How to get from Spain to Morocco: ferries, flights and day trips

There are two ways to travel from Spain to Morocco: the ferry, mainly across the Strait of Gibraltar (Tarifa–Tangier City, about an hour, and Algeciras–Tanger Med, about an hour and a half), or a direct flight from the main Spanish cities to Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Casablanca or Agadir. The ferry suits you if you are in Andalusia, heading for the north or bringing your own vehicle. Fly if your trip starts in Marrakech or the south.

At the narrowest point Spain and Morocco are about 14 km apart, and on clear days you can see the Rif Mountains from Tarifa. Even so, the best way to cross depends a lot on the city you are leaving from. We have broken it down by starting point, based on what we see every week picking up travellers at Tangier port and at the airports. Ferry companies, routes and timetables change with the season and from year to year: always check the official websites of the ferry companies, ports and airlines before you travel.

Documents you need to cross

Before choosing between boat and plane, the basics. Spanish citizens need a valid passport; the DNI (Spanish ID card) is not accepted for entry into Morocco, and it is the problem we see most often at the ticket desks in Tarifa. If you live in Spain but hold another nationality, check whether your passport needs a visa. If you are bringing a vehicle, you need the car's documents and insurance that covers Morocco.

We go into detail in requirements for travelling to Morocco. Entry rules can change, so always check official sources before you travel.

Leaving from Cádiz or the Campo de Gibraltar

This is the area with the most options and the easiest crossings. There are three routes, and each one is useful for something different.

Tarifa – Tangier City

This is the one we recommend if you are travelling on foot. The crossing takes about an hour and the boat docks at Tangier City port, a few minutes' walk from the medina. According to the information we checked for 2026, the route is run by Baleària and Africa Morocco Link, although operators change fairly often and sailings vary by day and season.

The weak point is the wind. The levante and poniente winds in the Strait are strong, and in stormy weather sailings are cancelled, sometimes for hours. If you have a flight the next day or a tour that starts early, leave some slack. We ask travellers arriving via Tarifa to message us as soon as they board, so the driver can adjust the pick-up.

Algeciras – Tanger Med

This crossing has the most daily sailings, and almost everyone travelling with a car, campervan or motorbike uses it. It takes around an hour and a half. Tanger Med port is not in the city but about 40–50 km away, so you need transport to get to the centre or carry on with your route.

The advantage is the connection: from Tanger Med you go straight onto the motorway towards Tetouan, Chefchaouen, Rabat or Fez. If your trip starts in the north and you are not stopping in Tangier, this is the practical choice even without a vehicle, as long as someone is waiting for you at the port.

Algeciras – Ceuta

An alternative that takes you into Morocco by land through the Ceuta border, then down to Tetouan or Chefchaouen. The crossing is short, but the border can involve long waits, especially during holidays and at weekends. For a first trip to Morocco it is not the option we usually suggest, because it adds one more formality and a stretch of uncertainty.

Leaving from Málaga, Granada or Almería

From the eastern coast of Andalusia the crossings are longer, several hours, and they arrive at ports a long way from the usual routes.

From Málaga and Almería there are boats to Melilla, so you enter Morocco through the Nador border. Almería also has a direct connection to Nador. From Motril, on the Granada coast, there are ferries to Tanger Med and, in summer, to Al Hoceima, depending on the season. All of these routes have fewer sailings than the Strait and change from year to year.

Nador and Al Hoceima are in the north-east, far from Marrakech and the desert. They make sense if you know the area or have family there. If you are aiming for Fez, Chefchaouen or the south, from Málaga and Granada it usually works out better to drive down to Algeciras or Tarifa, or to fly from Málaga airport.

Leaving from Barcelona or northern Spain

There are ferries from Barcelona to Tanger Med and Nador, but the crossing takes more than a full day at sea. We only recommend them if you are travelling with your vehicle and want to save the kilometres through Spain. For everyone else, flying is far more sensible: from Barcelona, Bilbao or Valencia there are direct flights to Morocco at different times of the year, mostly to Marrakech.

Leaving from Madrid or central Spain

Most people fly. Madrid has direct connections to several Moroccan cities, and the flight takes about two hours. If you would rather cross the Strait, there are trains from Madrid towards Algeciras and buses to Tarifa, but the overland journey takes almost a whole day. It makes sense if you are combining the trip with a few days in Andalusia before crossing.

Travelling from Latin America

There are not always direct flights between your country and Morocco, so many Latin American travellers connect in Madrid or another European city and then take a short flight or head south to catch the ferry. Another option is to fly into Casablanca, which has connections with several cities in the Americas.

If you want to see Spain and Morocco on the same trip, here is a route we often organise: Madrid, a few days in Andalusia, ferry to Tangier, northern Morocco, Fez, the desert, Marrakech and a flight home from there. You travel north to south without repeating any road.

