Hi - We are staying in Marbella the majority of our trip and debating going to Tangier for 1 day. Curious to hear from anyone that has done this as a day trip. How did you get there and did you have to do it as a tour? Did you feel safe there? We will have our 2 children with. Our middle school son is very interested in going to Morocco which is why I am doing the research to decide whether it is a possibility.
Thanks for your advice as always!
Marla
We were in Marbella at the Marriott vacation club years ago and wanted to do this very same thing. Unfortunately one of our friends became ill and we didn’t go. I know this doesn’t answer your question other than that I think it would be totally doable. One of my best friends took her family to Morocco and loved it. It was very safe according to her, but as going anywhere, you have to be aware of your surroundings. We are thinking of doing Morocco as its own trip like my friend did.
your question intrigued me and it seems like it’s easier to get there than it was 14 years ago when we were there. I found this example. https://www.nattivus.com/en/marbella/marbella-to-morocco-day-trip
What an adventure you guys could have! I hope it works out for you and the fam.
Tangier is a big modern city but the Medina, the old town, is interesting. Definitely do it as a tour as it is a maze of narrow streets and alleyways. Is there anything in particular your son wants to see or is he just likes the thought of being in being in Morocco? Make sure the kids are aware of the need to stick close to you when in the Medina, it’s all to easy to get distracted and separated from thr group.
Most of us do not recommend a day trip to Tangier--or any trip to Tangier, for that matter. Morocco is a wonderful country with many fascinating cities. Tangier is not a good introduction. There are flights to worthwhile destinations like Fes and Marrakech from many cities in Europe, so Morocco can easily be included in another trip to Europe; you needn't settle for a rushed day trip to Tangier. If you take a tour, there's a very good chance you'll be spending a chunk of your limited time listening to the spiel of a carpet salesman; guides get commissions.
Another issue is that getting to Tangier is a slog from just about anywhere in Spain a tourist wants to be. I've never heard of anyone going to Algeciras or Tarifa for any reason other than to get the ferry to Tangier. ViaMichelin estimates the pure driving time from Marbella to Algeciras (Tarifa takes longer) at over an hour. That doesn't include dealing with parking at the dock in Algeciras or the need to allow extra time to be sure you meet the embarkation time.
Your base isn't really conveniently located for the places you want to see, but Tangier is way down at the bottom of the list. If you're willing to spend 5 hours or more in transit (which I wouldn't want to do), you'd do better to make a second trip to Seville.
Bus to Malaga, 1.5 hours. Round trip flights from Malaga to Marrakech start at about $50. Done and dusted.
Yes, we've visited Tangier from Marbella. I booked a tour guide to meet us at the ferry terminal in Tangier and drove from Marbella to Tarifa (very difficult to find parking), took the ferry however be mindful that ferries are often cancelled due to high winds on one of the windiest straits and arrived in Tangier after a couple of hours. Met the guide who took us around the city in his van. Tried to convince us to ride a camel and watch a snake 'charmer' but we don't support animal cruelty so declined. He also took us through the medina and into various souvenier shops seemingly owned by friends or relatives where we were offered overpriced tat. A mediocre lunch where quite a lot of tour groups were also eating summed up a pretty worthless day.
The city was dirty, falling apart and full of people wanting to rip you off. A lot of tourists on the ferry stated that they only went to Tangier simply to say that they'd been to Africa which seems a bit shallow to me.
Take my advice, stick to Spain, far more worthwhile.
