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I don't believe you can travel directly to Morocco from Portugal but wonder if you could tell me the easiest way to do it (from Spain?). We have 3 extra days in Portugal and wonder if it might be worth a trip over. Any advice or thoughts are very welcome.

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1

Although that it might look tempting: The trip to Morocco in three days is not possible from Portugal. Remember that you need almost a full day to arrive in either Tarifa or Algeciras from where you set across to Tangiers (or Ceuta and then on to Morocco). After that, you have a day in Africa - only to return the following day. And Tangiers is not yet the real Morocco. Save that money and hassle and enjoy the Algarve where you for sure must be right now.

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2

i agree with #1. i was already in the south of spain when i did a 3 day jaunt, taking the ferry to Tangier (its a bustling port with all of the scamsters and hassles at their maximum). You need to get beyond it, which means another journey. So not worth the 3 day rush - enjoy more of Portugal.

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3

I took a day trip to Morocco when I was in southern Spain. Went from Algeciras to Ceuta, then across the border to Tetouan, then to Tangiers, then back to Ceuta and to Algeciras. There is a company that takes you everywhere. Its a touristy kind of a thing, but fun if you like bargaining in the markets and want to be in someplace different for a day. It may be a bit of a culture shock, and you may feel pressured to buy stuff, but that's the way things are in all touristy 3rd world places. Relax, don't feel pressured, enjoy the atmosphere.

If you are in Faro right now, its a 3.5h drive to Algeciras.

The way I'd do it - leave Faro at 8AM. You'll be in Seville at 10AM. You have about 8 hours in Seville. Then go to Algeciras. I stayed not in Algeciras itself, but in La Linea, just across the border from Gibraltar. You'll be there at 8PM. Arrange a trip to Morocco through your hotel, eat dinner (dinner's always late in Spain).

2nd day in Morocco.

3rd day start at 9AM. Visit Gibraltar (about 2-3 hours, there really is not a whole lot to do there). Leave at noon for Ronda. Drive to Ronda is 1.5h, so you should be there at 1:30PM - 2:00PM. Spend a 2-3 hours in Ronda, eat lunch. Leave at about 5PM, you'll be in Faro at 8:00 - 8:30PM.

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4

The day trip to Morocco is a tour. Everything is arranged - you take the regular ship to Ceuta and back from Algeciras, then you are taken from Ceuta to Tetouan to Tangiers to Ceuta on a bus. You are fast forwarded through the border, you don't get your passport in Morocco and you don't get a passport stamp. Its a long day, but a pretty good one. Definitely a fun way to spend a day if you're in the Gibraltar area. And if you are in Algarve and have a car, getting to Gibraltar is not a big deal.

I naturally assumed he was in Faro or somewhere in the Algarve. Would be pretty weird if someone in Porto would wander about how to visit Morocco in 3 days - its pretty obvious that the only option is by plane.

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5

And if you are in Algarve and have a car, getting to Gibraltar is not a big deal.

Sorry, not true. From Faro, it's 400 km, only parts of them are (toll) motorways.

Stop talking people into something that they'll regret having done!

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6

We have 3 extra days in Portugal
On how many days in total?

If you have never been to Morocco, you should go for a week minimum to get a taste of it.
Many people have done such a day trip to Tangiers and came back with negative prejudices towards Morocco.

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7

We have 3 extra days in Portugal and wonder if it might be worth a trip over.
As you know, Portugal is a country and you haven´t said where in Portugal you´ll be starting from, nor what means of transport you´ll be using. Both of those factors can make a huge difference to your travelling time.

You also haven´t said where you´ll need to be after you return from Morocco.

Any advice or thoughts are very welcome.
You say you have three days. Let´s assume that you intend to travel overland. Regardless of where in Portugal you´re starting from, you´ll need to allow a minimum of a day for travelling to Morocco and a minimum of a day for travelling back to Portugal, if indeed that is where you need to return to. That´s two days travel to get one day in Morocco, plus all the financial costs involved.

My thoughts? Very simple. Stay in Portugal. You chose Portugal as your destination so stay and enjoy the country instead of chasing your tail.

If you are in Faro right now, its a 3.5h drive to Algeciras.
@#4. I disagree. First of all, it´s a 4-hour drive and that timing assumes a problem-free drive around Seville. But the 4 hours driving is only a part of the journey. There will be at least one rest stop on that journey and then the OP has to navigate his/her way through Algeciras to the ferry port.

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Many people have done such a day trip to Tangiers and came back with negative prejudices towards Morocco.

Yeap! That includes me. I did it 25 years ago only to see later that Morocco is completely different if you give it a lot more time.

Tony brings it down to the point or repeats what I said before: Stay in Portugal.

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9

Tony brings it down to the point or repeats what I said before: Stay in Portugal.

That's my opinion too, but i was awaiting the OP to answer my reply. I have travelled to Portugal at least 5 times with an average of around 12 days on each trip, and i know i haven't seen all that is worth seeing.

I did it 25 years ago

Almost as long ago, i've done an even worse touristical mistake*, a day trip from Algeciras to Ceuta :)
I couldn't go to Tangiers because i had no passport with me, only an ID card.

  • Wouldn't that be a nice subject for a topic? Share your touristical mistakes...
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