Boat tickets Motril – Melilla

It is Melilla's gateway for eastern Andalusia and the interior: from Granada, Jaén or Madrid, Motril avoids the detour via Málaga or Almería. The crossing links two points of Spain without a border, which makes boarding markedly quicker than on the neighbouring Moroccan routes. Motril's modest size completes the advantage: outside peak periods, waiting is measured in minutes rather than hours.

Crossing the Alboran Sea takes about half a day, between Granada's tropical coast and the Three Forks peninsula. That is comparable to Almería – Melilla for a slightly greater distance, and noticeably longer than Málaga – Melilla. On a daytime sailing the trip is spent on the open decks; on a night departure a cabin earns its place, all the more as arrival in Melilla often precedes an early-morning drive.

The Motril to Melilla programme is the most variable in the catalogue: it strengthens in summer and during the main Spanish school holidays, and can thin out sharply or stop altogether in low season. Before building a trip around this crossing, check that sailings are actually published for your dates — the Almería – Melilla and Málaga – Melilla routes take over year-round at a far steadier rhythm.

Melilla covers twelve square kilometres: the city is walkable, and a car only serves to leave it. It comes into its own if you then cross the Beni Ensar border to Nador and the Rif — provided the vehicle is not a rental, which Spanish firms generally forbid taking out of the country. For a stay in the city alone, travelling as a foot passenger costs considerably less.

The tropical coast owes its name to a microclimate: sugar cane, cherimoya and avocado grow at the foot of mountains rising to three thousand metres. Salobreña with its hilltop castle and Almuñécar with its Roman remains are twenty minutes from the port; Granada and the Alhambra an hour away. It is one of the few embarkations in the catalogue where waiting can turn into sightseeing without risking the sailing.

Melilla's airport, perched on a plateau of a few hectares, handles only small aircraft and no vehicles: fine for a light traveller, not for a family with a car. The easterly wind regularly diverts flights back to Málaga, turning a forty-minute hop into a lost day. The ship from Motril is slower but more predictable, and it takes the vehicle.

Markedly less than at Algeciras, Málaga or Barcelona: the corollary of a modest-sized port where land pressure is low. For a stay in Melilla, where a car is useless since the city fits in twelve square kilometres, leaving the vehicle at Motril and crossing on foot often halves the total bill. The calculation changes as soon as you plan to cross the border to Nador.

May-June and September-October: the Alboran Sea is calmer than in midwinter, the schedule is still or already open, and fares are far from the August peaks. Melilla, sheltered by the Three Forks peninsula, enjoys a mild climate year-round, which makes the shoulder season particularly attractive. In high summer the route fills up and the schedule tightens around Spanish school holidays.

Melilla, like Ceuta, lies outside the EU customs and tax territory: tobacco, alcohol, perfume and electronics are noticeably cheaper. Customs allowances nonetheless apply on the way back to the mainland, and checks at Motril are real. It is a regulated duty-free call, not a limitless free zone.

The Three Forks peninsula shelters the city from prevailing winds and gives it a mild climate year-round: winters rarely drop below ten degrees, summers stay tempered by the Alboran Sea. That is what makes the shoulder season especially attractive, when fares fall and the city empties of July-August visitors.

The ferry crossing from MOTRIL to MELILLA takes approximately 5h. This duration may vary slightly depending on weather conditions and the specific vessel used.

Expect from 90 € on foot to about 800 € for a car with cabin. Three factors apply: season (+40 to 60 % in summer), how early you book (−30 to 40 % in advance) and accommodation type. Indicative 2026 fares, to be confirmed at booking.

For international ferry crossings, we recommend arriving at MOTRIL at least 2 hours before the scheduled departure time. This allows sufficient time for check-in, security procedures, and vehicle boarding if applicable.

Yes, bookings can typically be modified or cancelled according to the ferry company's terms and conditions. Cancellation policies vary by operator and ticket type. Learn more about cancellation policies.