Café LatogaCAFE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Plaza de la Culturas; h10am-1am)
This small bar in the lee of a grand church has a local clientele happy to sip a beer or glass of wine and keep an eye on the plaza. Relaxed.
8Information
To phone Melilla from outside Spain, dial 0034 and drop the first zero. Melilla is one hour ahead of Morocco, and two hours ahead during Ramadan. Most shops and businesses are closed on Sunday.
Internet Access
There are a handful of internet cafes downtown, including Locutoria Dosmil ( GOOGLE MAP ; 14-25 Calle Ejercito Español; per hr €2; h9am-2pm & 4-9pm).
Medical Services
Hospital Comarcal ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 67 00 00; Ave de la Juventud) South side of Río de Oro.
Urgencias Sanitarias ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 67 44 00; 40 Alvaro de Bazan; h5pm-9am Mon-Sat, 24hr Sun & public holidays) Night pharmacy.
Money
Euros are used for all transactions in Melilla. You’ll find several banks (with ATMs) around Ave de Juan Carlos I Rey. Most will buy or sell dirham at an inferior rate to the Moroccan dealers hanging around the ferry port or the border.
On the Moroccan side of the border you can change cash at the Crédit du Maroc. There’s also a Banque Populaire with an ATM 200m further into Morocco; walk straight ahead to the crossroads and it’s on your left on the road to the port.
Post
Main Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; Calle Pablo Vallescá; h8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1pm Sat)
Tourist Information
Fundación Melilla Ciudad MonumentalTOURIST INFORMATION
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0952 97 62 01; www.melillamonumental.org; 13 Calle Miguel Acosta; h10am-2pm & 4.30-8.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun)
In-depth information on local architecture.
Oficina del Turismo (main)TOURIST INFORMATION
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0952 97 61 89; www.melillaturismo.com; Plaza de la Culturas; h10am-2pm & 4.30-8.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun)
Lots of maps and brochures and friendly, English-speaking staff. Offers special tours of religious sites. Website contains a comprehensive history and architectural tour.
Travel Agencies
Andalucía Travel ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 67 07 30; fax 0956 67 65 98; 11 Avenida de la Democracia) Will sell plane and ferry tickets.
Viajes Melilla ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0952 67 93 52; 1 Ave Duquesa de la Victoria; h9.30am-1pm, 3.30-7pm Mon-Sat) Travel agent that can book ferries to Spain.
Viajes Melisur ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 67 35 95, 0956 67 36 78; www.melisur.es; 13 Avenida de la Democracia) Travel agency selling plane and ferry tickets.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Air Nostrum (www.airnostrum.com; Melilla Airport, Iberia Regional) offers four flights a day between Melilla and Málaga, nine daily flights to Madrid (two via Barcelona) as well as four a week to Almería and Madrid. Air Europa (www.aireuropa.com; Melilla airport) has two flights a day to Malaga. The airport is a 10-minute (€6) taxi ride from the town.
Boat
Trasmediterránea ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0952 45 46 45; trasmediterranea.es; Estación Marítima), part of Acciona, sails from Melilla daily to Málaga and Almería. Both voyages take six to eight hours depending on the schedule. Fares start at €35 for foot passengers.
Tickets for ferries to Spain are available at the estación marítima (Ferry Port; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0956 68 16 33) or Melisur (%0956 68 66 13; www.melisur.es; 8 Calle de General Marina; h9am-1pm & 5-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat).
Border Crossing
To get to the border, you’ll need to either take a taxi (€7) or catch local bus 2 (marked ‘Aforos’), which runs between Plaza de España and the Beni Enzar border post (€0.85, every 30 minutes from 7.30am to 11pm). The bus drops you 50m from the Spanish border control. From here it's a 200m walk to the Moroccan border.
Before entering Morocco, fill in a white form and get your passport stamped at the booth. Touts may try to sell you a form for €1, but they're free at the booths (get one before you start queueing). If you’re driving into Morocco, remember to retain the green customs slip, which you must present when you (and your vehicle) leave the country. Large queues of vehicles entering Morocco are frequent and time-consuming; procedures for foot passengers are quick and easy.
