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Gibraltar to Tangiers


movin12
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Hi,

Has anyone taken a day trip from Gilbraltar to Tangiers using the ferry? Is it doable? Our ship is in port from 8:00am to 5:00pm. Any information on this from those who might have done this is appreciative. Is it worthwhile in such a short time?

Thanks!

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Difficult, and in all honesty not worth the grief.

 

Forget the once-a-week ferry from Gib to Tangier-Med.

Tangier-Med is no good to you, and in any case the ferry doesn't return same-day.

 

And forget the frequent ferries from Algeciras, which is about a 30 minute drive from the Gib. border - those too go to Tangier-Med, which is a modern industrial port in the middle of nowhere and an hour by bus to Tangier - and the bus stop a good 20 minute walk from Tangier centre.

By the time you get to Tangier it'll be time to come back.

 

There's a fast-ferry (takes one hour) from Tarifa direct to Tangier, but Tarifa is a 45 minute drive from the Gib border, there are only a few ferries per day from Tarifa, and my experience has been that its timetabling has been unreliable.

You'd need to catch the 10am ferry from Tarifa (that shouldn't be a problem but you need to get from ship to Gib/Spain border, cross on foot to meet a pre-booked car on the Spanish side to drive you to Tarifa - it'd be asking for trouble booking a car from Gib because cars can be subject to long delays at the border).

Theoretically the 10am ferry gets you to Tangier at 10am local time (there's a one hour time difference) but you'd need to catch the return ferry at 1pm (arrives Tarifa 3pm local time).

That based on this month, schedules not out yet for next summer. But add the possible complication of a two hour time difference in summertime.

 

That's a lot of grief & expense, and a fair degree of risk.

Do-able if you're desperate, but not recommended on a port-of-call day.

 

Just one thought - is your previous or next port-of-call Cadiz or Malaga?

Can be done - even more expensive to jump-ship & catch-up, but would certainly be more worthwhile.

 

JB :)

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Thanks JB,

It was worth asking and I appreciate all your input. Our next port will be Lisbon. We will enjoy Gibraltar and save Tangier for another time.

 

Sensible decision.

Lisbon is quite a long swim from Gib.;)

 

If you've not been to Gib before, there's plenty to keep you occupied for a day. A morning trip to the upper Rock is a must (I'd recommend a taxi-van tour from the cruise terminal, though some prefer the cable-car), then most folk meander the shops, pubs & minor sights of the town during the afternoon.

 

If you're ever in that corner of Spain in the future, there are coach/ferry trips to Tangier daily from resorts along the Costa del Sol and the cost, including guide & lunch, is only pennies more than just the ferry fare. But the return time is in the evening, so no good for a port-of-call visit. :(

 

JB :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have same question for next year. We previously spent a full day that we thoroughly enjoyed in Gibraltar, but don't know what we'll do from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm. DH would LOVE to hit Morocco that day, but the logistics sound like it just wouldn't be worth it. Am I wrong?

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I have same question for next year. We previously spent a full day that we thoroughly enjoyed in Gibraltar, but don't know what we'll do from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm. DH would LOVE to hit Morocco that day, but the logistics sound like it just wouldn't be worth it. Am I wrong?

 

Much more do-able for you than for the OP because of your sailaway time. But you'd still need to take that Tarifa - Tangier fast-ferry. And that means getting to the Spanish border (10 mins by car or bus), crossing on foot (usually quick both ways for pedestrians) to meet a pre-booked driver to take you to Tarifa.

 

That 10am ferry in my first post doesn't appear on the schedule for the random date I checked for next year, it shows one at 11am.

If you get to Tarifa in very good time, there's a number of bars & cafes on the main road near the port gate, or you could have a quick wander round part of the walled moorish town.

Because Tangier is an hour behind, in theory that 11am ferry gets you to Tangier at 11am. The port is in the town, near the souk.

