hours, public transport is sparse from 7pm to 5am.
On the Moroccan side, you’ll either fill out a departure form at the passport window, if on
foot, or at the vehicle registration window (ignore any hustlers trying to sell you these free
forms). If you’re driving a hire car, you will be required to show proof of authorisation to take
the vehicle out of the country. The 100m crossing is surprisingly disorganised, with multiple
people asking for your passport. Pedestrians must frequently walk in the car lanes.
Coming the other way, there is a large grand taxi lot next to Moroccan border control.
Departures are plentiful to Tetouan (Dh30, 40 minutes), from where you can pick up onward
transport. Taxis to Chefchaouen or Tangier are rare, and you’ll most likely have to bargain hard
to hire a vehicle yourself (Chefchaouen Dh300, 90 minutes; Tangier Dh200, one hour). A good
alternative is to take a grand taxi to Fnideq (Dh5, 10 minutes), just south of the border, from
where transport to Tangier is more frequent (Dh30, one hour).
Mainland Spain
The unmissable Estación Marítima (ferry terminal; Calle Muelle Cañonero Dato) is west of
the town centre. There are several daily high-speed ferries to Algeciras (Click here ). Ticket
offices are around the corner. Much flashier (and far more expensive) is to take the helicopter
service Inaer (www.inaer.com) from Ceuta to Algeciras (seven minutes) or Málaga airport (30
minutes).
You can purchase train tickets to European destinations at the Renfe office Offline map
Google map ( 956 51 13 17; 17 Plaza Rafael Gilbert; 9.30am-1pm, 4.30-8.30pm Mon-Fri,9.30am-1pm Sat) or at a travel agency. Several agencies in the ferry terminal also sell Enatcar
(the main Spanish coach company) bus tickets.
Getting Around
Bus 7 runs up to the border (frontera) every 10 minutes or so from Plaza de la Constitución
(€0.70). If you arrive by ferry and want to head straight for the border, there’s a bus stop on Av
González Tablas opposite the entrance to the ramparts. There’s also a taxi rank outside the
terminal building.
If you have your own vehicle, street parking is restricted to a maximum of two hours (€1)
during the day. If you are staying longer, use the car park (per hour €0.50, per 12 hours €4)
on Calle O’Donnell or near the Poblado Marinero.
THE RIF MOUNTAINS
Tetouan
POP 330,000
Tetouan is a jewel of a town in a striking location at the foot of the Rif Mountains, and just a few
kilometres from the sea. It’s unlike Tangier or the imperial cities in that it has not yet been
discovered by foreign tourists. There is an air of authenti- city here that adds great value to a
visit. The ancient medina, a Unesco World Heritage site, looks like it has not changed in several
centuries. There have been some recent upgrades – a modern bus station, restorations to the
medina wall, some public gardens – but nothing like the towns along the coast. The city is