Ceuta (Sebta) Sights

  1. Castillo del Desnarigado

    A small fort on the southeastern tip of the peninsula that now houses a small military museum.

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  2. City Walls

    These impressive remnants are probably Ceuta's most interesting historical sight. They've been beautifully restored to their 16th-century glory, with information boards in English telling the gripping story of the plague and famine that accompanied Moulay Ismail's ultimately unsuccessful 33-year siege of Ceuta, which began in 1694. Entry cost also includes access to the Museo de los Muralles Reales, the local gallery.

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  3. Ermita de San Antonio

    This convent, originally built in the 17th century and reconstructed in the 1960s, is worth visiting for the magnificent views over Ceuta and north to Gibraltar. To find the convent, follow the main road clockwise around the peninsula 2.5km to Parque de San Amaro and a small zoo. Take one of the paths leading up steeply into a bowl of hills, and veering eastwards, and you should come out on a lane below the convent.

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  4. Museo de la Legión

    This intriguing museum is dedicated to and run by the Spanish Legion, an army unit set up in 1920 that played a pivotal role in Franco's republican army at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, as well as the Rif War against local Berbers. Memorabilia marks campaigns up to the recent Bosnian War, and guided tours in English are available.

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  5. Museo de los Muralles Reales

    A gallery that houses temporary art exhibitions. Squeezed out of the fort's unforgiving architecture, it's a beautifully designed space, worth visiting irrespective of what's on show.

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  6. Museo Municipal

    This main museum has a small collection showing the peninsula's history in artefacts from the Stone Age to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. The Phoenician and Roman periods are the highlight, with ceramics and amphorae, but unfortunately all labels are in Spanish.

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  7. Parque Marítimo del Mediterráneo

    Designed by the Catalonian architect César Manrique, this is a huge complex on the seafront. It opened in 1995, complete with manufactured beach, landscaped pools and waterfalls, bridges, sculptures and even a mock castle. It is a great stop for families with children. More adult diversions include several restaurants and bars and a casino.

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  8. Peninsula

    A walk around the peninsula reveals a bit more of the history and mystery that makes Ceuta what it is. The peninsula is topped by Monte Hacho, said by some to be the southern Pillar of Hercules (Jebel Musa, west of Ceuta, is the other contender; Gibraltar being the northern pillar). The summit is crowned by Fortaleza de Hacho, a fort first built by the Byzantines and added to since by the Moroccans, Portuguese and Spanish. Now occupied by the army, it is out of bounds.

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