What's the best Morocco itinerary from southern Spain or Tarifa?

If you're starting from Tarifa or anywhere in Andalusia, the smartest itinerary leans into the proximity rather than fighting it. My standard recommendation is to take the one-hour fast catamaran from Tarifa into Tangier city and make Tangier your base for a short, rich northern Morocco trip. You arrive in the city centre, drop your bags, and you're wandering the medina within the hour — no transfers, no long drives. This is the trip I detail on our Tangier 2-day itinerary.

A two-to-three-day shape works beautifully. Day one is Tangier itself: the labyrinthine medina, the Kasbah with its views back across the Strait toward Spain, the Petit Socco cafés, and a seafood dinner by the port. Day two I send people up to Chefchaouen, the famous blue-washed mountain town about two hours away — it's one of the most photogenic places in Morocco and an easy, gorgeous day trip. If you have a third day, add Tetouan or Asilah, both relaxed and atmospheric, before catching the ferry home.

Now, the honest caveat I give every Spanish guest tempted to drive south from Tangier: Marrakech and the Sahara are a long way from the northern coast — eight to ten hours by road to Marrakech, then more to the dunes. If the desert is your dream, do not try to reach it overland from Tarifa in a few days. Instead, treat the north as its own trip, or fly: there are onward flights from Tangier and easy connections via Casablanca down to Marrakech, turning a ferry-in trip into a full week.

So my framing is simple. Short break from southern Spain? Ferry to Tangier, do the blue-city-and-medina loop, sail back — it's one of the great long weekends in the Mediterranean. Got a full week and your heart set on dunes and kasbahs? Fly into Marrakech and follow our 7-day route instead, saving the Tangier crossing for another time. Both are wonderful; the mistake is trying to cram both into a few days. Tell me your dates and I'll shape the right one.