Parador Hotel La MurallaHOTEL€€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 51 49 40; www.parador.es/en/paradores/parador-de-ceuta; 15 Plaza de Africa; s/d from €115/135; aWs)
This spacious four-star hotel is perfectly situated on the Plaza de Africa. Rooms are comfortable, but not luxurious, with simple wooden doors and plain ceramic tiles. Balconies overlook a pleasant garden overflowing with palm trees. A bar-cafe adds value.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
TAPAS BAR NEIGHBOURHOODS
The best places to look for tapas bars are in the streets behind the post office and around Calle Millán Astray to the north of Calle Camoens. In addition to tapas, they all serve more substantial raciones (a larger helping of tapas) and bocadillos (sandwiches).
5Eating & Drinking
There are numerous bars and fast-food restaurants at Poblado Marinero, near Parque Marítimo del Mediterráneo.
oMesón el CortijoTAPAS€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 51 19 83; 14 Calle Cervantes; tapas from €2; h1pm-midnight)
A classic neighbourhood gathering place that's heavy on tapas, cerveza (beer) and friendliness. Catch up on football, gossip and practise your Español.
CharlotteCAFE€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Plaza de los Reyes; breakfast €4, tapas from €2; h9am-midnight)
This is the perfect place for just about anything any time of day: it serves breakfast, a lunchtime sandwich, beer, cocktail and tapas. Swift, efficient service and a prime people-watching spot on the square make it very popular.
Mesón el BacheTAPAS€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 51 66 42; Sargento Mena Algeciras; tapas €2.50, raciones from €10; h9am-3pm & 8.30pm-midnight Mon-Sat)
Have your tapas in a rustic hunting lodge. The locals love it, especially for watching sport, and you get one free tapa with every drink. Just downhill from Plaza de los Reyes, looking towards the port.
Vincentino PasteleríaCAFE€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Calle Alférez Bayton; sandwiches €2, bocadillos €2.50; h8am-11pm)
This place buzzes all day with people clamouring for its ice creams, sandwiches, delicious patisserie and excellent coffee. Sit inside or out.
El Secreto de YusteSPANISH€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0659 67 18 14; 1 Muralles Reales; menu €6; h1.30pm-12.45am)
Here’s your chance to eat inside the Royal Walls. There's a small menu of local meats and seafood enhanced by the unique atmosphere. You can sit outside by the moat.
Gran MurallaCHINESE€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 51 76 25; Plaza de la Constitution; mains from €7; h12-4pm & 7-11pm Mon-Sat)
If you’ve had enough local food, you’ll find hearty portions of Chinese standards here. Window tables have views over the plaza and out to sea.
Cala CarlotaSEAFOOD€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 52 50 61; Real Club Nautico, Calle Edrisis; mains from €8, set menu €15; h9am-3pm & 5pm-midnight Mon-Sat, 10am-3pm Sun)
This simple restaurant has a prime location in the Club Nautico overlooking the yacht harbour, with outdoor seating in season. If you can see your way past the desultory service, the three-course menú del diá (daily set menu) is a good choice, and there are excellent fish main dishes.
To get there, the underpass beneath the busy highway starts at the main tourist office, and will save you a long walk.
oEl RefectorioSPANISH€€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 51 38 84; www.elrefectorio.com; Poblado Marinero; menu around €40-55; h1pm-4.30pm Sun & Mon, 8.30pm-12.30am Tue-Sat)
Considered by many to be Ceuta's best restaurant, El Refectorio has a good bar, and dining inside and out with magnificent sea views from the balcony. It excels at shellfish, fish and meats and has a good wine list.
DublinPUB
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Calle Delgado Serrano; h4pm-3am Mon-Sat)
It’s like every other Irish pub you’ve ever been in, but if you need that Guinness fix, this is the place. If the volume gets to you, you can escape to the tables outside. Go down the steps where Calle Delgado Serrano takes a 90-degree bend.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
SELF-CATERING
Stock up for ferry journey snacks and road trips here:
Central MarketMARKET
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h8am-3pm Mon-Sat)
This cavernous market is the local spot for fresh meat and produce, and a vibrant experience as well.
Supersol SupermarketSUPERMARKET
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Av Muelle Cañonero Dato; h9am-9pm)
This is the best place to stock up on essentials and treats alike; there’s a smaller branch in the city centre on Dean Navarro Acuña.
8Information
To phone Ceuta from outside Spain, dial 0034. Remember that Ceuta is one hour ahead of Morocco (two during summer time), and that most businesses will be closed on Sunday.
Medical Services
Instituto Gestión Sanitario (Ingesa; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 52 84 00; h24hr) Next to the Royal Walls.
Money
Euros are used for all transactions in Ceuta. ATMs are plentiful; outside banking hours you can change money at the more expensive hotels. There are informal moneychangers on both sides of the border, although it’s technically illegal to take dirhams out of Morocco.
Post
Correos (Post Office; GOOGLE MAP ; 59 Calle Real; h8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-2pm Sat)
Main Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; Plaza de España; h8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-2pm Sat)
Tourist Information
Ceuta’s history is outlined by the ruta monumenta, a series of excellent information boards in English and Spanish outside key buildings and monuments.
