I just discovered that in just 6.8 km² there are stories for a Netflix series. Gibraltar is that: a small patch of land at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula where synagogues, Catholic churches, Anglican cathedrals, mosques, and Hindu temples coexist peacefully. Two languages, wild monkeys in freedom, and an atmosphere that makes you feel in London and Andalusia simultaneously.

The first thing that surprises you is the architecture. Colonial houses with their red brick facades and guillotine windows spread through the streets as if someone had moved a Victorian neighborhood to the Mediterranean. A mix of Mediterranean Regency with Genoese, Maltese, and Jewish influences. Walking along Main Street is like strolling down Florida Street in Buenos Aires, but with palm trees, red phone booths, and wooden pubs serving beer while looking out at the Alboran Sea. The facades tell the story: each color, every detail of wrought iron, each Mallorcan shutter speaks of that unique identity that is not entirely British nor entirely Spanish.

The geological history is mind-blowing. Five million years ago, during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, the Mediterranean almost dried up. What is now the Strait was a mountain range connecting Europe with Africa. Then came a massive flood that refilled it, leaving this sentinel 400 meters high. The Greeks called it Calpe, one of Hercules’ Pillars. To the ancients, these columns marked the end of the known world. Beyond was only ocean, uncertainty. From there came the Latin warning: Non plus ultra. Nothing beyond.

What really fascinated me was discovering the inverted world underground. Beneath the pubs and shops with prices lower than in Spain, there is a network of over 55 kilometers of tunnels dug out. During the Great Siege of 1779 to 1783, when Spain tried to retake the Rock, a sergeant named Henry Ince had a simple but brilliant idea: dig tunnels into the rock to mount cannons without exposing themselves. They turned the Rock into a stone battleship.

Later, Winston Churchill expanded this network during World War II. He transformed these tunnels into an underground city capable of sheltering 16,000 people. It had a hospital with armored operating rooms, a power plant, distilleries to purify water, food depots for almost a year and a half. It’s like the Upside Down from Stranger Things, but real and beneath your feet.

The walking tour around the island takes about two hours. You go from feeling like post-war London to walking in a setting that floats over the sea with a Monaco vibe. The Convent is the starting point, the governor’s residence in an old convent from 1531 where the guard change takes place like at Buckingham. Then comes the afternoon tea ritual. At The Rock Hotel, by the Strait, they serve black tea with milk, scones, cream, and jam in silver teapots and linen tablecloths. The service seems straight out of The Crown, but in flip-flops.

Next is Trinity House, the only lighthouse outside the British Isles operated directly by England, located where the Atlantic embraces the Mediterranean. From there, you see the mountains of Morocco so close they seem touchable. Catalan Bay is the perfect pause: an old Genoese cove with colorful houses and a tiny beach with crystal-clear waters.

Casemates Square deserves its own stop. The bars have vaulted ceilings because they used to serve as bomb-proof barracks. From there, the city opens up toward the future: Ocean Village, with luxury towers floating over the Mediterranean, glass, steel, and neon. The Sunborn Gibraltar is perfect for a gin and tonic without getting dizzy—a five-star yacht hotel permanently anchored.

But what really stays with you is taking the cable car to the top. There is the only wild monkey colony in Europe in freedom. You see a monkey nursing her baby, tourists with macaques on their heads, and at the Skywalk, you challenge vertigo on a glass walkway. As the sun disappears over the Strait, turning the port cranes and the peaks of Morocco orange, you realize that the world doesn’t end here. It just becomes more interesting.

Regarding practical tips: fly to Málaga, rent a car and drive two hours, or fly directly with British Airways or easyJet. It’s better to park in La Línea de La Concepción and cross on foot. Spring and fall are the best months. Argentinians only need a valid passport.

To stay, the Sunborn is spectacular from €220 double. For dining, The Rock Hotel serves afternoon tea from 4 to 6 pm; reservations are recommended. The Clipper is the classic pub for fish & chips. The Gibraltarpass digital day pass (€76) gives you access to the cable car, Skywalk, tunnels, and minibus tours. Dolphin Adventure offers two daily departures from Ocean Village to see dolphins from €33.

I leave the Rock with a pack of Jaffa Cakes, the British flag that topped my fish & chips plate, and that strange feeling of having been in London and Andalusia at the same time. I’ll cross a street and be back in Spain. But something tells me I’ll return.