You could return on the 6pm ferry, which arrives Tarifa 8pm. Then it's a 40 - 45 minute drive back to the Gib border, cross back on foot, and taxi (or bus plus 20 minute walk) back to the ship. You'd be back at the ship by about 9 to 9.30pm, giving you an hour or more margin for delays.

So you'd have up to 7 hours in Tangier

 

Or if you want to play safer, you could return on the 4pm ferry (arrives Tarifa 6pm), giving you up to 5 hours in Tangier.

 

Ferry details at http://www.frs.es/en/

(if it appears in Spanish, click to English, top right)

 

I have no idea which car service to use, or how much it will cost, I can only suggest you google "taxi, La Linea de la Concepcion", which gives a few leads.

 

You might want to check out Julia coaches (linked to Grayline).

http://juliatravel.com/tours/costa-del-sol/tangier-by-ferry-full-day-tour-from-costa-del-sol-9159_59/

They run excursions to Tangier from resorts along the Costa del Sol. If their excursion uses suitably-timed ferries, you could book with them and meet the tour group at Tarifa (the last coach pick-up point in Estepona is no closer to Gib). Although you'd not be using their coach on the Spanish side, their tour price includes ferry fares, a guided tour thro the Tangier souk (the guides help fend off the persistent vendors) & other sights, lunch, & a coach tour around Tangier. It just might be better value than buying ferry tickets.

 

Or you could rent a car in La Linea, there are several depots near the Gib border, & the route to Tarifa is simple (and scenic once past Algeciras). At a guess around 60 euros plus a few euros for gas.

(or as iancal's suggestion, rent a car & explore Ronda & the white villages)

Whatever you rent a car for, do check the add-ons and the latest time that you can return the car.

 

There are also the fairly frequent ferries from Algeciras to Tangier-Med. Algeciras is only 20 - 25 minutes from the Gib border.

But there's that hour-long transfer from Tangier-Med to Tangier. A bus transfer is included in the ferry fare, but as well as the bus ride there's an awful lot of wasted messing-around time. You'd really need a pre-booked private transfer on the Moroccan side, and I doubt the reliability of such services there. :eek:

 

(Edited to add. Just noticed, the ferry operator offers a similar day excursion to Julia's - it might even be the very same one minus the Spanish side coach transfers. Timings quoted are 11am ferry out, 6pm ferry back. On that link, click on "tours to Morocco")

 

So, brew a pot of coffee & check out those options.;)

 

JB :)

Edited by John Bull
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Its very long day, I've done it, we were staying in one of the White Villages and drove to Algeciras and took the ferry, its about a 2 hour crossing. In Tangier as previously mentioned you really have to hire a guide just to keep the pesky vendors off you. Tangier is ok, in my opinion not really worth it for a day trip. If you want to see Morocco, Fez and Marrakesh are much better. Fly there on a trip of its own. For those in North America, Royal Air Maroc flies out of New York, Washington, and Montreal. For those in Europe, Easyjet, Ryan and others from various cities.

 

For a day trip from Gibraltar off a cruise, I would instead visit the White Villages, Ronda is particularly nice. You can rent a car or there's a train.

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Please forgive me, but really enjoying (and laughing) John Bull's posts on the topic. If one really wants to venture over to Morocco (from Spain) we suggest waiting until they are spending several days on an independent land visit to southern Spain. That being said, we have been to Morocco and we have spent significant time in Spain....and there is no way we would give up a day in Spain to trek over to Tangier. But that is just our opinion...and we suspect that some folks love Tangier,,,although we have never met them.

 

Hank

P.S, In the interests of full disclosure we do consider John Bull a friend :). Now, if we could just teach him to drink Guinness.

Edited by Hlitner
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  • 2 weeks later...

We went to Tangiers whilst on an extended land trip. Took the ferry from Tarifa. About an hour's sail as I recall.

 

While it was fine, it would not be our choice IF we were on a cruise and only had a day. White towns, Rhonda in particular, would be a better choice for us.

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