2024 Spring Festival Europe 6 Countries Day 05: Spain's Overseas Territory – Ceuta

📍 Paris · 👁 4994 reads · ❤️ 1 likes

We'd said this was a six-country European trip, so why does it start from Day 5—and even bring us to African soil? It all begins with Ceuta. The full name of Ceuta is the Autonomous City of Ceuta (Spanish: Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta), which is somewhere between a regular city and an autonomous community. Before gaining its autonomous status, Ceuta was part of the province of Cádiz in southern Spain. Starting from Day 5, I think visiting Ceuta was one of the highlights of this trip, so let me talk about it first.

Ceuta has many historical sites and attractions, including both cultural heritage and natural scenery. For a one-day visit, the best choices are the Ceuta Walls near the port, Plaza de África and the nearby Cathedral of Africa, the Church of Our Lady of Africa, and the Ceuta Town Hall.

This is a photo taken from the ferry, showing part of Ceuta's port. The sign likely shows the port's name in Spanish and English.

Here's my answer: First, Ceuta is on the African continent. While traveling in Europe, getting to step onto African soil as well is a bonus. For most people, it's a rare chance to set foot on Africa in their lifetime.

Second, on the ferry ride to and from Ceuta, you can see British Gibraltar from different distances, both close and far.

It's a very busy strait, and being right in it makes you appreciate its crucial role in maritime traffic.

Third, going from the southernmost tip of mainland Spain to Ceuta means crossing the Strait of Gibraltar by boat. This lets you enjoy a sea voyage and also places you right in the Strait of Gibraltar, a geographically significant spot.

We chose to take the ferry from Algeciras to Ceuta. In fact, several port cities in southern Spain have ferries to and from Ceuta, such as Algeciras, Cádiz, and Tarifa, with different sailing distances and times. Algeciras port should have the shortest sailing distance, about 70 minutes total.

Before the trip, I searched online for guides on getting to Ceuta. Probably because few Chinese tourists visit Ceuta, the guides weren't detailed. The actual ferry process turned out to be simple. First, buy your ticket. From my round-trip experience, February is clearly the low season. A ferry that holds several hundred people had less than 10% occupancy. You can buy tickets at the port ticket window. The night before, I tried to buy a ticket on an international port ticketing website, but when I got to the credit card payment step, it kept showing a 'waiting' message and never went through. The next day at the port ticket office, I asked why. The staff said the fare had changed, so online payment couldn't go through — that is, you couldn't actually buy a ticket on that site.

If you take a taxi to Algeciras port, there's no check, and you can be dropped right at the door of the ticket office inside the port. If you walk to the port, you need to enter through the entrance shown in the photo above and walk to the ticket office.

Ticket price: round trip €51.10 per person.

To help netizens find the port entrance, I've included a street view photo of the building opposite the entrance for reference.

As you can see from the photo, there are three main ferry companies operating the Algeciras–Ceuta route: BALEARIA, FRS, and TRASMEDITERRANEA. Departure times vary, but there's basically a ferry every half hour. We chose BALEARIA.

This type of ferry is a passenger-and-cargo mixed vessel. The upper one or two decks are for passengers, and the lower deck carries vehicles. Self-driving tourists can buy an extra ticket for their vehicle, just as easy.

The waiting room wasn't crowded; it was spacious, bright, and well-equipped.

Once boarding starts, you go through this entrance and walk along a corridor to get on the ship.

The passenger cabin on the BALEARIA ferry — see how few people there are! It was almost empty. The ship is quite well-equipped, with entertainment facilities, a children's play area, bar, restaurant, etc.

After returning from Ceuta to Algeciras, you need to go through customs and border control — just pass through that door on the left, which basically means scanning your luggage and checking your passport. Even though the whole trip was within Spanish territory, they still took a look at the passport. With few people, no queuing, it was very simple.

To be continued!

Travelogue Contents: 1. D5: Stepping onto African Soil – Ceuta; 2. D5-1: Overview of Ceuta; 3. D5-2: Why You Must Visit Ceuta When Traveling in Spain; 4. D5-3: How to Get to Ceuta from Mainland Spain