Ceuta

On clear days, you can see Ceuta across the strait from Algeciras: a Spanish city on a peninsula in Africa, only about an hour away by ferry. A trip to Ceuta takes you to fortress walls with a moat, a lookout mountain above the Strait of Gibraltar and a city where Europe and the Maghreb meet.

History and Location

Ceuta sits on a narrow spit of land at the northern tip of Morocco. Portugal conquered the city in 1415, and with the division of the crowns it passed to Spain for good in 1668; the city's coat of arms still shows the Portuguese arms today. Since 1995, Ceuta has been an autonomous city. Morocco claims the territory. About half of the population is Muslim and the other half mostly Christian, with small Jewish and Hindu communities as well. Some interpret Monte Hacho at the eastern end of the peninsula as one of the ancient Pillars of Hercules, the counterpart to the Rock of Gibraltar.

Sights in Ceuta

The Murallas Reales, the Royal Walls with a navigable moat cutting across the isthmus, are the most impressive structure; you can travel along the moat by boat. A fortress that is still used by the military crowns Monte Hacho, and from the San Antonio viewpoint you can see all the way to the Spanish mainland. The cathedral and the Church of Nuestra Señora de África, dedicated to the city's patron saint, stand on the central square. The Parque Marítimo del Mediterráneo, a bathing complex with saltwater pools, was designed by the artist César Manrique. The beaches of El Chorrillo and La Ribera lie right in the middle of the city.

Food, Getting There and Best Time to Visit

The cuisine blends Andalusia and Morocco: fresh fish, seafood, pinchos morunos and harira soup during Ramadan. Ferries run from Algeciras several times a day, and a helicopter connects Ceuta with Málaga and Algeciras. The border with Morocco is at Tarajal. The best times to visit are spring and fall, when it is pleasantly warm; in summer, the Levante wind often blows.