Hi all, new to the forum, been looking at the site on and off for few years but just joined, hoping for some advice regarding Morocco.

Planning on a couple of weeks there next April, ferry to Santander, ride down then obviously ferry over.

I just wondered...
- Do you need to book the ferry over to Morocco or can you just turn up and take your chance that there'll be availability on the day? Though I guess this is just potential hassle that can be avoided by planning a little...anyway any thoughts?

- any recommendations for ferry operator, both good and to avoid?

- once over there, is accommodation generally easy enough to come by 'on the fly' (It'll just be me on my own)? Whilst I will have a route in mind when I get there, I would prefer not to be bound by pre-booked rooms if at all possible, maybe aside from the first night.

Any advice gratefully received

many thanks
Sean

Ferries to northern Spain, overland routes through Europe, and ferries to Morocco: France, Spain, Gibraltar, ferries and ports

Check out ferries at http://www.aferry.to and stick in Algeciras - Tanger Med. The website will then return prices and times for all companies not just on that route but also Tarifa - Tanger Ville and Algeciras - Ceuta. I often find Trasmediterranea on Algeciras - Tanger Med to be the cheapest but this can vary if there's special offers. InterShipping is probably the worse operator but the last time I used them it went OK.

There will always be room for one more bike, so I never buy tickets in advance, I always wait till I get to the port, and ask for an open return.

Semana Santa (6-12 April 2020) leading to Easter Sunday is a popular time for Spanish visitors to Morocco, but even then I've never had problems in getting a hotel. I very rarely prebook except Marrakech where I like to stop in Hotel Ali on the edge of Djemaa el Fna.

Azrou is a bit far for the first day in Morocco but it's where I tend to aim for. Lovely market town (Tuesday market) in the Middle Atlas with volcanos, springs, cedar forests and wild monkeys. Cedres Hotel or Hotel Panorama are fine: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel...ar.Forest.html

You've not completed the location on your profile. I've sent you a message with a discount code for Brittany Ferries (I tend to use the economy service), if you are coming from the UK you can use the code, but not from Ireland.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

As Tim says, no need to book a bike - saves a lot of pressure on the ride down.
Good to do outward early in the morning and have your first night's lodgings booked in Morocco. After that you can wing it.

Loads more info on the HU Morocco Forum:
https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/morocco/

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit

Thanks Tim and Chris for the info, really useful, and thanks for the Brittany Ferries code Tim.

That Morocco Knowledgebase looks like a useful resource.

Sean

Good info. I'm doing the same route out of the UK in early March. Thanks for the info, and I'm reading your Morocco book now, Chris. Like your other books, informative.

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__________________
Greg "WANDRR" Turp
2WANDRRs.com

Tim - just to say thanks again for the Brittany Ferries discount code - successfully used for outward and return ferries booked separately yesterday and today.
Sean

Tim, could you also provide me with the discount ferry code? Thanks.

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__________________
Greg "WANDRR" Turp
2WANDRRs.com

Hi Sean:

Tim's advice (post #2 above) is excellent, I agree with all that he has written.

There are numerous ferry operators on the Algeciras - Tanger Med route, and frequent departures (probably 1 departure per hour during the day), so no need to worry about reservations for a motorcycle. The trip only takes about an hour or so, hence no point in comparing service quality between the companies.

There is a small company - sort of a travel agency - located not too far away from the Algeciras port that many HUBB members have used to buy ferry tickets over the years. I bought a ticket from them in February 2019 and the service & pricing were excellent. Here's the details:

It's called the "viajes Normandie" ticket agency, and you can see the location on Google maps at this link: Morocco Ferry Tickets - Carlos. It's a small family business operated by a person called Carlos. Everyone speaks English (with varying degrees of competency). They only accept cash, but there is an ATM across the street you can use to fetch cash if you need to.

The sign outside (above the door) reads: "Agencia de Viajes - Ceuta - Tangier". It's directly next door to a Hostal.

I showed up at their location and asked for a ticket on the next ferry - they advised me which ferry was next, sold me the ticket (with an open return) and answered all my questions.

There are hundreds of places to buy ferry tickets near the Algeciras port, and you can buy tickets at the port itself as well, but this particular agency has a good reputation here on the HUBB for low prices and good service.

The GPS waypoint location for the agency is N36° 10.750' W5° 26.467'. As you approach the exit from the A7 motorway, you will see a big McDonald's sign just off the highway at the correct exit.

Michael

Yo!

Good to know aswell; you'll arrived in Tanger MED which is far away from the actual city of Tanger

So if you decide to arrive a bit late, take it in consideration

No need to book in advance for hotels, especially in April
BUT ! If you book an hotel which is INSIDE a Medina, you won't be able to take your bike inside ( pedestrian only )

enjoy your trip

Hey Michael,

Does the hostel have a place to keep your bike while you are there?

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Greg "WANDRR" Turp
2WANDRRs.com

Do you mean while you are inside the ticket agency buying the ferry ticket?

Just park the bike on the street in front of the ticket agency. There's no reason to be concerned about security in the area, and you can see the motorcycle from inside the ticket agency. You might have to twist your head a bit to peer through all the stickers on the window, though.

Michael

Motorcycle in front of ticket agency

Hey, a friend and me are taking the ferry from Almeria to Melilla in the end of April with two bikes. Is there any need to book in advance from Almeria?

@wandrr: if you want to buy through Carlos you should still check out list prices beforehand.

@hkon89: Mostly they aren't full, but who knows. But the answer is 'yes' if you want a cabin. It's an overnight crossing and you can choose exclusive use of a cabin or for much less money ask for one full of Spanish snorers. If I have camping gear with me the cheap option is to lay out a sleeping mat in a corner of a salon.

Don't leave any soft luggage on the bike, there's a locked cage at the car deck level to secure suitcases and the like during the crossing.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Thanks Tim!

When i click on it,
then go to the linky for.....on the road...

My computer then goes to Amazon,to claim an Argos prize...
I tried again and it said Malware detected, click on this to remove it....

Not a hope,too daft to fall for that...
If I close the page,my lap top says.....
Avast is installed on it to look out for me,for just such a thing...

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