Ferry Update from this morning.

Arrived at Carlos at 11:10, by 12:20 I’m on the ferry, passport control is done and we are waiting to depart.

It’s never been smoother.

Tickets with FRS €200 open return

Update from this morning at Melilla, we landed at 5.30 local time and didn’t get out of the port until 9am.

Pretty slow on both sides with just 1 office open on the Spanish side and staff milling about not doing a lot

We did get a cabin upgrade for free as we had our original crossing changed to an overnight

Clearing customs at Tanger Med was straight forward, less than 30min from disembarking.

Nobody checked any of the covid requirements although they did give out the passenger locator form.

1 couple on bikes were refused entry as the computer said one of them still had a bike in Morocco and they didn’t have a copy of the D16 form to show it had been taken out. We didn’t wait to find out what happened.

Vehicle import for us was done at the 1st passport control booth by the chap checking our passports.

It was a little unnerving as he was dressed in a t shirt and jeans taking everyone’s passport from them, but we were all queued up with no where to go, so we figured he was getting ahead of the rush.

Asked us the usual questions, where are you staying? ( Fes ) address? ( Fes hotel ) occupation? We gave ours and the ticket was ready by the time we went up the queue and got to the booth.

Documents checked were passports and V5. No covid passes asked for.

A quick check of the Landy and we were away to the next point where he checked the import vehicle card, then another final passport check and we were into Nador.

The border guards seem more interested in the Spanish cars than anyone else

A video trip from Malaga to Tangier Med
 

For anyone wanting to know about travelling from Algerciras to Tangier Med Noraly Schoenmaker, a 32-year-old Dutch traveller and adventurer, known as “Itchy Boots” has just done a great video riding from Malaga to Tangier Med. I did the same route last October and would of found it very useful actually seeing the ports customs etc and where to buy insurance and sim cards. https://youtu.be/pMvfS5mbsiI (hope it's okay to post the link ?)

Spain to Morocco ferry
 

What's the easiest crossing? I haven't booked a place to stay for tomorrow, so recommend a time? And enough time to head south out of town

My preference is Algeciras Tanger Med and either Chefchaouen or Tangier for the first night depending on the time I cross

I prefer crossing from Algeciras to Tanger Med, and, depending on the time of arrival I stay (4x4 camper) overnight at the port parking, or continue to Assilah to have lunch or dinner at a friend's restaurant, Casa García, the best seafood !.

As the Warden and Afrikiya both imply, Algeciras to Tan Med is a good, straightforward crossing and the arrival is hassle free. Tickets for open return crossings are available from the booths in the port (and they finally seem to have sorted out the signs to guide you in!!) I would recommend a late morning/lunchtime crossing rather than early. Customs queues at Tan Med are shorter, and you can still make Assilah by dark if you are lucky, where there are 2 (basic) campsites at the north end of town, and several hotels.

Tickets
 

Hi Guys, an old thread I know, is Carlos still the 'go-to' guy for tickets, if so where do I locate him? ..... Many thanks.

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In November I checked the ferry prices online (aferry.to gives comparisons of companies and routes) and then contacted Carlos for a price. His was only €20 cheaper and we would have been rushed so I just booked online.

So check prices first.

I crossed Algeciras to Tan Med in late Dec. Euro 211 open return two people and a car from Viejes Normandie with free bottle of wine and a cake thrown in as usual.Doane on boat but still queued a few mins at landside customs.
Coming home the other day just a quick queue at the customs radar and away.:scooter:

Much better price than I was quoted. Cake and a quaff as well?

Carlos is still beating most other places.

Soul Travel Expeditions have started doing ferry tickets and come up with some good prices, you can find them on facebook. I know Paulo the owner but havent got a ticket from him yet.

UK to Spain Ferries Winter 2024/25 ?
 

It's been a while since I was last in Maroc and at least ten years since taking a ferry across Biscay to northern Spain which from memory was in either March or April.

I'd like to take the boat from Portsmouth or Plymouth to either Bilbao or Santander in December '24 but unsure if they run in the winter. The timetables only show sailings up to October/November.

Do they run throughout the winter or stop in the Autumn?

The other option is to ride through France and take the boat from either Sete or Barcelona to Tangier Med but I'm trying to avoid a cold ride through France in December on a small bike.
I've had quite a few bad experiences with the port at Sete being blocked (striking) so no sailings resulting in a long drive/ride to Algeciras which is a pain.
Planning two or three months in southern Morocco returning Feb/March'25.

