible and safely, of course. While it was disclaimed from the beginning that there will be multiple stops on the Costa del Sol, I did not expect THAT many, some within the same town, just a different hotel. Unfortunately, this makes the bus ride extremely long (depending on traffic as well) - the distance from Malaga to Gibraltar is 140 km and it took us more than 3h each way, leaving us only around 4h altogether in Gibraltar (we were lucky to cross the border pretty fast and we took the highway instead of the coastal road that would've taken even longer due to traffic). In Gibraltar, I liked the organization, we were taken by a smaller bus (local tour company) with a local guide to see the main points of the city (panoramic tour from the bus), we stopped first at Europa point and then the Caves (each for 20 minutes). Unfortunately, since it was raining pretty hard, we did not stop at the apes' den, we only saw a couple of them from the mini bus on our way back to the bus station in Gibraltar (this tour took around 1h). We then had 3h free time in Gibraltar. A bit tiring (meeting time in Malaga was 6:50h, left around 7h and we got back around 19h) due to the long bus ride, however it was a good experience overall.

Was very excited to be going to The Rock BUT an 11 hour return trip was unacceptable due to all the pickups from Malaga. The Caves were great but shopping was Dismal. Only cigarette, Alcohol and jellery shops. The rest were same old, same old souvenir shops. Bus was comfortable and guide very good. She could speak 9 languages.

Sadly very disappointing right from beginning guide appeared spoke very rude uninterested in customers, didn’t welcome guests don’t recall him giving out his name, prior to arrive in Gibraltar he then spoke as in fast forward which other guests shared they could not understand, then told we have free time soon as arrived with no information where to guests approached ask, he was then very annoyed agited stating I’ve already explained there onwards I felt there no point even trying to ask for advice. We then reunited for second part, and was just direct, follow me, Dutch stand there, English I was then relieved he was then not touring us around, but felt he hadn’t organised this properly as constantly waiting around, none the less Francis was amazing guide very informative but too quick on bus, and only had 40 mins to get pics, at 3 different sites so again very rushed.

Guide was super rude and not personable at all. Took more than 3 hours to pick everyone up at different stops before actually getting on freeway to Gibraltar! Not well organised. Got a small mini bus to take us up to top which was good but very cramped! This was not well organised at all! The return trip had us in bus for another three hours to drop everyone off! Really poor day - spent most of it picking up and dropping off with a very rude guide!

Loved Gibraltar though the guide was hit and miss and felt he came across as abrupt. The coach provided by the tour operator was let’s say past its sell by date. On the way back from Gibraltar broke down 15km from Marbella. Would be grateful if you can reimburse me for part of my tour.

The tour was only 1.5 hours and we spent most of the day on a bus or standing around waiting for one. I signed up for English and the guide spoke low and poorly focusing on the Germans. When I said we could not hear or understand him he didn’t speak loudly or more clearly. The tour description was totally misleading.

It was a great tour, Marta and Javier were excellent, I really enjoyed it I recommend Viator, I did two excursions with them and they are very professional

We enjoyed a tour of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar on 6 September 2024. We booked via TUI in the UK and were staying in Benalmadena on the Costa Del Sol, which was about 2.5 hours by bus. TUI allowed us some free time before and after the tour to buy souvenirs and lunch. The actual trip is outsourced to Blands Travel, who are based on Gibraltar. Our guide was called Angel. He was very funny, knowledgeable, and passionate about the place. A tape plays an official commentary and Angel stopped the tape periodically to provide additional details which enhanced the experience. Extra nuggets of information thrown in to help us understand more about the place. The tour guides are excellent drivers too. The buses are quite small, but the roads are very narrow and very busy. Their interactions with the native Macaque apes were excellent. These wee 'monkeys' know that the guys driving the white tour buses have food for them, and while they're distracted, us tourists could capture a few pictures. Angel and his colleagues run 3 tours a day, so they know what they're talking about and this clearly shows. If visiting Gib, pay them a visit.