Main Tourist Office ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 20 05 60; Baluarte de los Mallorquines; h8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-8pm Sat & Sun) Friendly and efficient, with good maps and brochures.
Plaza de Africa Kiosk ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 52 81 46; h10am-1pm & 5-8pm 15 Sep-31 May, 10.30am-1.30pm & 6-9pm 1 Jun-14 Sep) A satellite of the main tourist office.
Travel Agencies
Av Muelle Cañonero Dato and the approach to the estación marítima are lined with agencies selling ferry tickets to Algeciras.
8Getting There & Away
To/From Morocco
Buses and grands taxis to Ceuta often terminate at Fnideq, rather than at the border (Bab Sebta). If so, the border is a further 1km walk, or Dh7 by taxi. Although the border is open 24 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. Hustlers will sell you a form for a dirham or two. 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 (Dh20, 30 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 for yourself (Chefchaouen, Dh300, 90 minutes; Tangier, Dh200, one hour). A good alternative is to take a grand taxi to Fnideq (Dh7, 10 minutes), just south of the border, from where transport to Tangier is more frequent (Dh35, one hour).
To/From Mainland Spain
The unmissable Estación Marítima (Ferry Terminal; GOOGLE MAP ; Calle Muelle Cañonero Dato) is west of the town centre. There are several daily high-speed ferries to Algeciras. Ticket offices ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 50 62 75; h9am-9pm) are around the corner. Baleària, Trasmediterranea and FRS also run ferries to Algeciras.
You can purchase train tickets to European destinations at the Renfe office ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 51 13 17; 17 Plaza Rafael Gilbert; h9.30am-1pm & 4.30-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1pm Sat) or at a travel agency. Several agencies in the ferry terminal also sell Enatc
ar (the main Spanish coach company) bus tickets.
8Getting Around
Bus 7 runs up to the border ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) (frontera) every 10 minutes or so from Plaza de la Constitution (€1). If you arrive by ferry and want to head straight for the border, there’s a bus stop ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) on Ave González Tablaz opposite the entrance to the ramparts. Local buses ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) also stop on Ave González Tablaz. 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 ( GOOGLE MAP ; Calle O’Donnell; per hr €0.50, per 12hr €4) on Calle O’Donnell.
The Rif Mountains جبال الر فٌ
The Rif is the most northerly of Morocco's mountain chains. There are some good hikes to be had in the region, from the most popular town for tourists, Chefchaouen, with its pastel blue medina. An alternative base in the Rif is Tetouan, which has some fine Spanish colonial architecture.
Tetouan تطوان
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. Despite seeing relatively few foreign visitors, there's an air of authenticity 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. The modern centre that abuts it gleams in white, its Spanish facades given a recent facelift to seductive affect.
That Spanish influence dates from 1912–56, when Tetouan was the capital of the Spanish protectorate, which encompassed much of northern Morocco. The town’s long relationship with Andalucia has left it with a Hispano-Moorish character that is unique in Morocco, as physically reflected in the white buildings and broad boulevards of the Spanish part of the city, known as the Ensanche (extension).
History
From the 8th century onwards, the city served as the main point of contact between Morocco and Andalucia. In the 14th century the Merenids established the town as a base from which to control rebellious Rif tribes, and to attack Ceuta, but it was destroyed by Henry III of Castille in 1399. After the Reconquista (the reconquest of Spain, completed in 1492), the town was rebuilt by Andalucian refugees. It prospered, due in part to their skills, and to thriving pirate activity.
Moulay Ismail built Tetouan’s defensive walls in the 17th century, and the town’s trade links with Spain developed. In 1860, the Spanish took the town under Leopoldo O’Donnell, who extensively Europeanised it, but upon recapture, two years later, the Moors removed all signs of European influence.
At the turn of the 20th century, Spanish forces occupied Tetouan for three years, claiming it was protecting Ceuta from Rif tribes. In 1913 the Spanish made Tetouan the capital of their protectorate, which was abandoned in 1956 when Morocco regained independence. Lately the Andalucian government has provided a great cultural boost to the city by financing various restoration projects.