Funny i was thinking the same a you (3 months) only problem it might be a bit cool in the atlas mountains ! Done morocco a " few " times ... kethkeepcalm

I am pretty sure that they run all year round - they would have a lot of money tied up in a vassal that wasn’t earning money otherwise. Ferry companies don’t tend to have timetables a year in advance - have a look to see if the ferry timetable for, say, UK - France is online for December to see if that is there.

Brittany ferries don’t publish the timetable for November through to November 2025 until June/July

Just a little tale > got on ferry at sandander 8 hours late ! It was about midnight , went to cabin and fell asleep.
Next morning i thought thats a nice smooth crossing to uk ..... ha ha
still in the port , it was FORCE 10 GALE ! In the bay of biscay and took 36 hours to get back to uk .... but i was cheap !!!

Brittany runs ferries to northern Spain all year round, though slightly reduced service in the winter months as the ferries are taken out of service, one by one, for maintenance work.

My favourite crossing heading south is the two nights on board. I can't remember the exact timings, but you would have all day to ride to Portsmouth, board the ship about 9pm, it leaves an hour or so later. You have one night on board during which the ferry travels slowly, calls in at Roscoff the next morning for a crew change, then carries on with a second night on board and you arrive at Santander at 8am (7am UK time). You are now totally refreshed and have all day to make progress heading south through Spain. The price for this crossing is the same as one-night versions.

One word, however. After Switzerland (OK, and Andorra), Spain is the most mountainous country in Europe and crossing in mid winter can be very cold. On one trip a group of seven of us set out from the UK on Boxing Day. We were heading for Lisbon to follow the Dakar rally into Morocco, six of us had electrically-heated vests and were fine, the seventh suffered big time and had his wife buy and ship a vest to a hotel in Algeciras for the return trip.

A Gerbing heated vest is worth three layers of clothing and you can dial in the amount of heat as you wish. You will need this at altitude in Morocco as well. I also ride with handlebar muffs in winter.

Yes it gets cold in sunny spain !
I always find the worst part when going to maroc is just past Salamanca when you climb and pass Beja ( ski resort on left ) and after the that it tends to warm up !:rain::rain:

Thanks for your replies everyone, great they sail throughout the winter.

I'm expecting a very cold ride through Spain so currently looking for a set of handlebar muffs that will fit over Barkbusters to compliment my Oxford heated grips and Keiss heated vest; thanks for reminding me Tim.

A good shout about the two night boat being the better option, I'm sure I took that crossing last time in 2007. The boat got into Bilboa early and I was on the road by 8am, in Algeciras by 6pm, then in Tangier Med lunchtime the next day. But that was in April and the weather was on my side.

There only one Uk to Spain ferry that’s 1 night on board and that’s the Pont Aven Plymouth to Santander route that doesn’t operate over winter.

All the new ferries (Salamanca, Santona and Galicia) are 2 nights on board for the Portsmouth to Spain routes. Non of the times I’ve used these has it stopped part way.

I came back on the Salamanca last week - only one night.
Looks the same southbound from the current BF timetable.
I've also never noticed stopping in France on on this route in all my years, but I suppose it's possible.
From what I recall of the Pont Aven, I prefer it over the Salamanca.

The portsmouth to bilbao night ferry has been stopping in Roscoff for a crew change for ages hence the 36 hrs travelling time . Most people are still asleep then anyways :innocent:

We didn’t stop in Roscoff at the beginning of March or any of the other crossings I’ve done on the new ships over the last 3 years although I do usually use the Portsmouth Santander route.

2 nights on the way out, 1 night on the return though.

So maybe it's only Bilbao route that gets the Roscoff.
I think I have only gone via Bilbao once, and that was northbound.

May 2024 Algeciras Tangier Med ferry
 

Just a note to say that we got tickets from Normandie / Carlos / Gutierrez, who were open on May Day public holiday no less.
Price was 180 Euros one-way open ticket or 280 open return. Price online was 227 one way so we made a saving and got a bottle of wine too.

NB around the corner from Viajes Normandie is a car camping car park where you can stay the night for free. It is a bit noisy overnight from the nearby roads but felt safe enough.

Top tip - Carrefour at this site doesn't open until 9am but if you need facilities the ObraMat store opens earlier and has toilets and a little cafe inside.
It also has pretty much any hardware or tool that you may require, including lifting gear/slings suitable for non-kinetic recovery applications (check suitable ratings and make sure you know what you are doing blah blah blah...).

Crossing to Tangier Med was uneventful if slightly behind schedule.

You will need to fill out the immigration card and take to the booth on the boat during the crossing to get your passport stamped.

At Tangier Med after passport control, we almost got sent into the queue for the x-ray scanner with a shedload of white goods vans (driving a big white boxy vehicle), but the chap in the uniform had a bit of a conflab with his superior and we eventually got sent into the customs/Duoane queue with the other tourists.

