Mercator projection. Coastlines: Natural Earth (public domain). Indicative courses between the passenger terminals.
Comparison sites sell you a ticket. Here we work out the whole journey: the drive to the port, the crossing and the drive to your destination in Morocco, by car or on foot.
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Last checked: November 2026. ‘From’ prices seen on the date we checked. They change with the date, the ferry company and how far ahead you book: use them to compare routes, not as a guaranteed fare.
Three questions and we tell you which crossing saves you the most hours
Pick your starting city, your destination in Morocco and how you are travelling. We rank the crossings by total time and explain why.
The total time adds up: driving without stops (OSRM / OpenStreetMap), the check-in time recommended by the ferry company and the average crossing time. It does not include customs waits, rest breaks or delays. On foot, the road leg corresponds to the journey by car or direct bus.
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Summer is when the queues build: it pays to know when not to travel
Every summer Operación Paso del Estrecho (OPE), Spain's summer Strait-crossing operation, organises the journey of millions of people between Europe and the Maghreb. We go through the dates, the peak days and what changes in the ports.
Another way in: take a ferry to one of Spain's two cities in North Africa and enter Morocco across the land border. The sailing is a domestic route; the unknown is the border.
Via Ceuta: Algeciras – Ceuta and the Tarajal border
The crossing takes around an hour by fast ferry. On the day we checked, three companies were running it: Baleària, DFDS and Ceuta Link, a new brand that has been sailing since 30 October 2026 with a ship that came from Armas Trasmediterránea. Between the three they had 19 sailings a day from Algeciras in the autumn.
From Ceuta you enter Morocco through the Tarajal crossing, towards Fnideq and Tetouan. In summer 2026 the queues linked to the new European biometric registration pushed many travellers towards Tanger Med: traffic through Ceuta during Operación Paso del Estrecho (OPE), Spain's summer Strait-crossing operation, fell by 16.7% in the first count.
Via Melilla: Málaga, Almería or Motril and the Beni Ensar border
Baleària links Melilla with Málaga (6 h 30), Almería (about 6 hours, 5 sailings a week) and Motril (7 hours, 3 sailings a week), with cabins.
The Beni Ensar border, the only one in operation, leads straight into Nador. In early October 2026 the crossing was still taking close to two hours, longer at weekends, and on 30 July it was closed temporarily. We have not found a public statement on its situation in November.
These routes make sense if you live in Ceuta or Melilla, if you find a much better fare or if your destination is right by the border. Before choosing them, check the state of the border crossing that same day: it is the one thing we cannot guarantee.
Sources (11)
Every figure on this page comes from a source consulted on the date shown.
Travel and car insuranceYour Spanish policy does not cover Morocco by default. Compare travel insurance with assistance before you board.See insurance for Morocco
eSIM for MoroccoEuropean roaming does not cover Morocco. An eSIM is installed before you leave and spares you the surprise bill.See eSIMs for Morocco
Stopover hotelSleeping near the port the night before lets you board rested and with time in hand on peak days.Find hotels near the port
Car hire in MoroccoIf you cross on foot, hiring on the other side avoids vehicle customs and border insurance.Compare hire cars
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From one host city to another, across the Strait
Spain and Morocco will share host cities in 2030. We explain how to get from Spain to each Moroccan host city, through which port and on which crossing.
