Border Crossing: Travelling from Gibraltar to Tangier
Posted: June 6 2024 | Tagged: Gibraltar, Border Crossings, Morocco
A double border crossing on a single day, involving Gibraltar, Spain and Morocco.
Perhaps another day at the office but there are some points worth noting, recording and sharing. This is the nature of the blog. It's 100% Helpful Content.
Gibraltar to the Spanish Frontier: 20-minute walk
Crossing the border: Just a Spanish entry stamp:
Gibraltar to the Spanish Frontier: 20-minute walk
Crossing the border: Just a Spanish entry stamp:
Spanish Frontier to the bus station at La Linea de la Concepcion: 5-minute walk
Just so you know, the website for the buses is incorrect. The first bus on a Sunday to Algeciras is not until 08:45, not 08:00 as reported.
Coffee from a small tienda: 1 €
Toilets in the bus station: Free
Bus from La Linea de la Concepcion to Algeciras: 40 minutes. 2.50€, pay the driver in cash:
Just so you know, the website for the buses is incorrect. The first bus on a Sunday to Algeciras is not until 08:45, not 08:00 as reported.
Coffee from a small tienda: 1 €
Toilets in the bus station: Free
Bus from La Linea de la Concepcion to Algeciras: 40 minutes. 2.50€, pay the driver in cash:
Algeciras bus station to the ferry: 10-minute walk
No dramas or excitement so far. As I said, it's mostly just another day at the office.
I'd already booked my ticket online but buying a la minute is just as easy.
I'd already booked my ticket online but buying a la minute is just as easy.
Exit stamp from Spain at Algeciras:
And now comes the important snippets of info that you are gonna need.
Once on the boat, get yourself an immigration card.
Once on the boat, get yourself an immigration card.
Fill it in and get your passport processed whilst still on the boat.
Moroccan entry stamp:
Moroccan entry stamp:
Looking at the cloud forming over the Rock of Gibraltar:
A great shot of the Moroccan coast line:
As a foot passenger, you are gonna have to wait until the trucks have disembarked.
You are now in Tangier Med, the new port. When I first came to Morocco in 2008, Tangier Med didn't exist.
Now, the only boat using Tangier Ville is the Tangier - Tarifa Hydrofoil.
Tangier Med is 54km from Tangiers.
Tangier Med is massive. You must take the free shuttle bus to the terminal. About 3 km or so. Do NOT take photos. This sets the scene for Morocco. We are here as tourists. Avoid taking photos of government things.
Here are some I wasn't asked to remove:
You are now in Tangier Med, the new port. When I first came to Morocco in 2008, Tangier Med didn't exist.
Now, the only boat using Tangier Ville is the Tangier - Tarifa Hydrofoil.
Tangier Med is 54km from Tangiers.
Tangier Med is massive. You must take the free shuttle bus to the terminal. About 3 km or so. Do NOT take photos. This sets the scene for Morocco. We are here as tourists. Avoid taking photos of government things.
Here are some I wasn't asked to remove:
Just to stop any possible confusion, Tangier or Tangiers are the English names. Tanger is the French name, Tánger is the Spanish name. Ṭanjah is the Arabic or modern Berber name.
There are no immigration checks since that was done on the boat but the police will wanna check for your passport stamp.
Morocco is very much a cash society. Forget the idea of paying with a card. (I tried to buy a bus ticket at the CTM office by card, but that didn't work. At a restaurant they said no card payments, even if I saw their card machine).
There were 2 banks that changed money that I saw, but both were closed, it being a Sunday.
There is a money changer in the small kiosk, but that was also closed when I was there. Maybe the owner had gone off to pray or take a nap.
Morocco is very much a cash society. Forget the idea of paying with a card. (I tried to buy a bus ticket at the CTM office by card, but that didn't work. At a restaurant they said no card payments, even if I saw their card machine).
There were 2 banks that changed money that I saw, but both were closed, it being a Sunday.
There is a money changer in the small kiosk, but that was also closed when I was there. Maybe the owner had gone off to pray or take a nap.
