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Day trip from Spain · From Málaga

Málaga to Tangier: An Honest Plan

There is no ferry from Málaga to Tangier: the way across is about two hours by road to Tarifa, then an hour on the ferry to the city port of Tangier. That makes a long day, so here is a plan that works, and the relaxed option of a night in Tangier.

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  • Written by licensed Tangier guides
  • 91 Google reviews, rated 4.9
  • Road and ferry facts checked October 2026

Crossing

Málaga → Tangier

The day trip from Málaga to Tangier, leg by leg, with the time each leg takes and where it arrives
Leg Time Arrives Note
Road to Tarifa About 2h Tarifa port AP-7 or A-7, N-340
Ferry About 1h Tanger Ville Passport stamped on board
Your guide At the exit Tanger Ville Holding your name
A night in Tangier Two half days Tangier The relaxed option
How long can you stay?

Pick how long you can stay and the board lights up the plan.

  • About 2 hoursMálaga to Tarifa port
  • About 160 kmalong the coast, then the N-340
  • About 1 hourTarifa to Tanger Ville
  • About 6 hourson the road and at sea, there and back
  • A nightthe relaxed way to do it
  • From $25private tour, per person (group of 4)

The short answer

Can you do a day trip to Tangier from Málaga?

Yes, but it is a long day. Málaga has no ferry to Tangier, so you drive about two hours to Tarifa, about 160 km, and take the hour-long ferry to Tangier City Port (Tanger Ville), in the city. There and back, that is about six hours on the road and at sea, plus an hour at the terminal before each ferry.

For a day trip, a short tour in Tangier is the relaxed choice: the medina and the Kasbah on foot, or the Anthony Bourdain tour with its fish lunch, and an evening ferry home. A night in Tangier changes everything: the walking tour on the first evening, the full day tour the next morning.

You book the ferry yourself and send us your times. Tour Guide Tangier meets you at the port exit with your name and brings you back to the port 60 minutes before your boat home. A private tour starts from $25 per person for a group of 4, paid on the day.

  • About 2 hoursDrive to Tarifa, 160 km
  • About 1 hourFast ferry to Tanger Ville
  • A long dayOr stay a night in Tangier
  • Met at the portThe day fits your two ferries

The way across

From Málaga to the Tangier medina

Four places from Málaga to the old town of Tangier, and the time between each of them.

  1. MálagaYour start
  2. About 2 hoursAbout 160 km by road
  3. Tarifa portFerry terminal
  4. About 1 hourFerry across the Strait
  5. Tanger VilleThe city port
  6. About 15 minOn foot, with your guide
  7. The medinaPetit Socco

Road and walking times measured on the map, without traffic. The crossing can take longer in strong wind.

Pick your plan

One day or one night from Málaga

How long you can stay decides the tour. Here is what fits.

  1. One day, on foot

    The walking tour: the medina and the Kasbah in a few hours, between a morning ferry and an evening one.

    Tangier Walking Tour

  2. One day, with lunch

    The Anthony Bourdain tour: the cafés and the fish lunch from Parts Unknown, about four hours, lunch included.

    Anthony Bourdain Tour

  3. One day, for the souks

    The shopping tour: three hours in the souks with a lesson in every shop, and time to spare before the ferry.

    Tangier Shopping Tour

  4. One night in Tangier

    The walking tour on the first evening, then the full day tour the next morning: the Kasbah, Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules.

    Tangier Full Day Tour

Before you sail

The drive and the ferry from Málaga

From Málaga to Tarifa

Leave Málaga on the MA-20 and follow the coast west on the AP-7 or the A-7, then the N-340 into Tarifa: about 160 km, two hours without traffic. Allow time to park and be at the terminal at least an hour before your ferry.

Coaches run from Málaga to Tarifa too, but only a few a day, so check them against your ferry before you rely on them. Algeciras is a little closer, but its ferries land at Tanger Med, about 40 km east of Tangier, which takes back the time you saved.

Crossing from Tarifa

The ferry takes about an hour to Tanger Ville, with passport control for Morocco at a desk on board: join the queue soon after you sail. Strong wind in the Strait can delay or cancel sailings, so check the evening before.

The first ferries leave Tarifa in the morning and the last ones back leave Tangier in the evening, at times that change with the season. Spain is one hour ahead of Morocco in winter and two hours ahead in summer.

An example day

The long day from Málaga, hour by hour

Example times for a ferry landing in Tangier at 10:00, Tangier time. It is a long day: this is how to keep it pleasant.

  1. Early morning

    Two hours to Tarifa

    Leave Málaga early enough to be at the terminal an hour before your ferry.

  2. 10:00

    Off the ferry at Tanger Ville

    From here the times are Tangier time, one or two hours behind Spain. Your guide waits at the port exit with your name.

  3. 10:30

    The medina and the Kasbah on foot

    Up through the lanes to Bab Kasbah and the terraces over the Strait, then down to the Petit Socco.

  4. 13:00

    Lunch in the medina

    A Moroccan lunch at your own pace; on the Bourdain tour, the fish lunch is included.