On the Moroccan side of the border, grands taxis (Dh6, 15 minutes) to Nador are tucked away in a car park to the right of the crossroad – a 100m walk from the border.
When entering Melilla from Morocco, fill in a white form and get your passport stamped. Some nationalities require visas to enter Spain: if they don’t stop you here, they will when you try to move on to the mainland. Bus 42 goes to Plaza de España (€0.85).
8Getting Around
The centre of Melilla is compact and easy to walk around. Buses ply the route between Plaza de España and the border. The local taxi service (%0956 68 36 21) is also useful.
Nador الناظور
Pop 159,000
The Rocade (coastal road) from Al-Hoceima to Nador (130km) is a delight to travel. It passes through red cliffs, verdant gorges and, midway, an enormous sculpture of deeply eroded hills.
Within 60km of Nador there are several ramshackle, clifftop cafes that are perfect for a mint tea as you gaze out over the sea. A few of the beaches tucked into coves have restaurants; others are dirty with litter.
Nador itself has few attractions. The corniche by the lagoon is pleasant to walk on, but everything feels on hold until the new development on the outskirts at Marchica is completed – currently an endless sprawl of concrete. There are few reasons to linger, although the city is a decent transport hub, with an airport, a ferry port and a train station that has a service to Fez.
4Sleeping
There’s no shortage of hotels of all classes in Nador, with the accommodation scene recently enlivened by the addition of the new Mercure Rif hotel. The cheaper places are near the bus and grand-taxi stations.
Hotel GeranioHOTEL€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 60 28 28; 16 Rue No 20; s/d Dh160/190)
Just away from the chaos of the bus station, streetside rooms here can be noisy, but the low prices make this the top budget option. Clean rooms come with tiny bathrooms. There’s a ground-floor cafeteria as well.
Hotel MediterranéeHOTEL€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 60 64 95; [email protected]; 2-4 Ave Youssef ibn Tachfine; s/d incl breakfast Dh515/700; aW)
Views from this hotel have been annihilated by the now-abandoned hotel construction in front. But it’s still only one block back from the corniche and lagoon. The corner rooms have plenty of light, and all have TVs. There’s a dull restaurant on the ground floor serving breakfast, omelettes and fish.
Mercure Rif NadorHOTEL€€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 32 85 00; www.mercure.com; 1 Ave Ibn Tacfine; s/d Dh1216/1343; aWs)
The new belle of Nador's accommodation scene, the Mercure stands out on the corniche with its tinted blue glass facade, and neat attention to service. Rooms are large and with the comfort and amenities you'd expect from this international chain; some have views over the lagoon. The swimming pool on the roof terrace is a neat, pleasant surprise.
Hotel l'AeroportHOTEL€€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 381722; [email protected]; s/d Dh400/700)
A little out of the way, this hotel will be closer to the centre of things when the surrounding developments are finished. In the meantime, it has good, clean and comfortable rooms, although they're a little tight. Ask for the swanky Café Select nearby when flagging a taxi (also a good option for meals).
Hotel RyadHOTEL€€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 60 77 17; [email protected]; Ave Mohammed V; s/d Dh750/980; aW)
Once plush but now showing its age and somewhat overpriced, the Ryad is a large tired hotel with a noisy bar. The rooms have standard features and those on the top floor have views over the lagoon.
5Eating & Drinking
There are numerous cheap eats around the CTM bus station, serving up quick brochettes, sandwiches and tajines. Ave Mohammed V is the place for a lazy coffee – street cafes line the road under shady orange trees.
Café AntalyaCAFE€
( GOOGLE MAP ; Blvd Prince Héritier Sidi Mohammed; pizzas from Dh50; h8am-10pm)
All glass and chrome and spilling out onto the pavement, this smart cafe shows a new face of Nador. The pizzeria upstairs is popular with young trendies.
RomeroSEAFOOD€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; mains from Dh55; hnoon-10pm)
Perennially popular restaurant, with a brightly painted pastel dining room and quite enormous plates of seafood served up very quickly.
Restaurant MarhabaSEAFOOD€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 60 33 11; Calle ibn Rochd; mains from Dh70; hnoon-11pm)
One of the smartest restaurants in town, the Marhaba specialises in fish and does it very well. The main room is very large, but there’s a cosier terrace at the back with fishing nets and plastic lobsters. There’s no alcohol.
