A few years back, Deidra had a work-related trip to Morocco, and I tagged along for the ride. Of course, we never limit our travel plans to the prescribed work trip, so we added a bit of time in Madrid, Spain before heading to Morocco. Afterwards, we traveled via train through southern Spain and then ferried to Tangier, Morocco. Trust me – ferrying from Spain to Morocco is an experience of a lifetime. I hope you enjoy this tale of one crazy travel day.
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The Train
We were up bright and early having set no fewer than 4 alarms as we had a train to catch. It was time to leave Spain and head to Morocco via train and ferry!
Our train ride from Madrid to Algeciras was pleasant. We found ourselves spending most of the 5-hour ride looking out the window enjoying the varying terrain. The train passed many small villages, vast fields of olives growing the in hot sun, and we were able to see portions of the country that are off the beaten path.
We entertained ourselves by listening to audio books along the way. These are a great option for times when you want to be entertained but don’t want to (or can’t) read. Since this was a trip that required many planes, trains, and buses, they came in handy.
The Walk
Upon arrival in Algeciras (right on schedule) we walked about 10 minutes to the port. Because we knew this day in particular was going to include a lot of transfers and self-hauling our luggage, we did our best to pack as light as possible. My Ultimate Carry-on Combo came in handy. Still, this walk felt like it took forever as I lugged my bags over uneven streets and broken sidewalks.
Finally, we arrived, found the correct window, and transferred our e-ticket to a printed ticket. Ferry tickets only cost about $60, and the train tickets were less than $50. So, this is a really cheap way to travel from Madrid, Spain to Tangier, Morocco.
The Wait
We found the port cafe and sat down for lunch and a long wait. Several hours later, we decided it was time to figure out where we actually board the ferry. This was when we discovered that being in the south of Spain pretty much feels like we were already in Morocco.
There was no signage to let us know what ferry was boarding at any given time. So, everyone in the area would push and elbow their way up to the front and try to enter. Eventually, people were turned away if it wasn’t their turn. But there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to who could and could not enter. The only way to know was to try and fail until you succeeded.
After a few failed attempts to get in, we started talking to other passengers and found a few that spoke English. This was when we discovered that due to high winds, our particular ferry line was having difficulty passing the Straits of Gibraltar. So, many people with tickets on earlier ferries were still waiting to go.
We were at a bit of a loss about what to do – should we assume that our ferry line would eventually get us there, should we buy tickets on another ferry line? Inertia hit us hard, and we decided just to camp in front of the security line and try to pass through every time they called a ferry. After a few more failed attempts, they let us go through the security screening only to find another waiting area. We had the same experience there until finally they allowed us to board a ferry and we were on our way!
The Ferry
Because we had stayed at the front of all lines (holding our own with strategic blocking to stay together and maintain our position), we were one of the first on the ferry and made it through passport control before the ferry started moving. We had heard on a podcast that one couple was stuck in passport control the entire passing. This would entirely defeat the purpose of sailing through the Straits of Gibraltar.
Our diligence paid off, and we were grateful to be outside for the entire passing. Of course, we had to hang on for dear life as move from place to place looking for a place to sit. The winds were crazy wild (note the difference in our hair), and the ferry rocked quite a bit! I was thankful for sturdy shoes and my SeaBands. I never felt too sick, but I was glad to have them or I may not have fared as well.
One of the coolest things about ferrying from Spain to Morocco is that you do get to see the Rock of Gibraltar on the way. This was neat, but if I were to do this again, I think I’ll take a little more time to visit both southern Spain and Gibraltar before heading to Morocco. But you just can’t do everything so a sighting from the ferry was sufficient for this trip.
The Shuttle
The debarkation process was just as crazy as embarkation. We had to crawl into a luggage storage area to retrieve our luggage. Thankfully it was near the front of the area where we had stationed ourselves at and our luggage was distinctive. Then we bused to the main port terminal to see if our guide and driver were there waiting for us. We were quite delayed and had no idea if they would be there. Fortunately, they were, although they weren’t holding up a sign and it took us awhile to find them. They were looking for a Western man and woman instead of two women. Everyone in Morocco thought Deidra’s name was Stephen Deidra. It was about 9 p.m. by this time, and we were exhausted.
Our riad (an old house in the medina converted into a hotel) should have been only about 45 minutes away, and we were ready to be there. Instead, we spent forever in the car stuck in traffic (Moroccan summer tourists in Tangier for a beach holiday).
The Riad
The riad was beautiful, and we had an adorable little room with two problems: 1) no A/C and 2) one bed. We thought briefly about trying to get another room with two beds (we know they had them). But it was late and the man checking us in didn’t speak much English, so we decided that the bed was big enough for both of us.
We opened the windows, popped some sleeping pills, and tried to sleep. The next thing I knew I was awakened by the sunrise morning call to prayer. I guess the bed was fine after all. We quickly dressed so we could enjoy a rooftop breakfast at the riad before beginning our time in Tantalizing Tangier.
It was quite an adventurous day – one that perhaps sounded better in theory than in reality. But those make the best stories later – when you are rested and at home!
Would You Travel from Spain to Morocco via Ferry?
Honestly, while this story sounds awful, I am so very grateful to have had this experience. And no matter what your planned mode of transportation, sometimes things just go awry. So yes, if I had known then what I know now, I would still choose to travel from Spain to Morocco via ferry!
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