The Only Free ATM in Morocco:
On the ferry was a Norwegian guy, and his mates were picking him up and they informed me that the Al Barid Bank was the only ATM in Morocco with no transaction fee. No reason not to believe them. I withdrew 1000 MAD and didn't get charged!
There is Wi-Fi in the port terminal but it's a bit erratic.
With my bank, I need to open up the app with the GPS turned on, otherwise, my card is rejected, to log into the new country.
Thankfully I had a brief connection.
My tip would be to try and get some Moroccan Dirhams before arriving!!
Of course, being old school, I travel with Euros and Dollars. Force of habit. Much easier to cash 10€ than to find an ATM that accepts your card.
Had the ATM not worked for me, I would have found a way. Someone would have changed my money had I asked enough people.
It ain't like before. The hassle factor long associated with Morocco is mostly a thing of the past. Now you have to go find them where as before there was a steady stream of men heading your way trying to sell every conceivable thing. And that includes changing money.
In Morocco, there are official money changers everywhere that accept UK Pounds, US Dollars, Euros etc. If you're coming from Spain, the UniCaja dishes out Euros with no transaction fee!
Tangier Med is, as I said, a long way from town, 54 km.
But at least now, buses are running to Tangier. When they moved all the ferries there, there was nothing except 40 € taxis.
There are bus signs, and even a ticket office right outside the terminal building but these are not in use.
You have to turn left and walk about 100m to where all the taxis are. Ignore the drivers pestering and lies.
Buses do exist. Trust me. I took one.
So you pass through the metal fence and go immediately right, up the small incline to the main road. Then head left, down to the roundabout and just wait. There is a regular bus. Google Maps said it was due at 2 pm. Indeed, that was the time it turned up. It is not an official bus stop. The buses seem to stop anywhere along the route. It's marked on the map below:
The fare to Tangier is 8 DH/MAD. About 80 US cents.
The driver didn't complain about me handing him a 200 DH note, the ATM had given me.
The ride to town is 1 hour plus. Was 1 hour 20 for me.
There is Wi-Fi in the port terminal but it's a bit erratic.
With my bank, I need to open up the app with the GPS turned on, otherwise, my card is rejected, to log into the new country.
Thankfully I had a brief connection.
My tip would be to try and get some Moroccan Dirhams before arriving!!
Of course, being old school, I travel with Euros and Dollars. Force of habit. Much easier to cash 10€ than to find an ATM that accepts your card.
Had the ATM not worked for me, I would have found a way. Someone would have changed my money had I asked enough people.
It ain't like before. The hassle factor long associated with Morocco is mostly a thing of the past. Now you have to go find them where as before there was a steady stream of men heading your way trying to sell every conceivable thing. And that includes changing money.
In Morocco, there are official money changers everywhere that accept UK Pounds, US Dollars, Euros etc. If you're coming from Spain, the UniCaja dishes out Euros with no transaction fee!
Tangier Med is, as I said, a long way from town, 54 km.
But at least now, buses are running to Tangier. When they moved all the ferries there, there was nothing except 40 € taxis.
There are bus signs, and even a ticket office right outside the terminal building but these are not in use.
You have to turn left and walk about 100m to where all the taxis are. Ignore the drivers pestering and lies.
Buses do exist. Trust me. I took one.
So you pass through the metal fence and go immediately right, up the small incline to the main road. Then head left, down to the roundabout and just wait. There is a regular bus. Google Maps said it was due at 2 pm. Indeed, that was the time it turned up. It is not an official bus stop. The buses seem to stop anywhere along the route. It's marked on the map below:
The fare to Tangier is 8 DH/MAD. About 80 US cents.
The driver didn't complain about me handing him a 200 DH note, the ATM had given me.
The ride to town is 1 hour plus. Was 1 hour 20 for me.
The last stop is by the roundabout near the Ibis Hotel:
If you are staying in the medina, you are in for a long walk.
Welcome to Tangiers.
Welcome to Tangiers.
