How To Get From Malaga To Gibraltar (Quickest & Cheapest)

Private Airport Transfer

⏱️ Time: 3 hours 
💵 Cost: €80
💻 Reserve Transfer: Hoppa

One of the best ways to get from Malaga to Gibraltar is to take an organised tour. This is the ideal option if you just want to see Gibraltar on a day trip from Malaga.

An organised tour will pick you up from a central location in Malaga and take you directly to Gibraltar, making stops at notable points like the Rock of Gibraltar, St. Michael’s Cave, and Main Street, where you’ll have time for sightseeing and shopping.

This option can take around three hours each way, since your coach bus may make additional stops to pick up and drop off other tourists, so it makes for a long travel day. However, it’s also possible to book a private tour to Gibraltar for small groups.

Taking an organised tour to Gibraltar is a hassle-free option since you don’t have to worry about the logistics yourself, but it does limit your flexibility.

Hire Car

⏱️ Time: 2 hours
💵 Cost: €30 per day (hire car only)
💻 Book Hire Car: Discover Cars

Another way to get from Malaga to Gibraltar is with a rental car. While this is the most flexible option, it does have some drawbacks. With a rental car, you can spend as much time as you want visiting Gibraltar and also make several stops along the way in charming Costa del Sol towns.

Best Place To Rent A Car In Malaga

Discover Cars compares car rental deals from more than 500 partners so that you can choose which is best for your trip.

check malaga hire car prices

In theory, it takes just two hours to drive from Malaga to Gibraltar. However, this is heavily dependent on traffic and how many cars are waiting at the border crossing. If there’s a long line, it can easily add over an hour to your travel time.

Parking is also very limited in Gibraltar. If you choose to drive yourself, you may find it easier to park in La Línea de la Concepción, the Spanish town on the border of Gibraltar, and cross the border on foot.

It’s a short walk and once across the border, you can either walk or use the Gibraltar public bus system to get around the territory.

Bus

⏱️ Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes
💵 Cost: €15
💻 Buy Bus Tickets: Omio

Sadly, there is no train that connects Malaga and Gibraltar. Instead, the only method of public transport is the bus which runs at least five times per day (the exact number varies depending on the day of the week).

The buses are primarily operated by Avanza Grupo, as well as one departure per day on ALSA. Buses depart from the bus station in Malaga’s city centre and arrive at the bus station in the border town of La Línea de la Concepción.

The bus journey itself takes around 2 hours and 15 minutes depending on traffic. Then from the bus station in La Línea de la Concepción, it’s a short 10-minute walk to the border crossing into Gibraltar. Actual border crossing times can vary depending on how much of a line there is.

Once in Gibraltar, you can either continue on foot or take the bus from the Frontier Terminus at Gibraltar International Airport. There are several bus routes that will take you all around the small territory.

Taxi

⏱️ Time: 2 hours
💵 Cost: €160 each way
💻 Reserve Taxi: Hoppa

Finally, it’s possible to get from Malaga to Gibraltar via private transfer. This is by far the most expensive option on the list, but it may make sense if you’re travelling as a family or with a small group and value a private transfer.

With a private transfer, you have more flexibility on when you leave and any stops that are made along the way from Malaga to Gibraltar.

However, you will still most likely need to be dropped off at the border in La Línea de la Concepción and continue across the border into Gibraltar on your own. This is something to keep in mind before booking a private transfer from Malaga to Gibraltar.