On my first trip to Andalucia I had also ventured for a day trip to Tangiers. I am not sure if it had occurred to me at the time that Tetouan had been within reach from Algeciras. Or if I had known but was too afraid to venture off the beaten path. For years since I had considered Tetouan as one of my stupid near misses. So when Ian proposed this year’s meetup in Gibraltar, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: Cross into Morocco and tick off Tetouan. 

We quickly agreed to include the site in the itinerary of the 2017 meetup. As a consequence we now have the first meeting to take place in multiple countries (Spain, UK, Morocco) and outside Europe. Philipp and Els did the actual planning and it worked out perfectly fine. Many thanks!

Tetouan itself is a pleasant medina. It’s not very touristy. We only met one larger group roaming the narrow streets of the medina. The medina primarily serves as market for the local populace with very few souvenir shops. As such you will probably get a more authentic Moroccan experience than in places such as Fez or Marrakech or in nearby Tangiers. Personally, I also liked the colonial new town. Tetouan was the seat of the Spanish protectorate government of the province and it has plenty of colonial buildings to show for it.

The trip left me wanting to see more of Morocco and I will probably go next year.

Getting There

Tetouan is the nicer Moroccan day trip from Algeciras than Tangiers. The city is less touristy and in better state of repairs. It’s also a bit more complicated to arrange.

Plenty of ferries run daily from Algeciras port to Ceuta, one of the two Spanish enclaves in Morocco. From the port in Ceuta directly take a cab to the border crossing (charged by meter, 7-8€) and walk across the border. Be prepared to spend an hour waiting at the border, especially if your tour group is made up of globe trotters with exotic visa stamps. You will also be hassled a bit by Moroccan tour guides, but just ignore them.

After the border you will find cabs waiting for you. A cab should cost 15€ (or 150 Dirham) one way. In our case we had prearranged for a minibus costing 50€ for the whole group. It should go without saying, but agree on the price with the cabby in advance and don’t enter a non licensed cab.

On your return be mindful of the time needed to cross the border back into Ceuta. Plan plenty of buffer. If you have time left (as we did) you can spend it exploring the fortifications of Ceuta and having a last beer at the beach in Africa (and in our case also a first as alcoholoic drinks are in short supply in Morocco).

Finally, if you are considering taking your car on a day trip, don’t. The car queue back into Europe at the border is massive. I asked a French car close to the first control and they had been in line for three hours. Luckily, the cabs will just ignore the queue by driving on the left lane and honking. It’s a four lane road, so nothing to worry about.