Café ClubCAFE
( GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Mohammed Zerktouni; h8.30am-10pm)
Jutting into the lagoon at the far end of Mohammed V, this island cafe is a welcome bit of maritime focus in an otherwise concrete forest. It no longer serves food, but it's a nice place to sit over the sea.
8Information
Credit Maroc ( GOOGLE MAP ; 64 Ave Mohammed V; h9am-4pm Mon-Thu, 9-11am Fri, 9am-noon Sat) One of several banks on Mohammed V with foreign-exchange services and ATM.
Pharmacy al-Farabi ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 60 60 11; Ave Mohammed V; h8am-6pm Mon-Sat)
Ketama Voyages ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 60 61 91; [email protected]; 55 Ave Mohammed; h9.30am-noon, 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-noon Sat)
Royal Air Maroc ( GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Mohammed V; h8.30am-12.15pm & 2.30-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon & 3-6pm Sat)
8Getting There & Away
Air
The airport is 23km south of Nador. Ryanair operates numerous flights to Brussels, Paris, Marseilles, Frankfurt and Barcelona. Eurowings flies to London, Cologne, Berlin, Prague and Zurich. Air Arabia flies to Barcelona, Cologne and Brussels. Royal Air Maroc flies to Casablanca, Amsterdam and Brussels.
Boat
Trasmediterranea has 11 sailings a week to Almería (six hours). Naviera Armas sails twice a week to Motril (five hours), while Grandi Navi Veloci has a weekly ferry to Sete in France (29 hours). The port of Beni Enzar is 7km from the city but traffic makes it feel much further. The quickest way to get there is by grand taxi (Dh6, 15 minutes).
Bus
From the CTM office ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 60 01 36; Rue Genéral Meziane) there are departures to all the usual suspects: Casablanca, Rabat, Meknès, Fez, Tangier, Larache, Sidi Kacem, Al-Hoceima, Chefchaouen and more. In the evening, several slightly cheaper Casablanca-bound coaches run by other companies leave from the same area. CTM also has a small office in the main bus station in addition to its main office.
The main bus station is southeast of the centre. There are frequent departures:
AAl-Hoceima (Dh40, three hours)
ABeni Enzar (Melilla border; Dh5, 25 minutes)
AFez (Dh60, 5½ hours)
AOujda (Dh30, 2½ hours) via Berkane (Dh20, 1½ hours)
ARas el-Maa (Dh20, one hour)
ATetouan (Dh120, nine hours), some via Dardara (for Chefchaouen, Dh100, six hours)
Taxi
The huge grand-taxi lot next to the main bus station serves plenty of destinations.
Destination Cost (Dh) Duration
Al-Hoceima 60 2 hr
Beni Enzar (the Melilla border) 6 15 min
Berkane 35 1 hr
Oujda 60 2 hr
Taza 70 3 hr
Train
Nador Ville train station serves the following destinations:
ABeni Enzar/Melilla border (Dh11, 18 minutes)
AFez (Dh104, six hours, four daily) Two of the Fez trains go via Taourirt, where you can change for Casablanca.
East of Nador
East of Nador, the coast is a mix of salt marsh and sand dunes, which attracts a wide variety of birdlife, including the greater flamingo. Two scruffy towns, Kariat Arekmane and Ras el-Maa, lie on the Rocade (N16) eastwards to Saïdia, which affords good views of the Islas Chafarinas, the last bit of Spain on the northern coast. Arekmane has a new corniche but no further development yet. The beach, with its fishing boats, is full of rubbish, and the wetlands inland of the corniche are in danger of disappearing.
Ras el-Maa, also known as Cap de l’Eau, is faring better. The pedestrianised corniche has a few small restaurants and a beautiful beach. The wetlands around the Moulouya rivermouth west of the small town are Ramsar-protected, making them a prime birdwatching area, especially for migrant fowl and waders from Europe.
From the eastern side of the Moulouya River estuary, the much-vaunted Station Balnéaire (seaside resort) runs for 5km to Saïdia along a truly magnificent beach. There are hundreds upon hundreds of blocks of apartments, mostly completed. They are largely only occupied during the high season (July and August), which gives the entire development a ghostly air. The development is mostly aimed at Moroccan holidaymakers (and Moroccans returning from abroad for their holidays).
