Are you ready for the road trip of a lifetime? If you are then fasten your seatbelts because it’s time for an adventure as we travel to Morocco!
A road trip from the UK to Morocco has been on my bucket list for years and one of my friends has recently completed the journey so I’ve sat her down to ask her everything! Massive thanks to Shelley for answering all of my questions..
There are 5 main questions I had about driving to Morocco and we’ll tackle them all below.
- What is the best route?
- Where are the best places to stop?
- How long does it take?
- Where do you stay?
- Do I need a visa or special documents?
- Is the drive safe?
Let’s start with that first question and I’ll hand you over to Shelley…
What’s the best route to take when driving from the UK to Morocco?
There were 6 sections to our drive and travel to Morocco is a combination of driving and ferries:
- Home to Dover
- Ferry from Dover to Calais
- Drive through France
- Drive through Spain to Tafira
- Take the ferry from Tafira to Tangier
- Tangier to your first destination in Morocco
When it’s broken up into these six sections it doesn’t feel nearly as daunting!
What are the best places to stop during the drive?
To make this epic drive really enjoyable you need to make it all about the places you stop! It’s not just about reaching your destination, it’s about everywhere you visit along the way.
- Near Dover – Depending on where you’re travelling from in the UK you might want to stop near Dover for your first night of travel. We live in North Wales so it was a long drive down to Dover and we decided to spend a day in Margate before catching the ferry from Dover the next day. Margate is a 45 minute drive from Dover and we have friends there so it was a good opportunity to visit!
- Paris – The drive from Calais to Paris is about 3.5 hours so it’s a perfect place for your first stop in France. We stayed in an Airbnb on the outskirts of the city for two days.
- La Rochelle + Ile de Re + Oreleron – It took over 5 hours to drive from Paris to La Rochelle so this was a big drive day but it was worth it. We spent a night in La Rochelle, one night in Orleron and one night in Ile de Re. This is a beautiful area and I’m glad we spent 3 days here.
- Bordeaux – It was then a 2.5 hour drive to Bordeaux which was just beautiful. We only stayed for one night but I wish we’d stayed for longer now!
- San Sebastian – It was 3 hours to San Sebastian where we stayed for two nights.
- Madrid – It was 5 hours to Madrid where we stayed for two nights.
- Seville – Another 5 hour drive and we stayed for two nights.
- Marbella – It was a 3 hour drive to Marbella and we stayed for one night.
- Tarifa – And finally it was about 1.5 hours to Tarifa where we caught the ferry to Morocco.
How long does it take?
The drive from the UK to Morocco can take as long as you want it to really!
According to Google Maps, you could do it in about 30 hours.
We really enjoyed taking a leisurely two weeks to get from the UK to Morocco. I’d give yourself a minimum of 7 days if you want to enjoy it.
For our return journey we did it in 5 days.
Where do you stay?
We stayed exclusively in Airbnbs which I’d prebooked. I love Airbnbs because you have a little more space and it feels like home. You’ve usually got a kitchen so you can cook your own meals and a washing machine so it’s easier to travel light.
If you’re in a campervan there are lots of campsites or parking spots you could stay in.
Do I need a visa or special documents?
No, not really. As British citizens we didn’t need any visas for the trip. You can check out the Morocco Visa Policy for UK Citizens here.
You obviously need your passport and driving licence (if you have a modern plastic driving licence you don’t need an international driving licence).
We got breakdown cover and car insurance to cover us for Europe and Morocco.
We made sure we had our V5C logbook.
Is the drive safe?
Yes, the drive through France and Spain was very safe and easy. Once we got to Morocco we felt the difference in how people drive but we still felt safe.
We always avoided arriving in a new place late at night. We prefer to arrive during daylight hours to make it easier to find a safe parking spot and find our accommodation.