Pillars of Hercules Monument

At Europa Point on Gibraltar's southern tip stands a monument marking the Rock as one of the Pillars of Hercules, the pair of headlands that classical geography put at the edge of the known world with Jebel Musa or Monte Hacho on the African side. The strait narrows to around fourteen kilometres at its narrowest point to the west - here the Moroccan mountains stand some twenty-four kilometres across the water, clearly visible on most days. Which African headland was the southern Pillar was disputed in antiquity and still is, with both Jebel Musa and Monte Hacho claimed.

What you actually see

• The monument - the marker for the northern Pillar of Hercules.
• The strait - some twenty-four kilometres of water to the African shore.
• The Moroccan mountains - the Rif visible across the water.
• Europa Point - the southern tip of the Rock and of Europe here.

When to go

April to October is the mild season with the clearest air. Levanter conditions bring haze and cloud. The point is windy in any season.

Honest expectations

The monument is recent and modest. Europa Point is exposed and windy. Haze frequently cuts the view across to Africa.

Nearby

Europa Point lighthouse is alongside, and Rosia Bay is north.