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How to catch a ferry from Spain to Morocco!

When I was planning our Spain & Morocco trip, one of my biggest fear was the ferry ride. Planning how to get from Seville to south of Spain, and then from there to northern Morocco was not easy. With the distance, my parents and the little time we had, making this trip hassle free seemed close to impossible. After tons of research, I finally decided on how to make this long stretch of commute in just one day. And it turns out everything went very smoothly, with no interruptions or problems.

From which cities can you get a ferry to Morocco?

In order to catch a ferry, you need to get to either Tarifa (slightly closer in distance) or Algeciras. Both these towns have daily ferries that go to Tangier and Tangier Med (40 mins further out from the medina). Depending on where you are starting from, traveling to one of these towns in Spain is the most difficult.

How to travel to these cities in south of Spain?

If you are traveling from Barcelona or Madrid, I would definitely recommend taking the train until you can get as far south as you can. We had a day in Seville and so our trip started from there. One option I looked into was taking a train from Seville to Tarifa. However, taking a train would take us six hours, which is three times longer than driving. The cost for train tickets for four people is also not cheap. But if the next option was not available, this would be our go to.

The second option was renting a car from Seville and driving to Tarifa. I looked up car rentals and luckily found Enterprise in Seville! But the only place to return the rental was in Algeciras. We decided to go with it and make the ferry trip from Algeciras. So, my husband took an international driving permit (click here for how to get one). He drove the 2 hours from Seville to Algeciras with our phones for GPS and printed directions for back up.

How about the rest of the trip?

We returned the rental at Enterprise, conveniently located right next to the ferry station. From there, we booked our tickets for the next ferry. One of the ferry companies offered a free 30 minute bus ride to Tarifa to catch the ferry from there. This was ideal, because the ferries leaving from Algeciras only goes to Tangier Med. Tangier Med is further out from Tangier and would require a 40 minute drive once we land in Morocco.

We relaxed, had some lunch at their cafe and waited for the bus, which took us to the Tarifa station. Soon after, we went through the checking and initial screenings and boarded the ferry. When we got inside the ferry, all our luggage had to be placed in a designated area. Once upstairs, we quickly went to immigration booth with our passports. The line was very long, so we tried to get there as quickly as possible. Sometimes the lines are so long that you can still be in line even after the ferry has arrived in Tangier. The ferry ride itself from Tarifa to Tangier is only about 45 minutes long.

(Side note: The immigration officer needs to see everyone in the group, holding their own passports. Since my parents were with us, we let them sit and we called them up when we got closer up in line. I am sure if you are traveling with young children or elder parents, they don’t mind if you do this. The people in the rest of the line were very understanding and kind.)

Ferry companies, prices and timings…

There are a few companies to choose from. Most of the ferry companies have around 6-12 round trips daily, each leaving 2-4 hours after the previous one. We chose the company called Intershipping, but it really doesn’t matter which one you choose because they all work with each other. What is important is getting the ferry at your most convenient time. All the round trip tickets were open tickets, which is great for travelers like me! Since we traveled during the off season, we were able to catch the next available ferry with no problem. That may not be the case during peak seasons.

Prices range from 40 to 90 Euros for a round trip ticket, depending on when you’re booking and traveling. We paid around 70 Euros per person, but you can pay much less if you book online. Since we were driving into Tarifa the morning of, we wanted to be more flexible.
Check out their website for more details HERE!

Tip: There is a 1 hour time difference between Spain and Morocco. Make sure you plan that into your itinerary!

What about landing in Morocco?

The ferries stop in two places; Tangier (inside the medina) and Tangier Med (40 minutes away from the medina).
We landed in Tangier, took our luggage and got right off. There is no checking or screenings coming into Tangier since we did that part on the ferry. However, there is more checking and immigration process going back from Tangier to Spain.

I hope this gave you an idea of how to travel from Spain to Morocco. Although it seems like a complicated plan, it’s really not that hard. If I had to make the trip again, I don’t think there is anything I would change.

Information for INTER SHIPPING
Time From Tarifa: 8AM, 12PM, 4PM & 8PM
Leaving from Tanger: 9AM, 1PM, 5PM & 11PM
Phone number: 00 34 956 684729
Email: info@intershipping.es
www.intershipping.es

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

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Reader’s questions: Mode Of Transportation

HOW to decide whether to rent a car, use public transportation or use Uber/Lyft
(within the U.S).

There are many factors that influence this decision for me while I plan a trip. Time, expense, convenience and safety are the few main things that I look at before making the final call. Because each person’s needs are different, it’s hard to say renting a car is the only way to go, or public transport is the best for this specific city.
Instead, I have gathered some thoughts and questions that I go through while deciding what the best option is for a trip. You can ask yourself these questions if you find yourself stuck and unable to decide.

Little Passports
  • How long are you visiting and are you traveling from one city to another
    If you are visiting a city/town for a longer period OR if you are traveling from one city to another, renting a car would save you time and money in the long run.
  • The number of people you’re traveling with
    This one is big. The more people you are traveling with, the more you will save renting a car instead of using public transport. Because each time you travel, you are paying for a higher number of people. Ex; if you are getting tickets for bus/train, you will have to get a ticket per person. But if you are just 1-2 people traveling, tickets for public transportation might cost less than Uber/taxi.
    For Uber, with more than 4 people, you will have to choose the car for 4-6 people, which bumps up the price for each ride.
  • Who you are traveling with
    This one is also a big factor. For our next trip, my parents will be traveling with us. We will be using more private cars and taxis instead of public transportation. This is taking into account the convenience aspect of traveling instead of cost.
  • How big the city is & distance between the places you are visiting
    If the distance between the places you are visiting is not significant, you can get away with walking, using public transportation or Uber. If you have a longer commute between the places you decide to visit, you’re probably better off renting that car. Example, we are renting a car from one city and driving to another city…this cuts down our travel time from 6 hours using public transportation to just 2 hours with a car.
  • Is public transportation available and accessible?
    Some smaller cities may not have much public transportation. There may not be many Uber drivers around either (which possibly increases the price and wait time).
  • How costly/safe is public transportation?
    If you are in a major city (ex; up in Northwest) public transportation and Uber prices can be a higher than average. At the same time, gas prices may also be higher. Check out the prices for transportation and compare with the cost of renting. (Don’t forget to include gas money) If cost is not an issue, think about another main factor, like safety.
  • Gas prices?
    Check out the gas prices before you rent a car
  • How expensive is a car for the duration you are there?
    Sometimes it’s cheaper to rent a car for a few days instead of one day. Check out the prices online. Pay with a credit card that offers rental insurance so those additional charges won’t sneak up on you.
  • Is parking available? How costly is parking in the area you are in?
    If you are leaning towards renting a car, research the average parking prices close to your tour sites. Are the rest of the sites walk-able if you get a day parking in the city?

If you have any other factors or tips for deciding whether to rent, Uber or use public transportation, comment below!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.