St Michael's Cave

St Michael's Cave, hidden within the limestone heart of the Rock of Gibraltar, is one of the most spectacular natural sights of the territory, a vast complex of caverns adorned with soaring stalactites, stalagmites and flowing rock formations built up over countless millennia by dripping water. Known since ancient times, when some believed it bottomless or a gateway to the underworld, the great main chamber is today dramatically illuminated with shifting coloured light and serves as an atmospheric underground auditorium for concerts and events, its natural acoustics superb. Cool, cathedral-like and otherworldly, the cave is an unforgettable subterranean wonder tucked inside one of the world's most famous rocks.

What you actually see

• The main chamber - the vast cathedral-like cavern.
• The formations - the soaring stalactites and stalagmites.
• The light show - the dramatic shifting coloured illumination.
• The auditorium - the natural underground concert hall.

When to go

Year-round; the cave maintains a cool, constant temperature whatever the season, making it a welcome refuge on hot days and an all-weather attraction. It is usually visited as part of a tour of the Upper Rock, and events and concerts add to its atmosphere at times.

Honest expectations

St Michael's Cave is part of the paid Upper Rock reserve and can be busy with tour groups in peak season, and the dramatic coloured lighting is a matter of taste. As a vast, cathedral-like natural grotto of soaring formations deep within the famous Rock, dramatically lit and acoustically superb, though, the cave is a genuinely spectacular and memorable underground wonder.

Nearby

The Barbary macaques, the summit and the war tunnels lie on the Upper Rock.