Would you hop on a ferry to go to another continent for just a few hours? That’s just what my family did a few months ago. On a clear day, you can see Morocco while standing at the tip of Spain. The city of Tangier is only 30 kilometers away and an hour’s ferry ride from the kitesurfing town of Tarifa, Spain.
A trip to Morocco had been on my list for years. So when I knew we would be in southern Spain as part of our 10-day camper trip, I jumped at the chance to plan a day trip to the bustling city of Tangier.
The trip begins …
We walked to the port in the early morning darkness with sleepy kids and as soon as we boarded the ferry, we queued for Moroccan immigration.
We almost didn’t take this day trip because one person in our family had an almost-expired passport and went against travel recommendations for entering the country. I’m usually a strict rule follower, but we decided to gamble and still buy the ferry tickets. In the end, I shouldn’t have worried. The Moroccan authorities didn’t bat an eye when checking our passports and stamping them.
However, the immigration officials did seem to subtly take issue with the reversal of our gender roles. While I filled out our family’s immigration forms, my partner held the line with our children.
When I brought up the passports and forms, the official turned to address my partner and said, “You can stay with the passport. She can go take care of the children.” No joke.
The comment didn’t register with me because, by that point, our children were running a bit wild, but my partner pointed it out later as an interesting travel anecdote.
So began our day’s adventure in Africa.
We’re not in Europe anymore
As soon as you step into the port of Tangier, you immediately feel that you aren’t in Europe anymore. We were approached by many nice, but persistent people. Do we want a tour? Do we know what we want to see? Can someone show us to the city center?
The lack of this type of hustling is something that I take for granted in my daily life in Europe and it immediately adds a bit of stress to a trip. Although I’ve spent plenty of time in Africa and Asia, I am always wary. I’m never sure of their intentions. Are they just being nice or do they expect money at some point in the interaction?
It took some effort, but we eventually ditched our wannabe guides and walked along the coastline, hiking up the steep hill to Café Hafa, a cafe established in 1921, where tea is 1.20 euros (12 Moroccan Dirham) and black coffee is 1.50 euros (15 DH). We watched the Strait of Gibraltar from the terraced clifftop with mismatched chairs and tiled tables while sipping mint teas.
Then we headed past the Phoenician Tombs, empty ancient tombs carved into the rock looking out onto the sea. These are a physical reminder of Tangier’s days as a Phoenician colony.
We left the northern coastline behind and headed into the maze of the medina, the old city center. Now, when I say maze, I really mean maze. You get turned around in the tiny alleys and dead-end streets. We enjoyed the process of navigating the narrow streets, finding cute spots and ogling at the unique doorways and colorful tilework.
We had to fend off the advances of an enterprising young man who wanted to show us around “his neighborhood” and who continually told us to “be happy” when we said we preferred to explore alone. Thank goodness for my downloaded offline map of the area or we would have been going in circles.
We emerged from the narrow maze of the medina and poked into several shops lining the streets. We picked up a pair of pointy Moroccan shoes and a matching dress that one of my children “couldn’t live without.”
We entered the covered market, piled with spices, marinated olives and vegetables that led into another section with carcasses of meat and fresh fish.
Everywhere we went, we were met with people who gave our kids a kind smile or a pat on their heads. Some made silly faces and one fish seller teased the children with a fish’s mouth, opening and shutting it.
I cannot overly emphasize how friendly everyone was to our children and went out of their way to interact with them. This is something that isn’t common in our day-to-day lives as expats in Europe.
While meandering around the surprisingly small old center of Tangier, we stopped twice at the local playground where my children played alongside local children.
We stopped for lunch at a street vendor selling sandwiches with local cheese and freshly baked chickpea bread. We sat down at a terrace for a late afternoon snack, tea and people-watching before heading back to the port for our return journey.
Cost
While the ferry is not cheap, the 71 euro roundtrip for an adult will transport you across the Straight of Gibraltar to another continent. So how critical can I be, right? But once you step into Tangier, you can get by pretty cheaply. The food and drink prices are downright low, although I’m sure there are more expensive places to lunch.
So was it worth it?
Although my travel preference is not to rush and a day trip is too short to experience a city (let alone a country!), it allowed us to dip our toe in and give our kids a taste of Morocco. As an architecture admirer, the tilework and doorways were enough to make my visit worth it. Plus, to see the experience through my children’s eyes was fascinating. Although as adults, we take for granted much of our surroundings, for a kid, it is a rush of sensations and exposure to a new and different culture – from the meat in the market to the written Arabic language on signs.
There is so much more you can do in Tangier and the surrounding area — like a trip to the Caves of Hercules or a visit to the Kasbah Museum — and for sure, many other places in Morocco top my travel to-do list.
A day trip was enjoyable and recommended if that’s all the time you have, but I cannot truly say that I’ve visited Morocco. It’s only the start.
Tips for your next (day) trip to Tangier:
- Don’t get large amounts of Dirhams (if any) out of the ATMs. Euros and dollars are widely accepted. You’ll get change back in dirhams that you can use in other places.
- Avoid strollers, unless it is a Mountain Buggy or the like with huge wheels. The cobblestones of the city center make it impossible for small wheels. Opt for carriers instead.
- Check your passport validity. The U.S. Department of State advises at least six months of validity on your passport when entering. No one cared about our expiring passport, but do so at your own risk and don’t say I didn’t warn you!
- Beware of expensive roaming charges. Use an e-sim option or download the necessary information beforehand and then turn your phone on airplane mode before leaving Spain. For some plans, you can be charged €9 PER MEGABYTE. Wow!
- Download offline maps on your phone. This is necessary as you navigate the old city center on your own. It’s a maze.
- If you want to go to the Kasbah Museum, full of antiques and artifacts, don’t go on a Monday or Tuesday. It was closed when we were there, but just as well since our toddler would have probably bumped into every breakable artifact.
Lane Henry is an accidental long-term expat. She is an American who came to the Netherlands for two years—or so she thought. She has now lived in the Netherlands and explored Europe for over a decade.