  5. 14:30

    A last walk or a mint tea

    Time for a shop you liked or a café over the Strait before you head back to the port.

  6. Before your ferry

    Back at the port

    We bring you back to Tanger Ville 60 minutes before your ferry. Then an hour to Tarifa and about two hours back to Málaga.

Ferry times change with the season and the weather: tell us yours and we plan the day backwards from your boat home.

Before you cross

Three things to sort before you leave Málaga

  • Passport

    Always

    You need it for the ferry and for passport control on both sides, even for one day. Check the visa rules for your nationality before you travel. If you cross on your own ferry ticket, an ID card is not enough: Morocco asks for a passport valid for more than six months, even for a day trip.

  • Your port

    Tarifa

    Book a Tarifa to Tanger Ville ferry. Ferries from Algeciras land at Tanger Med, 40 km from the city, where pick-up has an extra fee.

  • Time

    Spain is ahead

    Morocco keeps GMT all year since 20 September 2026. Spain is one hour ahead in winter and two hours ahead in summer, and each side's ferry times are in its own local time.

Good to know

Málaga to Tangier: Your Questions

What travellers ask before a day in Tangier from Málaga.

Coming from Málaga?Send us your dates and your ferry times on WhatsApp. We reply within 2 hours (8am to 10pm).
Is there a ferry from Málaga to Tangier?

Not at the moment. The ferries to Tangier city leave from Tarifa, about two hours from Málaga by road, and cross in about an hour. Ferries from Algeciras land at Tanger Med, about 40 km east of Tangier, where you need a private transfer or a taxi into the city.

How long does it take from Málaga to Tangier?

About two hours to Tarifa, at least an hour at the terminal and an hour at sea: about four hours from Málaga to the Tangier port exit, and the same back.

Is a day trip from Málaga to Tangier worth it?

If you only have one day, yes, with a short tour: you still see the medina, the Kasbah and the view across the Strait. If you can, stay a night: the drive and the crossing then fit around two relaxed half days.

Which tour suits a day from Málaga?

A tour of a few hours: the walking tour, the Bourdain tour with lunch, or the shopping tour. The full day tour fits better on the morning after a night in Tangier.

Should we book a coach tour from Málaga instead?

A coach tour books everything for you, but keeps a group timetable and a long day. With your own ferry and a private guide, the day follows your times and your pace.

Do you pick us up in Málaga?

No, we do not pick up in Málaga: you make your own way to Tarifa and book the ferry yourself; your guide meets you at the port exit in Tangier and brings you back in time for your ferry home.

Plan your day

Your day or night from Málaga, planned for you

Tell us your dates, your group and your ferry times. Nothing is booked until we confirm in writing.

From $25 per personFor a group of 4 guests. Smaller groups pay more per person: see the price for your group.

  • Your guide at the Tanger Ville port exit
  • The day planned around your two ferries
  • Back at the port 60 minutes before your boat
  • Pay on the day: cash, PayPal or bank transfer
  • No deposit for most groups
  • Free cancellation 48h before
  • Reply within 2 hours (8am to 10pm)

Step 1 of 3 Your day

* required

How do you arrive in Tangier?

Children count towards your group size. Child seats on request.

Step 2 of 3 Pickup

Or the area, if you have not booked yet.

Which port?

Tangier time. Morocco is on GMT: Spain is 1 hour ahead in winter, 2 in summer.

We bring you back to the port in time for your ferry.

Start typing: the ships calling at Tangier appear with their dates and times. Not on our schedule? Type its name.

On your ship’s day programme.

We meet you at Tanger Ville. Docking at Tanger Med, Ksar Sghir or the Tetouan cruise terminal? Say so in your note: a pick-up fee applies there.

Airport or train station?
Start time

9 or 10 am is best: places are open and the lanes are calm.

Guide language
Step 3 of 3 Check and send

Your guide waits for you inside the terminal.

Your guide waits just outside the port’s main exit, by the big mosque.

Our team replies on WhatsApp. Start with your country code.

  • Pay on the day: cash (EUR, USD, GBP or MAD), PayPal or bank transfer. No card.
  • Nothing to pay if you cancel. Please tell us as soon as you can.
  • 40% deposit to hold the date, the rest on the day: cash, PayPal or bank transfer. No card.
  • Deposit refunded in full up to 48 hours before.

This is a request: nothing is booked until our team confirms in writing. Reply within 2 hours, between 8am and 10pm Tangier time. Nothing to pay to ask.

We use your details only to answer and plan your request, and keep them 12 months. Privacy policy

What is included
  • Any time that suits you. The best start is 9 or 10 am.
  • Your guide waits at the port exit.
  • You book the ferry yourself. We look after your day in Tangier.
  • We have you back at the terminal 60 minutes before all aboard.
  • Bad weather, a closed port or a strike: a new date or a full refund, your choice.
  • Private: your group only.

Starting somewhere else?

Day trips to Tangier from other cities in Spain