Catalan Bay Tourist Places to Visit in Catalan Bay, Gibraltar, Europe
Catalan Bay is located on the southern tip of Iberian Peninsula in the British Overseas Territory, Gibraltar. Catalan Bay is a small fishing village but popular tourism destination in the country and the economy of the village is based on tourism, commerce, hotels and fishing. English is the official language of the populaces in the Bay followed by Spanish, Berber, Hindi, Sindhi, Hebrew and Arabic and majority of the people follow Roman Catholic religion. Catalan Bay geographically coordinates at 36.1388° N, 5.3413° W and surrounded by mountains.
History of Catalan Bay:
Catalan Bay was inhabited by Genoese fishermen, who settled along the coast of ‘The Rock’ during 17th and 18th century. After the establishment of English in the country, several native Genoese were died during 20th century and Governor granted only few fishermen to live in Catalan Bay.
Tourist Attractions in Catalan Bay:
Rock of Catalan Bay:
Rock of Catalan Bay is the main attraction and landmark of the country is a massive mineral promontory situated 426 meters (1,398 feet) above the sea level and Rock is Crown property of the United Kingdom and the rock is covered by nature reserve and situated in Catalan Bay.
Eastern Beach:
Eastern Beach is the largest beach on The Rock and it is 100 meters long sandy beach surrounded by industrial and residential areas is one of the most popular and most visited beaches in the country situated at the distance of 1.5 kilometers from center of the Catalan Bay.
Sandy Bay:
Sandy Bay is a situated 1.5 kilometers away from Catalan Bay on the south part of the region is a small but popular bay in the country with crystal clear water surrounded by mountains and hotels, visited by thousands of tourists throughout the year.
Other places to visit in and around Catalan Bay:
- Europa Point
- St Michael’s Cave
- Siege Tunnels
- Catalan Bay Museum
- The Mediterranian Steps
- Moorish Castle
- Catalan Bay Botanic Gardens
- Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque
- Trafalgar Cemetery
- Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park
- St Andrew’s Church
Best time to visit Catalan Bay:
Catalan Bay is served by subtropical Mediterranean climate with humid summer from May to October and calm winter from November to April and best time to visit Catalan Bay is from November to April.
Reaching Catalan Bay:
By Air:
Gibraltar International Airport is placed at the distance of 2.5 kilometers from Catalan Bay is the only airport in the country owned by Ministry of Defense and handles flights to Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester in the United Kingdom.
By Road:
Catalan Bay is a small village in the Gibraltar and well linked through road ways and buses will operate from other parts of the country to the Catalan Bay at regular interval.
By Ferry:
Gibraltar port is situated at the distance of 3 kilometers from the heart of the city is the only port in the country that receives large number of tourists cruise ships and one of the busiest ports in the world and port also handles large cargo ships as well.
Accommodation in Catalan Bay:
Catalan Bay offers some of the alleged hotels ranging from budget to luxury providing admirable lodging amenities to the tourists visiting the place all round the year and offers world class living options like bar, lounge, business center, wellness center, free high speed internet, wheelchair access which cost from $ 15 to $ 300 and above per day. Hotels located in Catalan Bay are as follows:
- Asur Campo de Gibraltar
- The Caleta Hotel Self-Catering Apartments
- The O’Callaghan Eliott Hotel
- Rock Hotel
- Queen’s Hotel
- Hostal París
- La Esteponera
- Hostal la Campana
- Hostal Margarita
- Hostal Carlos II
- Hotel Miramar
- The Suites At San Roque Club