Visiting Ceuta: Spanish Autonomous City in Africa

Ceuta is one of two autonomous Spanish cities (the other one being Melilla) that are located across the Strait of Gibraltar in Africa.

I passed through here in 2008. In 2024, I stayed two nights. Proper backpacking!

Where is Ceuta

Ceuta is one of two Spanish autonomous cities located on the continent of Africa, and I am pretty sure you won’t have heard of either of them. The other one is Melilla.

Let me explain.

You’ve heard of French Guiana right?

French Guiana is next to Suriname. It’s France, but it’s a long way from the Champs-Élysées. It’s in South America. You can drink café au lait, read Le Monde and shrug your shoulders whilst smoking your Gauloise cigarettes.

Ceuta and Melilla are the same. They are Spanish territories but not in Spain; hell, they are not even in Europe. They are across the Strait of Gibraltar in Africa, and their nearest neighbour is Morocco.

Where is Ceuta on a map

So here is a map to show you where Ceuta (and Melilla) are located in relation to the rest of Spain:

Map of Ceuta:

But whereas French Guiana is an overseas department of France, it is not autonomous. Ceuta and Melilla are not countries. They are cities. Autonomous cities.

The definition of which is: having the right or power to self-govern.

In researching this blog post, I also came across the Plazas de Soberanía. It just gets whackier and whackier. And then you realise:

“The More You Know The More You Realize You Don’t Know” – Aristotle

Ceuta is one of 32 special territories of members of the European Economic Area.

​And of course, Morocco would like them back and Spain won’t let them go. This is my argument when dealing with Gibraltar. Yes, Spain wants Gibraltar as much as Morocco wants Ceuta and Melilla.

So, my Spanish friends, you cannot have your cake and eat it.

How to get to Ceuta

There is no airport in Ceuta, though there is a heliport. You have two options:

• Cross from Morocco at Findeq
• Take a ferry from Algeciras in Spain operated by DFDS

There are no ferries from Ceuta to Gibraltar.

How to get from Chefchaouen to Ceuta

I passed through Ceuta in the same way, back in 2008 but I didn’t stay the night.

I took a bus from Chefchaouen, crossed the border, took a bus to the centre and took the ferry to Algeciras. This time, in 2024, I stopped for two nights in Ceuta.

If there are two or three of you, or you are on a tight schedule and don’t fancy waiting around for Moroccan buses and shared taxis, renting a car in Morocco can make this leg a lot easier. It is not always the cheapest backpacker option, but sometimes splitting the cost makes sense, especially if you also want to stop in places like Tetouan or take the coastal road towards Fnideq. I would compare prices first on Cars-scanner.com, and as always, check the small print before you book. Proper backpacking, but with a steering wheel.

I also passed through Melilla in 2012. I had arrived by ferry from Almería and did nothing except transit. No notable experiences other than passing through. I just walked to the border and from the first Moroccan town of Beni Ansar, I took a bus to Nador and then on to Oujda.

Bus from Chefchaouen to Fnideq.

A shared taxi from Findeq to the border at Bab Ceuta:

Bus to the centre of town, having crossed the Ceuta border:

What is backpacking?

Backpacking a place means more than just passing through. I needed to do something significant like spend the night, drink a beer, drink a coffee, or go to a museum. and that’s my big argument with those chasing countries. They spend a lot of time, effort and money to get to someplace and then get the hell out. What is the fucking point in that?

In the end, I spent 2 nights at the Pension La Bohemian, drank 2 coffees and visited 2.5 museums but I abstained from drinking a beer. The no-beer challenge is doing well.

Though I can’t say it’s easy. It’s hot as hell, and I am literally gagging.

Well, I say hot. It’s showing just 23 deg C for the afternoons but man this place is like a furnace. The glare is intense. The African UV Index is on Extremo.

For me, in the sun, it feels more like 38.

From arriving in the country at 4 pm Spanish time and leaving on the 1 pm ferry, that’s 45 hours.

So I had part of the afternoon and evening, 1 full day and a few hours in the morning but the afternoon was lost as I was hiding from the sun and of course, at 10 pm I was as tired as hell.

Here are my top sights in the Spanish Autonomous City of Ceuta:

1. Murallas Reales:

Undoubtedly, the top sight in Ceuta is the Royal Walls.

The Romans built the original walls, and the Portuguese rebuilt them between 1541 and 1549.

There is the Museo de Ceuta within the Royal Walls, though it seems to be more of an Art Gallery than a museum about Ceuta:

2. Fortaleza del Hacho:

Fortaleza del Hacho is a military barracks that sits atop Monte Hacho, directly across from the Rock of Gibraltar.

The Fortaleza del Hacho is an imposing site, but of course, it is not a tourist attraction. It is not open to the public, despite Google Maps listing it as being open 24/7. It is home to the Tercio “Duque de Alba” No. 2 of the Spanish Legion. I sent a request to edit the details.

You can walk around it on a small track. And admire the views and they sure are stunning:

3. Museo del Revellín:

This is a small art and archaeology museum in an old military barracks.

Entrance is free. Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm, then 5 pm to 8 pm. Sundays are from 11 am to 2 pm. Mondays are closed.

Check out the official webpage from Ceuta for more details on the Museo del Revellín.

4. Military Museum of the Legion:

The Spanish Legion was formed in Ceuta in 1920 and modelled on the French Foreign Legion.

The Tercio “Duque de Alba” No. 2 of the Legion is one of 4 infantry units of the Spanish Legion and is based out of the Fortaleza del Hacho. That’s why I saw so many fit-looking guys running around in Ceuta.

The opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 1.30 pm. Sundays are closed.

Bitterly disappointed that no one came to open up the day I was there. (It turned out that it was a local holiday in Ceuta. Bad luck on my part, I had based my departure on having time to do the museum before checking out and hot-footing it over to the port for the ferry back to Spain proper.

There is a Monumento a la Legión across the street with their motto: ¡Legionarios a luchar! ¡Legionarios a morir!:

5. Monuments of Ceuta:

Estatua de Hercules:

This is one of two bronze Hercules statues, by Ceuta artist Ginés Serrán Pagán, which are seven metres high and weigh four tons each. They are currently the largest bronze sculptures of classical mythology in the world.

The two columns of Hercules: Abyla and Calpe, depicting Hercules separating the continents of Africa and Europe with his hands. Abyla and Calpe are the mythological names of Ceuta and Gibraltar respectively.

Escultura de Enrique el Navegante:

Known as Henry the Navigator, Enrique el Navegante was a Portuguese infantryman and the first Duke of Viseo. He was the son of John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster (granddaughter of Edward III of England). In 1414, he convinced his father to try and take the Moorish port of Ceuta which he did in 1415.

Monumento de Ceuta a su Patrona, la Virgen de África:

Estatua de Al Idrisi:

Al-Idrisi, was a Muslim geographer and cartographer born in Ceuta, in 1100.

Homenaje al Regimiento de Artillería 30:

Glorieta Teniente Reinoso:

There are 50 provinces in Spain, here are all the flags, plus the 2 flags from the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla:

Solidaridad:

Bronze sculpture Solidarity, by Elena Laverón, who was born in Ceuta in 1938.

Where to stay in Ceuta:

I stayed two nights at the Pensión la Bohemia, which was the cheapest option when I was there.