Spain to Morocco
 

We will be crossing from Spain to Tangier by ferry on Dec 30.
Can anyone help me to decide which route would be easier?

I've read Algeciras to Tangier-Med is good, but that will leave us quite a ways from Tangier proper.
Tarifa to Tangier looks good, but we might be dropping off a rental car and options don't look good in Tarifa.
Additionally, we will be driving from either Granada or Ronda...unless we take a train from Granada to Algeciras, eliminating the car drop off problem.

If you've had any experience crossing at either of these points, please let me benefit from your sage advice. Thank you!

The Tarifa ferry runs a shuttle from Algeciras to the ferry. Problem solved !

It's a lot nicer sailing into Tangier harbour. Tanger Med is 50km from Tangier, another €30 in taxi costs.

You can walk from the FRS ferry to the famous Continental Hotel on the edge of the medina!

Be aware that occasionally there are very rough seas, causing a significant delay in docking at Tangiers. We ran into this and missed a car/driver connection because of it...luckily we chose one of the touts at the harbor who was a pleasant guy, drove a Mercedes and took us to Fes for less than $80. So we didn't have to rent a car until leaving Fes. He stopped us for lunch at his family's restaurant and insisted he take no money from us. For the next month of driving independently through a good piece of Maroc we never met a tout as good as that.

I'll post a few pics of the rough seas.

Note:We had stayed a few days in Gibraltar and turned in our rental car right at the ferry terminal garage in Algeciras.

ArindaSue:http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...77593402289570 Just click on arrows to see more of parts of Maroc.I have two more sets taking in the desert, Marrakech, Essaouira, etc. Just say the word and I'll post. Bit this will give you an idea of the heavy seas.

Thank you, all. I will definitely plan to leave from Tarifa, so It looks like I'll have to work on the car rental drop off in Algeciras, followed by the shuttle to Tarifa.

tower, thank you for your pictures. We will only be able to spend two nights in Morocco, so I imagine we'll just explore Tangiers. Now...any recommendations for hotels, restaurants and guides?

Since our dates, Dec 30-Jan1, will be a busy time, I would like to reserve the hotel soon.

I was able to make a reservation at the Grand Ville de France, and although it has great reviews, would really prefer something with a more Moroccan feel for Tangiers. Any suggestions for smaller riad-type accommodations?
Please help me also with your favorite location for a hotel.
(I will also post this on the Africa forum)

Thanks again!

Most often called Tangier, without the s.