Post Office, Gibraltar, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Post Office at 104 Main Street in Gibraltar is the Royal Gibraltar Post Office, a working post office on the town's busiest street. It is a small but telling sign of the British character of the Rock, which issues its own stamps and has its own postal service. It is an easy stop on any walk through the old town.

The story behind it

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, and the Royal Gibraltar Post Office is one of the everyday emblems of that link. Route creators who pass this spot point to it as a symbol of Britishness on the Rock, and the same stretch of town gives them a chance to tell a lighter story: the long bond between Gibraltar and James Bond.

The Rock is most prominent in the 1987 film The Living Daylights, the 15th in the series and the first of two starring Timothy Dalton as Bond. Its opening sequence has skydivers landing on the Rock and a hijacked Land Rover racing along the road high above the town. The chase was filmed from several angles on one short section of road, which makes it look much longer on screen. One of Gibraltar's famous Barbary macaques also makes a brief appearance.

What to look for

• The red British-style post boxes and postal signs, which feel more like a town in England than one on the Mediterranean.
• The mix of shops, cafes and shoppers on Main Street, the main thoroughfare of the old town.
• The limestone mass of the Rock rising above the rooftops when you look up the side streets, the same ridge that features in the opening of The Living Daylights.
• The mix of English and Spanish you hear in the queue and on the street, a good clue to how Gibraltar lives day to day.

Tips for your visit

• Plan on about ten minutes for the building itself, longer if you want to post a card or look around the neighbouring shops.
• It is a working post office, so check current opening hours before you plan to go inside.
• Morning is usually calmer on Main Street and cooler in summer, before the day visitors fill the street.
• Pair it with a wider stroll along Main Street, where cafes and shops are close by if you need a break.

See it on a quest

Discover Gibraltar Town Center: A Story Adventure passes the Post Office on foot as one stop of a longer route through the town centre. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the street rather than just walk past it. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.