Ferry or plane, depending on your trip

The ferry wins if you are in Andalusia, if you want to see the north (Tangier, Tetouan, Chefchaouen), if you are bringing your vehicle or if you only want to spend a day in Tangier. The plane wins if you live far from the Strait, if you are going straight to Marrakech, the desert or the south, or if you are short on days.

Often the best answer is to combine the two. Coming in by ferry through Tangier and flying out of Marrakech lets you cross the country from north to south in one direction. That is what we do on the 12-day Grand Tour from Tangier, and in a shorter version on the 8-day trip to Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fez and the desert.

On flights: low-cost and traditional airlines link Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Seville, Valencia, Bilbao, Alicante and other cities with Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Casablanca, Agadir, Rabat or Nador, with more or fewer flights depending on the season. If your route is linear, look for a flight into one city and back from another.

What happens at the port, step by step

The first time can feel a bit daunting, but the process is always much the same. This is what we tell travellers crossing the Strait:

1. Buy your ticket in advance if you are travelling in summer, on bank holiday weekends or at Easter, and keep the confirmation on your phone.
2. Arrive at the port as early as your ferry company says, which is usually earlier if you have a vehicle. At the desk you swap your booking for a boarding pass.
3. You go through Spanish passport control and, with a vehicle, customs. Then you wait in the lounge or in the boarding queue.
4. On board, the Strait routes usually have a Moroccan police desk where your passport is stamped during the crossing. Look for it as soon as you get on, because a queue builds up. If there isn't one on your boat, you get the stamp on arrival.
5. When you get off with a stamped passport, you are out in a few minutes. With a vehicle you have to go through Moroccan customs, which records the car's temporary import; that car has to leave the country with you.
6. At Tangier City you are a step away from the medina. At Tanger Med you need a taxi or someone to pick you up, because you are far from everything.

On the way back it is the other way round: Moroccan exit control at the port and Spanish control on arrival. If you get seasick, choose the shortest crossing and sit in the middle of the boat, where it moves least.

Crossing with your own vehicle

Touring Morocco in your own car is perfectly possible and plenty of people do it every year. You need insurance valid in Morocco (a green card that covers the country or border insurance bought at the port), the vehicle documents and, if you are not the registered owner, an authorisation.

Motorways and main roads are in good condition. The problems start in the mountains and in the south, with winding stretches, poor signposting and frequent police checks where you need to stick to the speed limits. In cities, leave the car in a guarded car park; you cannot drive into the medinas.

From roughly 15 June to 15 September, Operation Crossing the Strait (Operación Paso del Estrecho) runs, with heavy traffic from Moroccan families who live in Europe. If you are crossing by car in those weeks, avoid the weekends at the end of June and the first half of August, when the waits are longest. The exact dates are published every year: always check official sources before you travel.

If you would rather not drive, our private driver in Morocco service can meet you at the port or airport, and our private tours include a vehicle with a Spanish-speaking driver for the whole trip.

Tangier in a day from Tarifa

Many people holidaying on the Costa del Sol or in Cádiz ask us whether you can see Morocco in a day. You can see part of it: Tangier.

The classic trip starts with the morning crossing from Tarifa. In Tangier you walk through the medina and the Petit Socco, go up to the kasbah to look down over the Strait, and drive out to Cape Spartel, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, and the Caves of Hercules. You have a Moroccan lunch and come back on the afternoon ferry.

It is a full day and the boat timetable sets the pace. In strong wind the return can be delayed, so don't plan it for the day before a flight. There is more about the city in our Tangier guide, and other short trips in day trips.

Beyond a day trip

With two or three days the trip changes completely. On a long weekend you can see Tangier, Tetouan and Chefchaouen, which is about 2 hours from Tangier by road. With one more day you reach Fez; our 2-day trip from Fez to Chefchaouen can finish in Tangier if you are heading back to Spain afterwards.

With a week you can get to the desert. If you would rather start in Marrakech and fly, look at the Morocco in 7 days itinerary or our 3-day trip to Merzouga from Marrakech.

Mistakes we see on the Strait

Turning up at the port with only a DNI. It happens every summer, and there is no fix on the spot: without a passport you cannot board for Morocco.

Booking a flight home from Málaga or Seville on the same day you cross back from Tangier. When the levante blows, the boat is delayed or doesn't sail, and you miss the flight. Leave a night's margin in Spain.

Choosing Tanger Med on foot without arranged transport. The port is a long way from the city and, if you arrive late, your options shrink.

Crossing by car in the first week of August without allowing for the summer operation queues.

Not looking for the police desk on board. If you leave it to the end, you can end up in a long queue while the other passengers have already got off.

We'll meet you on the other side of the Strait

However you arrive, by ferry or by plane, we can pick you up at Tangier port or any airport in Morocco and travel with you with Spanish-speaking guides and drivers. Our office is in Casablanca and we run trips from Tangier, Fez, Marrakech, Casablanca, Agadir and Merzouga. Tell us your plan and we'll help you fit the crossing into the route, or keep reading in the Morocco travel guide.