I’m tentatively planning a backpacking tour of Spain and Portugal this coming summer. I’d like to add a day or two in the town of Tangier, in Morocco. I can get to Algeciras, Spain, by train; but what’s the easiest way to get from there to Tangier?
There are several ferries from southern Spain to northern Morroco. Here’s a link to one of many sites giving information.
I took a ferry from Algeciras to Tangier about 15 years ago. Unless Tangier has been cleaned up, be prepared for a culture shock. Customs in Tangier was a unique experience. When we finally got through, there were many people offering hotels and transportation. Unless you like bargining and know what these things cost, I would recommend having reservations at a hotel and arrangements to get there from the ferry terminal.
There is a place called Tarifa a few miles West of Gibraltar, a really great place and full of wind surfers in Summer. It has an old walled town that is delightful, also a small port.
I’m pretty sure we stayed at the Hostal Medina which was just outside the old town.
They run a hydrofoil (or is it just a jumped up speedboat, I can’t remember) service to Tangiers. A friend of mine was down there in 2001 and I went to visit him. We did a day trip to Tangiers. Customs/Immigration was a doddle, although on the way back the guy did a double take on my passport - my photo was taken on a seriously bad day.
When you turn up in the port, there is a horde of guides, there is some sort of licensing system for them. We decided to take one, the clincher was his opening line, to remember to adjust our watches as the time zone was different - and missing the return ferry would have been dumb.
IME it is worth using a guide, they continually try to get you to buy something, and they like lousy restaurants that give them a good rake off, but they can be interrogated and once they get they idea that you are interested in the place and not interested in buying souvenirs then they are useful.
In 2001 Tangiers had lost a lot of tourist trade because of crime (guys from Africa trying to get into Spain), while we were both pretty large and canny, it makes sense not being stupid.
While we were in Tarifa, we met another British guy who was mooching round Spain by train and bus.
While Tangiers is fascinating, you might be wise making it a day trip, you also might be interested in going further up the coast to Cadiz, which is pretty impressive.
If you are down that way, get a hat, I got a touch of sunstroke which might or might not have been down to consuming a large quantity of wine on the beach.