Gibraltar may only be a few square miles, but its architecture tells a 1,300-year story. Within one short walk, you’ll pass a Moorish fortress, Andalusian townhouses, and British Barracks – each revealing a layer of Gibraltar’s tumultuous past, a place where civilisations have collided, each leaving their mark on the Rock.
This self-guided Gibraltar walking tour takes you through the old town’s most beautiful historic buildings, so that you can discover the Rock’s unique architectural heritage.
At the bottom, you’ll find a map of Gibraltar’s architectural highlights to follow step-by-step.
Stop 1: Early Origins: Moorish architecture in Gibraltar
Starting in Casemates Square, look up at the imposing Moorish Castle, bearing down on you from the Rock. Officially called the Tower of Homage, this is one of the few visible reminders left of Gibraltar’s Islamic past.
For more than 700 years – from the 8th century A.D. to the 14th – Gibraltar was occupied by the Moors. This means that it was Islamic longer than it has been British, and longer than it was Spanish.
Most of what we see today was built in the early 14th century, after the Spanish had managed to briefly take back the territory. When the Marinids – a North African Muslim dynasty – reconquered Gibraltar, they quickly set about improving the fortifications of the town.
Moorish Gibraltar was largely destroyed in later conflicts. But the Tower of Homage still looks down on the modern town, a reminder of Gibraltar’s Muslim past.
Stop 2: Grand Casemates Square – British Military Architecture & History
Now take in your surroundings on Grand Casemates Square itself. Often buzzing with tourists, this is the modern gateway to the old town, filled with bars and restaurants. But its history is fascinating.
Casemates actually dates back to the Moorish period, when it was a beach used by the Muslims to store their galleys. What we see today, of course, comes from much later, developed by the British military in the 19th century as a barracks. The main barracks building, Grand Casemates, still exists, and can be explored on the side facing towards main street, now home to a number of shops and galleries.
The square itself was an esplanade outside of the barracks used for military parades and public executions.
Around Casemates you’ll still find two military entrances – the Grand Casemates Gates and the Landport Tunnel. Dramatic, fortified routes into the square that once marked the entrance to the fortified town.
British military architecture and fortifications around Casemates Square, Gibraltar
Stop 3 – Main Street’s Andalusian townhouses
Leaving Casemates Square behind, walk along Main Street, where you’ll be rewarded with some of Gibraltar’s most beautiful buildings. In particular, look up at the many elegant Andalusian townhouses – notable for their intricate wrought iron balconies.
A selection of buildings on Gibraltar’s Main Street, featuring Andalusian town houses, wrought iron balconies, beautiful tilework and Genoese shutters
As well as an obvious Spanish – and specifically Andalusian – influence, there are old buildings blending Moorish, Portuguese, Genoese and British styles. Gibraltar’s wonderfully hodgepodge style of architecture owes to its history, but also to the influence of the architect Giovanni Maria Boschetti. Find out more about Boschetti at stop six.
You’ll also notice many Genoese shutters – wooden window shutters – on old buildings. This reflects the Genoese heritage in Gibraltar, who historically made up an important part of Gibraltar’s population.
Note: For Gibraltar’s Genoese heritage, visit Catalan Bay on the eastern side of the rock. This small village is where Genoese fishermen settled, and features beautiful colourful houses. In the 19th century, only fishermen were allowed to live in the village. Many of the residents today are their descendants.
Stop 4: Irish Town’s Victorian Police Station
Cut onto Irish Town, a quieter, more relaxed street lined with historical buildings. One of the most important is the striking red-brick police station, a slice of Victorian architecture on the Iberian peninsula.
As well as its distinctive red-brick facade – a pretty rare sight in this part of the world, where most buildings are white or pastel coloured – look out for its arched windows, a common characteristic of British Victorian civic architecture, and its old signage.
The building served as the headquarters of the Royal Gibraltar Police until the 1980s. Nowadays it’s an important reminder of the British influence over Gibraltar.
