A Good Travel Base In San Roque & La Linea

History

SAN ROQUE was established by the Gibraltarians who fled from the British, who captured Gibraltar and looted their belongings in 1704. They had wanted to return after some months when the British troops conquered under the banner of Austria’s Archduke Carlos, which the British supported during the Spanish Succession war. But the Gibraltarians remained in San Roque while the British flag still flies in Gibraltar.
There is a Spanish-British border that is 8 kilometers away at a town called La Linea, where its gates were opened again after 16 years of closure due to the Spanish order. Now, there are frequent crossings between the two regions with some immigration procedures, except for the times when diplomatic relations are a bit strained. This is where the Spanish authorities will operated at a slower pace to the annoyance of the Rock residents.

Accommodations

In the center of La Línea stands a big and modern plaza that is seemingly unimpressive; but it houses, the turismo, offers useful maps of the town, hostel information, as well as information about the bus stations in the town.

Most budget hostels are near to the Plaza Constitucíon. They offer clean rooms with baths as well as a TV, with some having their own restaurants for a good bite to eat.

Gastronomy

A bit away on the plaza’s east is a smaller plaza, Cruz de Herrera, which is off limits to vehicles, offering many reasonable bars, cafes and restaurants. There are good valued menus and local fare which will delight the tourist.

Transportation

The public buses ply to Algeciras from La Línea every hour for its thirty-minute ride. Buses also connect La Linea to Sevilla, Malaga, Cadiz, Tarifa and even Ayamonte which is located at the Portuguese border. Train service is also available here with the nearest main line station at San Roque to La Línea, which is a distance of 12 kilometers; from there, you can move on to Ronda and further in another train.

Although it may have been said that La Linea is not one of Andalucia’s prettiest towns, it is strategically located to the world’s most famous rock, the rock of Gibraltar, which attracts many tourists making La Linea their base for traveling around this region as the accommodations are much cheaper than its British neighbor offers.

San Roque just celebrated 300 years of existence and is a worthy town to discover if you want a real Spanish experience in your travels.