Tetouan
1Top Sights
1Artisanal SchoolF2
1Sights
2Archaeology MuseumC2
3Ethnographic MuseumF2
4Grande MosquéeE1
5Iglesia de BacturiaA2
6Lovers ParkD4
7Place Hassan IID2
8Royal PalaceD2
9Saidi MosqueF1
4Sleeping
10Blanco RiadC2
11El ReductoC2
12Hotel Panorama VistaB3
13Hotel ParisA2
14Hotel ReginaB2
15Pension IberiaB2
5Eating
16BirjissB2
Blanco RiadC2
17DallasB2
El ReductoC2
18OahdaA1
19Restaurant AlbahrB2
20Restaurant RestingaB2
21Snack TaoussA2
7Shopping
22Dar LebadiE2
23Ensemble ArtisanatD4
24TanneryD1
8Information
25BMCEB2
26Pharmacie El-FeddanD2
Royal Air MarocC2
27Voyages HispamarocB2
28Voyages TravelmarC2
Transport
29CTMC4
Grands Taxis to Fnideq & MartilC4
1Sights
Medina
The whitewashed medina of Tetouan is an authentic time machine, and very traveller-friendly, with moped-free lanes, few street hustlers, amiable residents and a general lack of congestion, particularly in the large residential areas. In the commercial spaces, the sights and sounds of traditional life are everywhere: craftsmen pound brass, silk merchants offer thousands of spools of multicoloured thread and bakers tend the public ovens. There are dedicated souqs for carpentry ( GOOGLE MAP ), leather ( GOOGLE MAP ) and jewellery ( GOOGLE MAP ). There are some 35 mosques as well, of which the Grande Mosquée ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) and Saïda Mosque ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ), both northeast of Pl Hassan II, are the most impressive, although non-Muslims are not allowed to enter. If you get lost, a few dirhams in local hands will get you to any doorstep.
The medina is bordered to the south by the pretty Lovers Park ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ), a pleasant escape. The entrance to the medina is off the grand Pl Hassan II, which faces the Royal Palace.
Ethnographic MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Bab el-Okla; Dh10; h9am-4pm Mon-Sat)
Just inside the picture-perfect eastern gate, Bab el-Okla, is the Ethnographic Museum. It's worth a visit for the terrace views of the Rif (ask the caretaker to open it for you, if necessary), its pleasant garden with old cannons and the display of silk wedding gowns.
oArtisanal SchoolNOTABLE BUILDING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0539 97 27 21; Dh10; h8.30am-2.30pm Sat-Thu, to 11.30am Fri)
Just outside Bab el-Okla is the best artisan centre in northern Morocco. This is a fascinating opportunity to see masters teaching apprentices traditional arts, including ornamental woodwork, silk costumes, carved plaster, intricate mosaics and decorative rifles. A fantastic central treasury holds the best of the best – don’t miss the ceiling. Staff will open it upon request.
The building itself is of interest, set around a large courtyard, with fine doors upstairs.
Place Hassan IILANDMARK
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
The broad and empty Pl Hassan II, which is mostly roped off for security reasons, links the medina to the Ensanche. It looks like it houses the Wizard of Oz, with guards standing in front of the long flat facade of the Royal Palace ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ), and four somewhat bizarre columns towering all around.
These are not minarets, as one might suppose, but art-nouveau light towers designed by Enrique Nieto, a student of Gaudí, who lived in Melilla. The large decorations on the opposite wall are abstract Hands of Fatima, a common symbol used to ward off the evil eye. There are a few cafes that are good for a rest, particularly on the 2nd floor, which allows a grander view.
The Ensanche
Take in the Ensanche by walking along Ave Mohammed V from Place al-Jala to Place Moulayel-Mehdi. The broad boulevard is lined with bright white Spanish colonial architecture, with a few art-deco elements, reminiscent of styles found elsewhere (eg in Casablanca and Larache) with restoration funded by the Andalucian government. You’ll find hotels, banks and places to eat here.
Archaeology MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ave al-Jazaer; Dh10; h10am-6pm Mon-Sat)
A few blocks from Pl al-Jala there is an extensive museum with an excellent collection of artefacts from the Roman ruins at Lixus, displayed both inside and in the gardens. Labelling is in French, Spanish and Arabic.
Iglesia de BacturiaCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pl Moulay el-Mehdi; hmass 7pm daily, 11am Sun)
This Roman Catholic church was built in 1926 and is still active. We can't think of another place in Morocco where church bells sound the hour.
oTetouan Museum of Modern ArtMUSEUM
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0666 04 60 81;
www.gotetouan.com/Museums.html; Ave Al Maki Al Naciri; h9am-7pm Mon-Sat)F
Tetouan boasts one of only two schools of fine arts in Morocco (Casablanca has the other), so it's fitting that this museum should live here. The building itself is worth a visit: a magnificent Spanish-castle-like building that was once the railway station to Ceuta. It has been carefully renovated to protect the artworks and to provide ample light inside.
The museum houses contemporary Moroccan art and has visiting exhibitions.
4Sleeping
Tetouan has some reasonable sleeping options, both inside and out of the medina. If you want to be nearer the coast than the mountains, the port of Martil is only an inexpensive 15-minute cab ride away; M’Diq, the classier option, is twice that. The beachfronts are very quiet outside the holiday season of July to August.
Hotel ReginaHOTEL€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0539 96 21 13; 8 Rue Sidi Mandri; s/d Dh180/230; W)
One of the larger budget choices, the Regina initially feels a bit stuck in the 1970s (be prepared to love the pebble-dashed walls), but the bright Riffian fabrics manage to wake you up. While the bathrooms are sometimes worn, everything is sparklingly clean, which makes it decent value for money. There’s a cafe on the ground floor for breakfast.
Pension IberiaHOTEL€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0539 96 36 79; 5 Pl Moulay el-Mehdi; s/d without bathroom Dh100/180)
Lonely Planet Morocco Page 47