Taking the Ferry From Spain to Morocco

I’ve crossed borders many, many ways: overland, on foot, by plane and even on a rowboat. So, of course, when I found out that you can take a ferry from Spain to Morocco, I was all in! We had spent two weeks in Portugal and after a short stopover in Seville, Spain, we made arrangements to make our way to Tangier via ferry!

QUICK INFO ON THE FERRY TO FROM SPAIN TO MOROCCO

PORT CITIES IN SPAIN – Tarifa, Algecieras, El Varaadeo, Almería, and even Barcelona. So, you’re not limited to southern PORT CITIES IN MOROCCO – Tangier, Tangier Med (which is about an hour drive from Tangier Proper), El Hoceima and Nador.
SHORTEST FERRY RIDE – The shortest ferry from Spain to Morocco is from Tarifa, Spain to Tangier Morocco. This is the journey we took.
YOU CAN LET SOMEONE ELSE BOOK + PLAN FOR YOU – If you’re looking to go to Morocco as a day trip, booking the ferry tickets through Get Your Guide, might be easier.

OUR EXPERIENCE TAKING THE FERRY FROM SPAIN TO MOROCCO

 
I was so excited for this journey, so a couple of days before I looked at the ferry schedule for FRS on their website to figure out the times. It was fairly easy to navigate which I always appreciate, but we held off on booking because we knew that we were going to be taking a bus from Sevilla to Tarifa, and you just never know what’s going to potentially happen with bus rides.

THE PRACTICAL STUFF

Tarifa looked like a cute little white-washed coastal town, and I think a person could easily spend a night or two there if you wanted to rest up before jumping on the ferry to Morocco or just explore another city. The ferry port is very easy to find because there are large ferries sitting just outside of it (easy giveaway, huh?). We walked there from where the bus stopped and it was only a 15-20 minute walk. Once inside, we bought our tickets. You can pay in dirham, euro or by credit card. We paid €38 each for a one way ticket. So, it’s much cheaper than a flight and a totally different experience. You can book the next ferry or a later ferry. We booked the very next one, which was departing in about 15 minutes, and felt a bit rushed just because we had never done anything like this before. So, if you’re one who stresses, you might book the one that gives you at least 30 minutes.

GETTING OFF THE BOAT AND INTO MOROCCO

Passport control is on the boat, so don’t miss getting your passport stamped. I actually like that they do this because then you can literally get off the boat and walk right into Tangier. People rush to this at the beginning. If you wait until a little closer to the end of the ferry ride, you won’t have to wait in a line over open seas. After you disembark, there will be several taxi drivers standing there. The medina is a short walk away, but you will have to cross a large road. We had decent experiences in general with taxis in Morocco. However, with this being very near a huge tourist hub, be mindful of what they’re charging. Also, don’t exchange money here, it won’t be a fair exchange rate, from everything we heard.

THE JOURNEY FROM SPAIN TO MOROCCO

I was so excited for this journey that I was buzzing with enthusiasm. I always love trying something new and Morocco was a destination I had been fawning over for years and year. I know I was grinning ear-to-ear. That is, until I walked onboard the ship and they immediately handed me a barf bag. Excitement level dropped from 100 to about 0. I’m a person who gets motion sickness, and once I do, I’m nauseous for a full day, possibly two. They were warning everyone that the seas were very choppy that day, and they weren’t lying. I dug out some dramamine, popped one, gave one to Matt and resolved that I was going to sit quietly, looking forward for the next hour.

Matt had different plans – see, he’s got this insatiable desire to photograph everything. He was roaming around the ferry trying to take photos, but the sea was so rough and choppy that it didn’t take long for Matt’s movements to make him motion sick. So, I looked up to find him crab-walking back to his seating after throwing up all over the floor along with dozens of other people. It was terrible. Then, to cap it off, the family next to us learned about a death in their family back in Morocco. The mother collapsed and passed out. Her older daughter and husband jumped into action helping her while her younger teenage daughter sat and cried in her seat. So, I got up sat next to her, put my arm around her and stroked her back while she cried into my shoulder. I looked over at Matt, who was sitting across the row, holding our bags and trying not to be sick. I sat with the girl until they called that we were nearing the port in Tangier. Her sister came and sat with her – they both hugged me and Matt and I made our way to the passport control and then into Tangier.

I wanted an experience. An adventure. Something to remember. I definitely got that! I don’t know that I would do this again and again. I would definitely check the weather if I had the time to kill. However, it was an experience and it’s an affordable, different way to get from Europe to Africa, which is pretty exciting.

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