It was a good day, and the guides great. The caves were fabulous. But it was longer than expected on the bus. It took us 4 hours from Malaga, and there was no toilet on the bus or stops. There was just a lot of pick ups and drop off's when coming from the starting point. Overall it was 13 hours for only about 4 hours in Gibralta.

Great guides safe driver saw more on the tour than we could have on our own. Highly organised and streamlined, we were kept safe at all times through clear instructions. Great day.

Everything was very good organised. But this trip is more for familys with children, because it is too short. But both guides were excellent.

Was good to get around and see the caves but too little time to explore. Quite a long coach ride there and back - spent more time on bus than on tour but guide Dominic was excellent

This tour was NOT great. It was disorganized. When we got to Gibraltar, there was no coordination between the secondary tour operator and the main tour operator( Persian Rose and Julia ). The tour seemed like it was very haphazard. This tour does NOT go to the TOP of the rock. The tour includes free time to explore the city, 10 min stop at Europa point, 20 minute stop at St Michaels cave. The guide who explained about Gibraltar from the Persian Rose co, was great.

We've made an excelent choice. Miguel is an excelent guide, gave us complete informations, great with tourists. Gibraltar is a lovely place. I highly recomend visiting Gibraltar.

I booked this tour to see Gibraltar as a day trip. There are many stops along Costa del Sol, starting in Malaga and heading toward the Rock, making it easy to join but also necessitating many stops. The guide, Gael, did well in English, French, and Spanish. We had a total of 5 hours in Gibraltar, with some doing the tour of the rock and some spending the time on their own (depending on your purchase; you can also add the tour while on the trip). A local, Gibraltarian guide did the tour of the Rock, Europa Point, and St Michael's caves. I would recommend this tour for those looking for a day trip from Costa del Sol. This tour is good for those who want to avoid a lot of walking and/or climbing.

Great tour and highly recommended it. The tour leader made a stop on the way back so my son could use the restroom. A couple of suggestions: (1) combine stops in similar locations instead of stopping at every hotel; and (2) plan a short rest stop half way to/from the destination.

Very nice and convenient tour to get in Gibraltar most important attractions in one day trip, our guide Michele and driver gorge were helpful and kind

Be aware that if you’re travelling from Malaga there are multiple pick up points and the journey is longer than the time you get in Gibraltar. We went from Fuengirola and that was long enough, unfortunately our bus broke down adding 50 minutes waiting for a replacement. The new bus had some broken seats, faulty air conditioning and we were not impressed with the driving. The description gives an impression that you see the sights before going into Gibraltar for lunch and any shopping. It’s the other way around. We had around 3 hours to wait before we went on our sightseeing trip. The local guide Clive was excellent, no complaints there, but it started at 2.30 and our return was at 4.30. Even so we were divided into language groups which delayed further our trip. We stopped at Europa point, went to the caves (25 minutes not an hour), did see a few apes. I read some other reviews and people commenting that they didn’t get to the top of the rock and your response was that it wasn’t included when the description clearly says it does! We didn’t get there either! Going through customs is a pain and can take a while adding again to wasted time.

We really enjoyed this trip as we were able to see more of the Costa Del Sol than we otherwise would have. Great to see the Rock and Caves with plenty of spare time for shopping. A long day but we'll worthwhile. Our guide was excellent.

The bus never showed up to pick us up. The whole experience pretty ruined our trip. Won’t be booking with you again

The tour guide was excellent. In addition to sharing the history of Gibraltar, he added his own personal experiences. It was a lovely tour.

Once we arrived at Gibralter the organization and tours were excellent. My only “but” is we picked up the bus in Malaga. A 138 km journey took 3.5-4 hours with 15 pickups at each hotel for each guest. Yet the Malaga folks all had to assemble at one spot. And another 3.5 hours home. If you are from Malaga- rent a car, drive direct and book the tours to start onsite. The tour guide Edith explained everything very clearly and was lovely. I’d recommend doing a day at Gibralter with a tour but not the bus from Malaga.

Excellent local tour guides who brought their passion for their home to life with detailed knowledge of local history and customs.