Crossing the Tejo

Crossing the Strait of Gibraltar from Tarifa in Spain to Tangier in Morocco has to be one of the greatest ferry adventures going: you can cross from Europe to Africa in just one hour!

I’d recommend this trip to anyone visiting any part of Southern Spain or the Algarve. We were staying in the Alentejo region of Portugal and hired a car at Lisbon airport. Our tiny, battered Renault 5 survived the 5 1/2 hour drive on some rough roads all the way to Algeciras via Seville (expect traffic here!). We stayed overnight at the affordable and once-grand Hotel Marina Victoria.

Our first mistake was booking the ferry from Algeciras. This option takes you to a port called Tangier Med which is about an hour by taxi from the city of Tangier. Bearing in mind we needed to be at the ferry about an hour or so before departure and only planned on a short visit to Tangier, the hassle of a two hour round trip taxi ride was a deal breaker, so we decided to make a last minute re-booking from Tarifa as this is the only route that takes you straight to Port de Tangier Ville.

We booked the 9:00 ferry for the 1 hour crossing from Tarifa (note that this also arrives in Tangier at 9:00 due to the time difference). We set off early the next morning on the 30 minute drive from Algeciras to Tarifa. I had read that parking was tricky in Tarifa and that the main car park was pretty much always full, however at that time of the morning it was fairly straightforward to find a free parking spot on a side street and then walk to the ferry terminal. Also when we arrived at the terminal at 7:45 there were still a couple of parking spots at the main car park (this was in mid September).

We checked in at the Balearia desk and were given a customs form to fill in for the Moroccan immigration authorities (so do bring a pen!). Immediately after departure, the Moroccan Immigration desk opened near the cafe at the rear of the ferry. make sure you join the queue immediately as it quickly grows and starts to snake around the deck. People were still queuing up when the ferry arrived in tangier!

When we exited the port we seemed to leave the rest of the passengers on the busy ferry behind us. Many of the European and US passengers had prebooked guided tours and went to rendezvous with their guides. This wasn’t for us though as we wanted to explore on our own and had just a few hours to wander the streets and browse the medina.

Leaving the port was hassle-free with only a couple of taxi drivers asking us if we needed a ride, but their manner was in no way aggressive or intimidating. I’ve read quite a few accounts of people being hassled on arrival but this was definitely not our experience.

We walked past a large fort on our right (see above) and into the square beyond, from which an archway led us into the Ancien Medina. This is a maze of very similar looking charming streets and alleyways with a smattering of shops here and there. At that time of day it was very quiet and relaxed and we meandered in the general direction of the Kasbah. At this point one of the locals decided he was going to guide us whether we liked it or not! This chap spoke good English and was very informative and polite. He clearly intended to spend some of his morning with us, however he wasn’t offended when we shook his hand gave him a couple of euros and said we would continue under our own steam.

The Kasbah is an open square with fortifications on two sides and a beautiful Moorish gate leading out to views over the ocean and across the port. from here we headed left Which took us down through the medina and eventually through an elegant archway into the Grand Socco. This exotic sounding place was really only a large roundabout with a few restaurants and cafes surrounding. We had lunch in one of these restaurants but the food was only average.

We then made our way through the main food market with amazing olives, herbs and spices on display on the left hand side of the market. Heading to the right takes you through the meat and fish market which is not for the faint hearted! After taking a few different circuits through the maze-like streets of the medina (and a quick stop for mint tea), it was time to head back to the ferry terminal for our 2pm departure. We decided to book an early return as the ferry back essentially takes two hours due to the time difference and we wanted to get to our next stop (Cadiz) before sunset.

Whilst we only had 4 hours in tangier, for us this was plenty. The Ancien Medina, Kasbah and main Medina are pretty compact so we were able to do and see a lot in our short time. Also, for us, the main attraction was just to see the city and wander the streets and alleyways, but if museums are your thing, or if you book a full guided tour, then you will want to stay longer. There are also some beautiful beaches further afield from Tangier and other sights such as the Cave of Hercules, so there is plenty to fill a weekend break.

Our top tips for this adventure:

1. Free on-street parking is available in Tarifa but you may need to walk for 10 minutes or so to the Ferry terminal.
2. As soon as you get onboard, go straight to the Moroccan Immigration desk at the rear right of the ferry to avoid the long queue.
3. The ferry will be busy and passengers will quickly occupy window seats (and leave their belongings on seats to reserve them).
4. Passengers will mob towards the ferry exit about 10 minutes before arrival. Remember you can exit on either side of the boat but most people head to the exit on the left.
5. Tangier is a very safe place and the local people were polite and friendly. We didn’t see or hear of any problems, but as in any city, take sensible precautions with your valuables.
6. Give yourself at least 45 minutes for boarding.
7. Feel free to haggle, but only if you are serious about buying!
8. You can pay for mobile phone roaming before arrival in Morocco through most networks, but if you don’t do this, you can download offline maps and guides.

Bon voyage!