Great Siege Tunnels

These man-made tunnels are a testament to the Rock’s military past and dramatic history.

There are 30 miles of man-made tunnels inside the Rock of Gibraltar. That’s more tunnels than there are roads in Gibraltar!

The Great Siege Tunnels were hollowed out during the longest siege of Gibraltar in history, lasting from 1779 to 1783. In order to repel the Spanish and French forces intent on recapturing Gibraltar from the British, the soldiers garrisoned there had to use their brains to make Gibraltar an impregnable fortress.

This meant ensuring that the enemy troops below could be fired on with little or no risk to the small force on Gibraltar and the Governor knew this had to be done by installing cannons on the precipitous Northern face of the Rock, facing Spain.

Enter Sergeant Major Ince, whose ingenious idea of a network of tunnels saved Gibraltar and can be seen to this day. Original guns, some atmospheric wax models and views of Spain through the apertures in the rock face give a fascinating insight into the hardships that so many have undergone to maintain Gibraltar’s independence from its closest neighbours.

Reached by a short uphill walk from St Michael’s Cave, the tunnels are well worth the extra walk. See map.