The best area of beach along this 5km stretch is at Mediterreanéa Saïdia, known as Saïdia Med, where there are several golf courses, a large shopping centre and a marina with 740 berths. Here you can hire a jet ski (Dh800 per hour), a kayak (Dh40) or a motorboat (Dh1000).
4Sleeping & Eating
Resort hotels dominate Saïdia Med, which is where you'll find the restaurants, unless you go into Saïdia proper for cheap, cheerful options.
Iberostar HotelHOTEL€€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 63 00 10; www.iberostar.com; Saïdia Med; s/d full board Dh1580/2680; paWs)
The best option when it comes to resort hotels along Mediterreanéa Saïdia (Saïdia Med). It has extensive grounds and rooms, a spa, sporting facilities and several restaurants and bars. At the beach you can hire a jet ski, a kayak or a motorboat.
8Getting There & Away
Grands taxis ply the routes between Saïdia, Saïdia Med and the Nador-Oujda corridor.
Saïdia السعيدية
Pop 3870
Saïdia has always been a sleepy little seaside town that springs into life in summer when it throngs with Moroccan holidaymakers, many staying in the apartment complexes reserved for government workers.
The large developments known as the Station Balnéaire and Saïdia Med, consisting of holdiay apartments and resorts under construction, lie to the west, but the town remains quite separate.
Saïdia has a superb beach with clean yellow sand. There are loungers and umbrellas to hire, jet skis and pedalos and, most unusually, girls in bikinis. The new corniche has fast-food restaurants and clubs along it, each pumping out its own brand of music. Most, though, are closed out of season. One block back from the beach, Blvd Hassan II has some pre-existing hotels, banks, cafes and internet facilities.
4Sleeping & Eating
There are seafood restaurants along the corniche (Ave Mohammed V) and along Blvd Hassan II.
Hotel AtlalHOTEL€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 62 50 21; [email protected]; 44 Blvd Hassan II, Saïdia; d incl breakfast Dh510; aW)
Large rooms are the order of the day at this hotel run by friendly staff. There's a bar and good restaurant, too. However, noise from the basement disco can be a problem.
Titanic HotelHOTEL€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 62 40 71; Ave Mohammed V; s/d Dh370/520; aW)
A cheery blue-and-white hotel on the seafront with decent, breezy rooms and iceberg-free views of the water.
Restaurant BoughazFAST FOOD€
( GOOGLE MAP ; Corniche, Saïdia; pizzas from Dh30; h10am-10pm)
One of many restaurants lining the corniche, the Boughaz serves the usual burgers, pizzas and fish. Inside it's cavernous, but there's a terrace overlooki
ng the beach with wonderful sea views.
La CornicheMOROCCAN€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Mohammed V; mains Dh30-90; h8am-10pm)
Seafront restaurant with a terrace facing the water, with a mix of Moroccan staples, sandwiches, pasta and pizzas.
8Getting There & Away
Politics keeps the nearby border with Algeria closed. There is little to no chance of it reopening soon.
Air
Oujda-Angad Airport ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0536 68 32 61) servs Saïdia. RAM has two (sometimes three) daily flights to Casablanca and direct flights to Paris Orly. Ryanair operates flights to Paris, Brussels, Marseille and Düsseldorf. EasyJet, Transavia, Jetairfly and Air Arabia all have flights to Paris.
Bus
CTM operates an early-morning bus from Nador (Dh35, two hours).
Other companies run several buses a day from Oujda to Saïdia (Dh17, one hour).
Taxi
Hiring a taxi from Oujda airport to Saïdia costs Dh150 and the journey takes an hour. A seat in a shared taxi from Oujda's bus station is Dh25.
Berkane
Pop 80,000
Berkane is a dusty modern town about 80km southeast of Nador on the road to Oujda. It's famous for its oranges and everything in the town is indeed orange, from the taxis and buildings and the wonderful statue of an orange as you enter the town. It’s most useful to travellers as a transit point, as well as a base for exploring the Beni-Snassen Mountains.
Lonely Planet Morocco Page 54
