Catalan Bay, Gibraltar

Catalan Bay-known locally as La Caleta-is a small fishing village set on the eastern side of the Rock. Its sandy crescent is the territory’s second-largest beach, popular with locals and day-trippers and framed by colourful seafront houses and the limestone cliff rising behind.

The village traces its character to Genoese fishing families who settled here in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The name “Catalan Bay” likely dates from the early 1700s, tied to Catalan servicemen who supported the Anglo-Dutch capture of Gibraltar in 1704, though the older Spanish name La Caleta predates it by decades.

At the heart of the village stands the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows. Each year on 15 September, the statue is carried in procession to the beach, where the Bishop of Gibraltar blesses the sea-a long-standing ritual that draws residents and visitors alike. Simple seafood restaurants line the waterfront, keeping the village’s maritime traditions very much alive.

For beachgoers, facilities and summer lifeguards are provided, and flags warn of conditions; on occasion, easterly currents bring jellyfish, prompting red-flag closures until the water clears. The gently shelving sand and sheltered setting make it a family favourite when conditions are good.