If you’re planning to visit Gibraltar, make sure to read my travel guides:
Stop 5: Gibraltar City Hall – Neoclassical Architecture
Certo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Walk down the full length of Irish Town until you come out onto John Mackintosh Square, one of Gibraltar’s main public spaces. Here, you’ll be greeted with one of Gibraltar’s grandest buildings: the old city hall. Admire its impressive neoclassical facade and green Genoese wooden shutters.
The old city hall was built in 1819 as a private mansion. Its original owner was Aaron Cardozo, a Jewish Portuguese merchant who made his fortune in Gibraltar. Before he built his lavish home here, it was the site of an old Spanish hospital.
After Cardozo died, it spent time as a hotel before becoming Gibraltar’s city hall. Nowadays it is the Mayor’s office. You can visit part of the building’s interior, which hosts the Mario Finlayson National Art Gallery.
Stop 6: Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned – From Mosque to Catholic Cathedral
Back on Main Street, visit Gibraltar’s Catholic Cathedral, St Mary the Crowned. Its pretty pink facade dates from the 19th century, but the Cathedral’s history is much older – going back to the 15th century.
As was the case in much of the rest of Spain, when the Spanish reconquered Gibraltar, they built their Cathedral on the site of the former mosque. You’ll still find a small courtyard with beautiful tiles, a remnant of the mosque’s old orange grove. The Catholic Monarchs placed their coat of arms here, as a reminder that Moorish rule was over.
The small courtyard of St Mary the Crowned Cathedral, Gibraltar – a remnant of the old mosque’s orange grove, which stood on this site centuries earlier.
Architect Spotlight: Giovanni Maria Boschetti – Rebuilding Gibraltar After the Great Siege
From 1779-83, Gibraltar suffered its longest ever siege – the Great Siege. Continued assault from the Spanish and French left much of the town severely damaged, and a lot of the buildings we see today were rebuilt after this period.
One of the most important architects in the rebuild was Giovanni Maria Boschetti, a settler from Italy, who oversaw significant projects including the Victualling Yard, as well as many of the beautiful buildings along Main Street. He kept Gibraltar’s original street pattern and is seen as having a huge influence on Gibraltar’s architecture, including its hodgepodge of styles. He is buried in St Mary the Crowned.
Stop seven: Holy Trinity Cathedral – Moorish Revival Style in British Gibraltar
Just a few minutes from St Mary the Crowned is Gibraltar’s Anglican cathedral. Until it was built, the small King’s Chapel (see stop 8) was the only place of worship for Gibraltar’s protestants. A larger space was needed. And so work began on the Holy Trinity Cathedral, completed in 1832.
Its presence is a reminder of the long and heavy British influence on Gibraltar. But its style nods to another era – the Moorish period, with elegant Islamic-style arched entrances.
In 1951 it was severely damaged by an exploding battleship in the nearby docks, and received a new roof and windows. Inside, a letter that Queen Victoria sent to the Cathedral in 1873 is kept in a frame, complete with its royal seal.
Stop eight: The Convent & King’s Chapel
Head back to Main Street to see one of Gibraltar’s most important and historic buildings, the Convent. Dating from 1531, as its name suggests it was originally a Franciscan monastery. Since 1728, it has been the main residence for the Governor of Gibraltar.
Much of the building – including its handsome and austere facade – was rebuilt in the 18th and 19th century with Georgian and Victorian elements. It’s still used to host important events and ceremonies.
It’s said that the Convent is haunted by the Lady in Grey – possibly the apparition of a Spanish nun who was brought to the monastery to be executed.
Alongside the Convent is the King’s Chapel, Gibraltar’s oldest church. It was originally part of the Franciscan convent and built in the 1530s. Next to its entrance is the date 1560, which refers to major repairs that took place on this date after a pirate raid. It was severely damaged in both the Great Siege in the 18th century and then the explosion of a nearby battleship in 1951, and restored on both occasions.
Opposite the Convent is another important building – Number 6 Convent Place, the headquarters of Gibraltar’s government.
The handsome frontage, complete with two cannons, was originally the Guard House of the Convent, thought to have been built in the 18th century. A number of military ceremonies take place outside – including the Changing of the Guard.
