Morocco Travel Info
Crossing the Strait
By Ferry
Fastest and Cheapest route from Spain*
Tarifa to Tangier Ville (the city) by FRS Dolphin Jet catamaran
The crossing takes one hour, shore to shore, and FRS has up to eight sailings a day from Tarifa in Spain. There’s a free shuttle bus between the ports of Tarifa and Algeciras, coordinated with the arrivals and departures of their ferries. Show your ferry ticket and hop on for the 30-minute journey.
Travel Tips
Fill out your white immigration form as soon as you get them (with ticket or before boarding) or you’ll spend most of the sea crossing in the queue to hand them in.
Ferries don't always run to time. To get the most out of a day trip, book the first sailing at 09.00.
* This is also the cheapest, quickest, most hassle-free option for Tangier, Chefchaouen, Tetouan and Asilah.
By Air from Gibraltar
Royal Air Maroc has a twice-weekly service into Tangier on Sundays and Thursdays, and on to Casablanca. It’s a thrilling 35-minute turboprop trip with birds-eye views over the Strait. From Ibn Battuta Airport it’s a 30-minute taxi ride to town, depending on traffic.
There are currently no non-stop flights from Andalucia into Tangier, as there are to other major Moroccan cities.
By Coach from Spain
There are any number of coach trips from all parts of Andalucia offering one-day trips to Tangier via Tarifa, as well as extended Morocco tours and stays.
Duty Free Allowances
200 cigarettes, 25 cigars, or 250g of tobacco
1 bottle of spirits + 1 bottle of wine
150ml of perfume + 250ml of eau de toilette
Gifts to the value of Dh2,000
Alcohol in Morocco
Outside the main hotels, alcohol is hard to find and becomes scarcer the more remote and rural you get so stock up with your favourite tipple on the way over.
Driving Distances
Gibraltar to Tarifa: 44km
Malaga to Tarifa: 106km
Tangier to Tetouan 65km
Tangier to Chefchaouen 114km
Taxis
Most registered taxi drivers in Morocco are multilingual and proud to share their knowledge with you, in English, Spanish or French, so you get a free tour thrown in the price.
Petits Taxis - For whizzing around town. In Tangier and Chaouen they are usually blue Fiat Unos or Peugeot 205s.
Grand Taxis for out of town trips – usually cream or white Mercedes but increasingly, since the arrival of Renault-Nissan in Tangier, Dacias.
CONTACT US for a quote from our own recommended driver guides. They're Wikipaedias on Wheels
Money
Don't bother changing it before you go.
Euros, British sterling, US dollars and credit cards are increasingly being accepted anyway. If not, bureaux de change offer the best rates and can be found in most cities, along with ATMs.
You can’t change dirhams back or bring more than 2,000 dirhams in/out of the country.
Haggling
Bargaining in the souks is part of the Morocco experience but most of the modern shops have fixed prices.
Tipping
There are no rules but the locals tend not to, or just leave shrapnel. Check your bill as some restaurants add a service charge.
Dress Code
Getting bothered by touts goes with the territory but you can tone down the hassle by dressing appropriately. You know what we mean. For ladies worried about unwanted attention, a silk scarf in the handbag can turn into a handy hijab to help you blend in and the look is very ‘now’.
Time Difference
Morocco is now on the same time as Spain in winter (October-March) and one hour behind Spain in summer.
The country decided to stay on daylight savings time all year round in October 2018 as ‘an experiment’.
The jury is still out on whether there’ll be a clocks change during Ramadan. In previous years, to help locals fit the strict hours of fasting around their jobs, Morocco turned its clocks back an hour throughout the religious period. Watch this space.
Ramadan Dates
2019 – May 6-June 3
2020 – April 24-May 23
2021 April 13-May 12
There's no reason not to visit Morocco during Ramadan. However, if you're going on a day trip, note that everything opens around two hours later in the mornings (as late as 11.00 rather than 09.00) and nightlife also gets going a bit later to fit round sunrise and sunset meals during the month of fasting.
Weather
With mild winters and hot, dry (rather than humid) summers, Morocco is pretty much an all-year-round destination. In the mountains over winter, temperatures can drop well below zero at night.
Stay Updated
Check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website for up-to-the-minute entry requirements, customs and safety when travelling in Morocco.
More Morocco
Morocco is a big place and there’s so much more we’re still discovering as we take our journey further. This is the only guide we bring with us when we’re on the road and under time pressure. It speaks our language and cuts to the chase with its handy maps and up-to-date info on the latest hotels, restaurants and must-see attractions. We can cherry pick the best and skip the rest. It also works in the Atlas Mountains where there’s not a lot of wifi! Enjoy your Morocco Adventure!
CONTACT US to book transfers, partner hotels and recommended guides.