Gibraltar Border

We Went to Gibraltar today and it was very busy, took 25 mins to get in, this was at 12.15, they actually checked our passports, then coming out at 3-15, we were sent in 'a loop' from the last roundabout, took 45 minutes, loads of police around. We haven't been since February so found it all a bit unusual.

Took us 50 mins to get into Gibraltar last Friday (from about 10.50 to 11.40) and about half an hour to get off on Monday, at about 1pm.   I find when I have left Gibraltar at about 3pm it is also quite busy.  Don't think there is anything unusual really - depends what time of the morning you go over the border and the flight arrival/take off times, when the barriers are down.

I think sometimes they do make it a little more difficult on the Spanish side - a couple of weeks ago one of the Spanish guys was stopping the cars in the queue to search them coming out, holding up the one lane exit for over five minutes, before he told the car to pull over to be searched properly!!    Why didn't he just pull it over to be searched in the first place and not hold all the traffic up?  

It's very rare there isn't a queue.  When I have to go in I drive in at around 9am and there is perhaps a 15 minute wait to get in.  Leaving in the morning is usually quite quick but after lunch it seems to get busy again.

And yes, when it's busy there are police everywhere directing the traffic....it gives them something to do 

I have started parking in the gravel car park outside the border now and walking through. You just have to give the guys there something (1 Euro is fine) and you can park all day.  It's usually the easiest and safest bet for coming in and out of Gib.

It's better to walk through, although that's not always possible if you need the car (want to go to Morrisons!!).  It is always better if you go over the border earlier.

We took the car over as we wanted to park and leave it there for four days in the airport car park - thought it was a safer bet.  And it was!  Only cost us £14.40 to park from Thursday midday to Monday 1pm!  Can't be bad!  They charge €18 per day at Malaga airport!