Stop nine: Southport Gate
Leave Main Street by walking through Southport Gate, the old southern limit of the fortified town. The gates are part of the Charles V Wall, a 16th century defensive structure which stretches the whole way up the Rock, built by the Spanish King.
There are actually three gates here. The largest gate on Main Street is the most modern, dating from the 1960s. Just alongside it are two smaller gates – the smallest, on the left as you walk from Main Street, is the oldest, dating from 1552. The slightly larger one directly next to it was built by the British in 1883.
Nowadays when you walk through Southport Gate you find yourself standing on a main road. But this area was once a ditch, providing extra defence for the city.
Stop ten: Trafalgar Cemetery
Finish your walk at the Trafalgar Cemetery. Not a piece of architecture, but an interesting historical site nonetheless, it was formerly known as the Southport Ditch Cemetery.
It’s named after the Battle of Trafalgar, which took place not too far away off the coast of Spain: two people who died in the Battle are buried here, and there’s also a memorial to the Battle. Most of those who died in the Battle were buried at sea. Nearby is a statue of Lord Horatio Nelson, who led the British to victory in the Battle of Trafalgar.
If you want to keep exploring, I’d recommend heading to Gibraltar’s beautiful botanical gardens, just a short stroll from the Trafalgar Cemetery!
And to learn more about Gibraltar’s fascinating history, head to the excellent Gibraltar Museum.
Map of Gibraltar’s Architectural Highlights (Walking Route)
Find out more about Gibraltar’s architecture
What is Gibraltar known for architecturally?
Gibraltar’s architecture is a blend of Moorish, Andalusian, Genoese and British colonial styles — a reflection of its layered history. You’ll find Islamic-era fortifications like the Moorish Castle, colourful Spanish-style townhouses with wrought-iron balconies, and grand neoclassical and Victorian buildings from Gibraltar’s time as a British fortress.
What is the oldest building in Gibraltar?
The oldest surviving building in Gibraltar is generally considered to be the Moorish Castle, specifically its Tower of Homage, which dates from the early 14th century (around 1333–1342). It replaced earlier 8th–9th century fortifications from the first Islamic settlement of Gibraltar, known then as Jabal Tariq.
Elsewhere, other ancient remains have been found from Gibraltar’s Moorish past. For example, in Gibraltar National Museum you’ll find the remains of a 14th century Moorish bathouse.
What are the most important religious buildings in Gibraltar?
Gibraltar is home to two Cathedrals – St Mary the Crowned, built on the site of Gibraltar’s main mosque after the Spanish Reconquista, and the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, an Anglican church built in the 1830s in a distinctive Moorish-Revival style. The oldest church, the tiny but stunning King’s Chapel, can also be found in the Old Town.
Further afield, at the very southern edge of Gibraltar, is the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque – opened in 1997 and one of the largest mosques in a non-Muslim country.
Is there much modern architecture in Gibraltar?
Absolutely. Gibraltar has become a major tourist destination, and its skyline is now defined by a wave of modern development. Nowhere is this more visible than along Devil’s Tower Road, near the airport, where new towers and apartment blocks dominate the view. Many residents are campaigning to stop modern skyscrapers destroying the Old Town’s unique heritage.
Still, modern Gibraltar has its own architectural highlights. Two of the best examples are its elegant marina developments — Ocean Village and Queensway Quay. And at Europa Point, the striking Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, built in a modern Islamic style, shows how even Gibraltar’s newest architecture continues to reflect its diverse cultural heritage.
How does Gibraltar’s architecture reflect its identity?
Gibraltar’s architecture is a physical record of its complicated, tumultuous history. You see this in its mix of Spanish, Islamic, and British influences. Each period left a mark, resulting in a landscape where a Moorish tower, Andalusian townhouses and Victorian Police Station can all be seen in one short walk.
This article is now featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or travel directions to the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Gibraltar on GPSmyCity.
Visiting Gibraltar?
Use the tools below to find accommodation & book activities in Gibraltar.
Read my other Gibraltar guides
Thanks for visiting my blog! This post may contain affiliate links - which means if you make a purchase, I'll receive a small commission, at no extra cost to yourself. This helps me keep this site running for free.