Is Tarifa worth the trouble?

Tarifa doesn't hold a candle to the other places. Extend you time elsewhere.

I drive, so to me the order is not optimal. Looks odd to do by train as well. One of the experts will figure it out.

Thanks. I thought it would be cool to take the ferry to Tangier, but maybe I'll just go from Sevilla to Granada and then from Granada to Nerja for a couple days. Or perhaps work in an Andalucian Hill Town instead of Nerja. I have about three weeks for the whole trip.

First, let's deal with the order of your journey. It's far more efficient and far easier to make your journey Madrid (day trip or overnight to Toledo, then back to Madrid) - Barcelona - Granada - Tarifa - Sevilla - Madrid.....a big circle without the backtracking you have now.
Second, assuming you don't have a car, you can fly cheaply from Barcelona to Granada aboard Spanish discount airline Vueling. Fares are as low as 30 Euro for the end of May (plus luggage) so book ASAP.
From Granada to Tarifa, you can take a bus....about 5 hours. Alsa Autobus has a run to Algeciras, then you can catch the local run to Tarifa. Is it worth it? Probably not.
If you decide to bypass Tarifa, take the bus Granada-Sevilla. It takes about the same amount of time as the train, and is cheaper.
For Sevilla-Madrid, book the fast AVE train up to 62 days in advance and get web special fares as low as 29 Euro, at www.renfe.es . Journey time is about 2:45. Similar savings also available on the Madrid-Barcelona leg....60% off.
Finally, if you have time, make a stop for a day visit to Cordoba, which is on the Sevilla-Madrid AVE line.

Wait a minute! You asked if Tarifa were worth a toot. Not one stinking word about Morocco. Although Tanger probably isn't the most representative city, how can you get that close to another continent and not go take a peek?

Tarifa IS the place to go for Tangiers, so if you're set on Tangiers, go for it...stay overnight in Tarifa the night before and night after your Tangiers visit.
And if you plan to do Nerja, take the bus there after Granada, then head on to Sevilla.

Oops. I figured folks would assume I was going to Tarifa mainly to get the ferry to Tangier. Ed, you've got my dilemma in a nutshell. I would love to step into Africa and see a little of Morocco, but I also want to have a semi-relaxing vacation without a ton of time spent getting to my destinations. Norm made some good suggestions, including flying to Granada from Barcelona. Maybe that would help. Thank you both!

If you've got three weeks, you could AVERAGE 4 nites at your big destinations, and still have time left over for Tarifa and Tangiers. Getting there is half the fun!
BTW, lots of people go just to Tarifa for the wind-surfing..or the wind-surfing "scene."

I really enjoyed Tarifa a lot. It's totally different than the other places on your agenda. It's a very pleasant little unpretentious town with some nice beaches, good restaurants, and friendly people--all with a Moorish flavor. It's a sweet place to hang out for a day and then cross the Strait of Gibraltar and spend some time in Africa! It's a trip that I did a few years ago and loved it. I agree with Rick Steves who strongly encourages the trip to Morocco. A good friend went last year and mirrored Rick's opinion that Morocco is greatly improved now for visitors, much less hassle. Read the book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho--a fun little book about the magic of travel and following your dreams. Part of it takes place in Tarifa and Tangier.

Great food for thought. Thank you all. I've booked my plane ticket, so I'll definitely be somewhere in the area of Spain for 20 days. Yeah!!

Rich, when you did the Morocco excursion, did you go on your own or with a tour? If on your own, did you hire a private guide? If I go, I'm strongly leaning toward hiring a private guide recommended in the Rick Steves book.

I forgot that the Alchemist involved Tarifa and Tangier! I read that book many years ago and loved it. I'll have to re-read.

My girlfriend and I went with a small tour that we booked at the hotel where we were staying--La Mirada, in the newer part of the city. I would rather stay in the old city though. We ended up with 3 other Americans on the tour and we had a fun time. We were met in Morocco by the guide who took us through the medinas of Tangier and also Tetuan. It was an all day excursion and included the usual carpet shop show, which you need to be prepared for in countries that have that craft. There was some heavy pressure to buy because the guide also gets a cut. They start very high but will take much, much less. We got some good deals by getting away from the guide for some free time and dealing directly with sellers in their shops or in the passageways. Bargain hard and you can get some wonderful souvenirs in Morocco for inexpensive prices. We traveled in a van from one town to the other, so saw some of the countryside. Rick's recommendations for guides are always great--I also like using tripadvisor to get other perspectives from travelers. Here's the link to Tarifa forums: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g315918-i5904-Tarifa_Costa_de_la_Luz_Andalusia.html . They also have reviews of the hotels and B&B's. Also look at the Tangier and Morocco forums on the tripadvisor site. I would definitely recommend using a trusted personal guide, which I have used in many places, most recently in Cairo. Even though Morocco has improved a lot it can be quite overwhelming right off the boat from Europe, especially if you are traveling solo. Definitely revisit "The Alchemist", it captures the mood and mystery of this part of the world. Have a great time!

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." --Helen Keller

Nicole:

You are in for a great trip. We did something very similar (Barcelona, Granada, Nerja, Tarifa, Ronda, Madrid and a few others) just a few months ago by plane/rental car. In my opinion, Tangier is the only real reason to go to Tarifa. It’s a bit out of the way, but for us it was worth the effort.

I recommend a guide in Tangier. We hired Aziz from Rick’s book and really enjoyed our time. I wrote a little about our experience with Aziz on my blog, www.travelblur.com .

I’ll be happy to provide more detail on our hotel and restaurant experiences in Tarifa or the other locations by PM if you’d like. If you’re going that far south, think about a quick stop-by in Gibraltar as well. The rock and the monkeys are fascinating and you can get a pretty nice feel for the place in just a few hours.

Charlie