How to Day Trip to Tangier from Tarifa

Last updated on January 12th, 2019 at 10:40 pm

While planning our crazy itinerary for Spain, we decided that we wanted to take a quick day trip to Tangier, Morocco. It sounded like an awesome place and an easy way to get a small taste of Morocco.

However, when we pulled into Tarifa and walked around the quaint Spanish streets with flowers in bloom and Spanish guitar lulling us into delight, we almost cancelled the day trip to Tangier.

I can say that I would have loved spending a day in Tarifa. It would have been relaxing and involved a lot of drinking on a bean bag chair on the beach.

But, I can say that I am happy I have stepped foot into Africa.

How to Get There

It is so easy to get to Tangier from Tarifa, it’s laughable. I had been overly worried about it, as usual, but felt pretty silly once we got there because it was just so easy.

We bought our tickets online the night before from Direct Ferries. It was $145 for the two of us on FRS. We departed at 9:00 am from Tarifa and left Tangier at 4:00 pm. There is a one hour time difference between Tarifa and Tangier, so when you arrive in Taniger, it will still be 9:00 am.

We got there 45 minutes early as instructed and picked up our tickets at the box office of the ferry station. Make sure you bring your passport because this is crossing a boarder even though it doesn’t feel like it.

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After you get your tickets, get in line for security and boarding. There was a little coffee shop at the ferry station, but there is also food on board the FRS ferry.

Place all your belongings on the security scanner when it is your turn and make sure your straps don’t get caught in the conveyor belt.

They will then check your ticket and you are free to board the boat.

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Once on the boat, you will have to get your passport checked at passport control. We didn’t realize this at first. I actually got in the passport line on accident thinking I was in line for the snack bar. Oops!

The ferry ride made me feel a little sick to my stomach, which usually doesn’t happen to me on boats. It only takes about an hour to get to Tangier though so it isn’t too bad.

Getting Off the Ferry

Exiting the ferry is pretty simple if you are going on foot. Most people who take the ferry to Tangier bring their vehicle.

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If your cell phone carrier includes Morocco and you have the ability to pull up Google Maps, I recommend you do it before you get off the ship. As soon as you are off the boat, people will start badgering you and asking if you want a tour.

I read about this many times before I actually visited Tangier, but I still did not picture how persistent the people would be. If you are not interested in a tour, avert your eyes , walk with purpose, and avoid conversation if at all possible. We said “No, thank you” to one guy, but this just compelled him to follow us much farther than I expected.

You likely won’t be left along until you enter the Medina, the old style Arabic neighborhood.

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The Medina

We entered the Medina around 9 am and most of the shops were closed. It was a little eerie to  be lost in the quiet shadows of the Medina. It was quite an experience for our first time in Africa and we honestly didn’t have much of an agenda.

In need of money, we sought out an ATM. We ended up in the Grand Socco and decided to try one of the ATMs in the area. The first one we saw didn’t work. At the second one, a little boy eyed us approaching the ATM and decided to stand very near to us while I pulled out my card. Not feeling comfortable entering the PIN while this child was watching, we abandoned the second ATM.

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There was one more in the area, but it was also malfunctioning, so we entered the bank of Société Générale Tanger Liberté. Thankfully I had brought some American bills that we were able to change for Dirham. Don’t get too much because you only have one day and a little goes a long way.

Mint Tea at Cafe Hafa

Finally it was time to explore! Armed with Dirham and feeling a little like we should have stayed in Tarifa, we headed to Cafe Hafa. This is a classic Tangier stop and you must visit, if only for the views and the spectacular mint tea. This cafe opened in 1921 and has been visited by several musicians, including The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Sometimes you can see Spain from the terrace, but not on the day we visited.

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When you arrive, seat yourself on the terrace and they will serve you mint tea. It was not apparent at first that we seat ourselves, but we figured it out eventually. They also have a restaurant, which seemed to be pretty empty when we went but it was early still. They have snacks at the top of the stairs near the entrance that you can take back to your table on the terrace. The bathrooms are in the restaurant. To get the check, either flag down the waiter as he’s bringing tea or pay at the top of the stairs.

El Morocco Club

We didn’t eat at Cafe Hafa, but decided to find a place that Luke wanted to try. El Morocco Club, located right in the Kasbah, has a restaurant, piano bar, and cafe terrace. The restaurant and piano bar do not open till 7:30 pm, so if you want to experience this, you have to stay a bit later in Tangier or spend the night. Since we couldn’t do that, we settled for the cafe terrace, which had a very nice atmosphere itself and a nice menu. The terrace opens 9 am for breakfast, but lunch starts not too long after that. I got the Kefta, a steak sandwich, and Luke got an omelet. And of course, we ordered more mint tea. Everything we ordered was great! 

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Next time I absolutely have to check out the piano bar, but sipping mint tea and watching a sleepy cat on the terrace was a pretty quintessential Tangier experience.

Blue Streets of the Medina

I can’t tell you how exactly we found these magical blue streets that resemble the famous town of Chefchaouen, but I was very glad we did! This is where I really started to fall in love with Tangier. Gone were the eerie shadows of the morning, the closed shop doors, and the empty walkways. This city was alive. With a stomach full of mint tea, we ventured around the Kasbah and the Medina and discovered the beauty of Tangier. 

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Salon Bleu 

Next stop was Salon Bleu, another cafe. Escape the chaos of the Medina at this charming, multistory restaurant featuring fresh juices, crepes, and tajine, a traditional North African dish. It looked amazing, but since we had eaten not too long ago, we decided to get some juice and a crepe, although the crepe was not similar to any crepe I’ve ever had as it was quite spongy. 

Salon Bleu has some really pretty views of the Straight of Gibraltar and the Medina, the prefect place to sip fresh squeezed 

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Bye for Now

At this point it was time to head back to the ship. We got to the ship 45 minutes before departure, but that didn’t seem necessary because the boarding process was much simpler. The ship departed at 4 pm to arrive in Tangier at 6 pm.   

Some Tips for Taking a Day Trip to Tangier 

Most women traveling to Tangier wore wide leg linen pants and a top that covered their shoulders. Some also got away with wearing long tank dress. I wore skinny jeans and a flowy top that showed my shoulders. I didn’t have any issues with this, but I was traveling with a man so that may make a difference. Jeans didn’t cause me to be overly warm in September.

I wore closed toed shoes and would recommend doing the same because the ground is fairly dirty. 

All the restaurants and cafes we visited had acceptable bathrooms, but I didn’t see any public restrooms.  

Again, don’t get too much Dirham if you don’t think you’ll be able to spend it. If you have some extra, there will be vendors lining up to sell things near the ship for last minute purchases.

We only used cash in Tangier, no card. 

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Quick Facts about Tangier

Currency: Dirham

Exchange Rate: 1 US Dollar = 9.48 Moroccan Dirham

Language:  French and Arabic

Would I go back to Tangier? 

Absolutely! It is one of the more unique, off-the-beaten path places I’ve visited and it is incredibly easy to take a day trip to Tangier from Spain. I can’t wait to go back to El Morocco Club to check out the piano bar and explore more of this port city!

Have you been to Tangier? Is there anything you would add to this list?

Taking a trip to Spain? Plan your itinerary. 

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