Immediately after the booths we were pulled over with everyone else, whilst they had a look in the vehicle, ran sniffer dogs over it, asked if we had drones or weapons, and took drivers passport and vehicle V5 away for a little while.
They then returned with the temporary import document (tiny white slip of paper) without me needing to fill in a single form.

After that we were free to leave, and on the way out there is a parking place with a row of money exchange places, and at the end of the row, the insurance/assurances counter where we bought vehicle insurance for our stay in the country.

Everyone was helpful and friendly - even the customs guys once we had passed the 'attitude test'.

Was nice to hear 'you are welcome in Morocco'.

Now hoping that as we head south perhaps there will be less rubbish everywhere. I don't remember it being so bad but here up north its starting to look like India on a bad day...

Business as normal then.

What vehicle are you in? I paid €180 open return at the beginning of March and my last customer paid €150 a on the 15th April. Both 1 person with a 4x4

Taking a chance on Tarifa to Tan Med?
 

I've done Al to Tan Med about 10 years ago and it was very functional on both in and out legs.

However, aiming to go back next time on a bike and was thinking of Tarifa to Tangier for a change.

I know this used to be a den of rip off merchants but perhaps it is not so bad these days?

The pluses are that it suites my route better, I'm aiming to arrive at 09:00 and get as far south on toll roads on old tyres, change to more capable tyres once in range of the piestes. Tan knocks off a almost an hour.

On going back I'm going to have a day in Tangier at a hotel for a bit of a look around, so going back on the very early ferry makes sense as it is a few mins from the hotel.

However, negatives are:

Being held up in Tangier due to traffic.

More difficult, less streamlined immigration and customs situation.

Not so easy to get insurance, perhaps there are not booths making a trip into town for insurance a bit of a ball ache?

Hassle. I guess this is probably less of a problem for people in vehicles these days especially early on, as I'm sure that day tripper foot traffic are going to be like lambs to the slaughter! I'm fairly good with hassle so not to bothered about test riding a carpet that will fly me to Zagora!!!

I think the whole forum might be informed if anyone has done the Tarifa to Tan crossing just to see what it is like.

Please share if you can?

Thanks

Dave

Perhaps to nobody’s interest, but I took the ferry from Motril in Spain to Melilla a couple of days ago. Price and timetable worked very well for me. The ferry seems to leave daily at 23h. Arriving in Melilla at 06.30h.
It prevented me another night “on the road” in europe. Both ports are quiet & easy. Drove to the port, bought tickets at 19h and was boarded by 22h.

Me, the Hilux and the included chair where about €130 one way.

Cheers.

Thanks for update.
Were you able to buy Mk insurance at the frontier, or did you have a green card insurance already?

Thats a new crossings that I've neverhead of before. Shame it is on the wrong side of the country for me, but interesting to know about. Thanks

Balearia opened this route in 2016.
In January 2025, Armas will also operate on this route.

My green card covers Morocco, so I didn’t need any.
Just across the border there is a lit of activity. SIM’s etc. I didn’t look but perhaps coverage is available there.

Cheers.

Be aware that after the last week of bad weather there are big delays and disruption on the ferries.

Today’s 14:30 sailing cleared Moroccan Customs at 20:45 with an hour Iftar break in the Straits.

Both Algeciras and Tanger Med ports are full to capacity with trucks. It’s going to take time to clear the backlog

In light of this, people could consider travelling Sete/ Barcelona/ Almeria/ Málaga to Melilla/ Nador and vice versa.

The sea was calm in Nador last Friday when I took a ferry to Barcelona. The ship left/ arrived pretty much on time. 175 Euros 1 man/bike, including shared cabin. In the 25 hours crossing I saved riding over 1000km through Spain. My Algeciras to Tanger Med boat in January cost 60 Euros

No disruptions at Nador. Even when Tanger Med & Tanger Ville were closed because of the weather, Nador & Melilla were open.

The TMT starts at Nador.

All right now.
 

Caught the 0800 TransMed ferry Alg-TanMed yesterday. Left 08:30 with fewer than a dozen cars on board. Arrived 30 mins late after bobbing around outside the harbour wall.
Drove straight into X-Ray, no queues. Onto customs - all done in eight minutes. No queues at bank/insurance office.
Would have been straight on the road but customs admitted they’d cocked up the exit process from the last trip for one of our clients. An hour delay to sort out. Bugger.

Good drive cross country to Meknes but then filthy drive though dense fog to Azrou. Weather clear this morning so we had a lonngg drive through the Cedar Forest. Snow at 2000m. Now in Midelt - very sunny but only 8C.