Melilla, Spanish Morocco - what to expect

[ButterSpoon]

We recently visited this intriguing little port with Marella, and struggled to find concrete info about what to expect before we went. So I thought I'd leave a bit of info here for anyone else searching for similar in future.

First up...where?! Melilla is a small Spanish city on the coast of North Africa, surrounded by Morocco. It's basically opposite Almeria, with daily ferries making the crossing to and from mainland Spain. Among the likely tourist attractions are various old forts, a network of tunnels built into a cliff and used as a hideout during wartime, and a picture-perfect tiny cove beach (all very close to the port). Despite some differences it's very clearly Spanish, you can use Euros and it's covered by most EU roaming plans.

 

One big thing we weren't sure about was how to pronounce it! Onboard the ship, everyone was going with "Mel-ee-ya" but once in the city, our tour guide assured us that it's actually "Mel-ee-ja" with a soft J (like in Beijing). Apparently this is a regional difference in how Spanish-speaking places handle a double L.

Important to know: You can't walk through Melilla port, and must take a shuttle bus instead.

We were on an organised tour, but there were also free shuttle buses taking people from the ship and doing a loop of (supposedly) three stops: a fort attraction, the city centre, and a beach. On the way to our tour coach we did see a couple who had already returned on the shuttle bus as it never stopped at the beach and just brought them back to the port instead, they were asking the Tui staff to have a word with the driver and make sure he knew where all the stops were supposed to be for their second attempt. This is pretty illustrative of the impression we got, that Melilla is trying its best to be welcoming but is just not quite prepared for handling large numbers of tourists just yet.

Unfortunately we visited on a Sunday, and our tour began early in the morning so most things were shut and the city centre had an air of utter desertion. The temperature was already well into the 30s (about 90f) when we set off at 9:15, and Marella being a British line I expect they knew our pasty pale selves would never handle the heat later in the day. The tour guide was giving out Melilla-themed straw sunhats for protection but it was a very windy day and we couldn't really wear them (or in my case, fit it into my suitcase to bring home 🙃)

We were on a coach tour "Historic Melilla and Underground Caves" which definitely was not as advertised, but ended up being interesting anyway. Sadly it started in the city centre and worked its way out, so we never got to see the place bustling as more locals woke up. Melilla is home to four main religions / cultures, and our tour guide talked at length about how this means the city is basically always celebrating something on a weekend and everyone sleeps in until noon on Sundays to recover. There were indeed all kinds of stages and event areas set up through the middle of the city, so I bet it's popping off on a Friday and Saturday night!

 

There were a few cafes open for drinks, a couple of the usual souvenir tat shops, and a beautiful beach with freely available umbrellas, but otherwise I'm not sure what the people who got the shuttle bus really found to do until things got going in the afternoon.

Important to know: Other than our tour guide and one lift operator, it seemed staff in the few tourist attractions only spoke Spanish or extremely broken English. Be prepared for this.

Since Melilla is surrounded by Morocco, it's also surrounded by a very large and intimidating fence that starts and ends in the sea. There are four border crossings, and pre-covid it was common for Moroccan workers to commute into Melilla. During covid, border crossings were shut, and now only one has reopened. Reading between the lines it's clear this has had a big impact on the local economy, and is probably a good part of the reason they're trying to attract more tourism.

Our tour took us through some very deprived areas for a good look at the fence (complete with warnings not to get too close as proximity alarms would alert the police) where I got my first ever glimpse of Morocco! A house on a hill on the other side of the fence, with the resident staring at this group of tourists in utter confusion. Can't say I blame him.

The city centre itself was actually very beautiful, with stunning architecture and at least one large shady park that looked pleasant for a stroll. And yes, there is a McDonalds. We did consider going for a wander after our 4-hour tour, but by the time the coach had taken us back to the port and we were faced with the prospect of waiting for another shuttle bus to take us back out we decided to just head back to the ship instead. Slight regret about that in hindsight, I would at least have liked to stand on the roundabout that Tripadvisor lists as one of the main things to do here! We got to drive round it about six times though so that'll have to do.

All in all it was an educational and interesting port, with a tour that definitely made some of our fellow visitors feel uncomfortable about the focus on the fence and immigration. Not the sort of place you see every day, and I'd 100% be interested in revisiting in a few years to see if their tourism plan is working! I'll leave enough room in my suitcase for a new hat next time, though.

Our guide was extremely proud of his city, and his enthusiasm for its multicultural nature was honestly lovely to hear about.

He also let us know that as part of the focus on tourism, EU residents can apparently get heavy discounts on flights and ferries from the mainland, as well as accomodation in Melilla itself! Of course he was telling this to a coach load of British people who are no longer eligible, but still, it might be useful info for someone out there!

Edited August 2 by ButterSpoon

[edinburgher]

4 hours ago, ButterSpoon said:

So I thought I'd leave a bit of info here for anyone else searching for similar in future.

Future useful or not, it was an interesting read so thank you for your effort posting it.

 

Melilla is similar to Ceuta, the second of only two Spanish enclaves in N. Africa, and subject to the same attempts to enter by those seeking a new life.

 

As both only ever appear to  hit the news for all the wrong reasons,your very balanced perspective was much appreciated.

 

 

[ButterSpoon]

22 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Melilla is similar to Ceuta, the second of only two Spanish enclaves in N. Africa, and subject to the same attempts to enter by those seeking a new life.

As both only ever appear to  hit the news for all the wrong reasons,your very balanced perspective was much appreciated.

Yes, I'd never heard of either place until spotting this itinerary and they've been fascinating to learn about! The headlines my initial research popped up were definitely alarming at first, but we figured you can find alarming headlines from just about anywhere.

[Harters]

Thanks for the post, ButterSpoon. I now know quite a bit more than I did before. Prior, about the only thing I really knew was that my brother-in-law's father did his military national service in the enclave.

 

And, of course, it can be a great response if you should come across a Spaniard arguing that Gibraltar is Spanish. What about Melilla then, mi amigo?

[ButterSpoon]

On 8/3/2024 at 3:37 PM, Harters said:

And, of course, it can be a great response if you should come across a Spaniard arguing that Gibraltar is Spanish. What about Melilla then, mi amigo?

No idea where my original reply to this has got to! Long story short we'd already visited Gibraltar on this cruise, and I was braced for someone to bring it up with our poor tour guide whenever he strayed close to the topic, but thankfully we escaped that particular horror 😅

[2BACRUISER]

We are going on sights & delights on Marella in Nov 24  and it lists Morocco (for Marrakesh) on 18th as a stop so i'm wondering if really it will be a stop at Melilla so very useful info thanks. 

[edinburgher]

7 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

We are going on sights & delights on Marella in Nov 24  and it lists Morocco (for Marrakesh) on 18th as a stop so i'm wondering if really it will be a stop at Melilla so very useful info thanks. 

Marella usually visit Casablanca but may have changed post pandemic,I do not know, but you could check your booking confirmation or the online itinerary on their website  as you should know where you are going to visit to help you plan your time there. Or check their  "Morocco" shorex  even if you don't want to book one as the name of the city/town should be listed..

Edited September 3 by edinburgher

[smurphette]

Thanks for the post.  We are headed to this port with Azamara in November. @ButterSpoon - curious about the balance of your tour....  I assume based on you mentioning caves that you were headed to the Conventico Caves? Did you enjoy?   We're looking at a tour that highlights "walking tour to ancient protective city walls/Explore the Conventico Caves, a network of caves and passages where civilizations over the centuries sought refuge".   Wondering if it's worth the time or if a panoramic tour would be better.  

Sounds like an interesting port, but likely one where I'd prefer to be on a ship excursion.  

[ragesinn]

I stumbled upon this because we are trying to go Tangiers from the same Azamara cruise in November. Our best option seemed to be Cadiz even though other ports we visited looked closer. Wonder what walking tour you found in Melilla?

 

 

 

 

 

[smurphette]

3 hours ago, ragesinn said:

I stumbled upon this because we are trying to go Tangiers from the same Azamara cruise in November. Our best option seemed to be Cadiz even though other ports we visited looked closer. Wonder what walking tour you found in Melilla?

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve attached a screenshot of the tour I found on our list of excursions.