If you are here, it is because you are probably thinking: “hey, I want to visit Melilla, but… How to get to Melilla? What options are there to get to Melilla from the mainland and the islands?
This is normal because, as you know, Melilla, despite being a Spanish city, is outside the Iberian Peninsula.
It has a peculiar situation. It is not on an island like the Canaries or the Balearic Islands, no. Exactly, it is located in the north of the African continent. Bordering the closest African country to the peninsula: Morocco.
So, as the mainland and North Africa are separated by sea, the only two options for reaching Melilla are by air and by sea.
Remember that Melilla is bathed by the Mediterranean Sea. To help you locate Melilla a little better, I will tell you that it is a few kilometres southeast of the Strait of Gibraltar, opposite Granada and Almería.
In this article, I will explain how to get to Melilla without dying trying. I’ll tell you about the two options (remember, plane and ferry) and in addition I’ll tell you (briefly) how to get around the city once you’re there and the different options that exist.
That said, let’s get on with it.
How to get to Melilla: air and sea options
Option 1: flights to Melilla
To reach the city of Melilla by plane, you have several airport options. Direct flights from several points of the Peninsula and others with stopovers from different points of the Spanish territory.
As direct flights, you have two options:
- Madrid (flights every day) – 1 hour 50 minutes
- Málaga (flights every day and most economical option) – 45 minutes / 1 hour
- Sevilla (direct flights but NOT every day) – 1hour 10 minutes
- Almería (direct flights but NOT every day) – 45 minutes
- Granada (direct flights but NOT every day) – 50 minutes
Although all of the above is variable, for example:
Every year they add direct connections in summer with Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca; in addition to some flights to the Canary Islands (usually from August to December).
With minimum scale:
- Barcelona (normally with a stopover at Malaga airport on the outward journey and with the possibility of a direct flight on the return).
- Bilbao (with a stopover in Madrid)
- Valencia (with a stopover in Madrid)
- Vigo (with a stopover in Madrid)
- Palma de Mallorca (with a stopover in Granada or Malaga on the outward journey and Malaga on the return).
- Gran Canaria (with a stopover in Madrid or Malaga)
*Tell you that companies vary a lot and that this could change from one moment to the next. The best thing to do is to check for yourself and according to your preferred dates through the iberia link. https://www.iberia.com/
Before moving on to the next option (by sea), let me tell you about options for getting from the airport to the city. It is 3km from the airport to the city centre and the only way to get there is by taxi:
- Taxi: at the airport you will find a large number of taxis waiting for you. They work with a taximeter to calculate the fare. The price is non-negotiable and is calculated per vehicle, not per number of passengers. Maximum of 4 passengers normally and the average fare to the centre is usually between 6 and 9 euros.
Having covered almost the entire Spanish territory in terms of flights and how to get to the centre from the airport, let’s move on to option number 2: the ferry.
Option 2: Ferry to Melilla
The second option for reaching Melilla is by sea via ferry. You should bear in mind that it only departs from three points in the south of the peninsula:
- Málaga
- Almería
- Motril
And only 3 shipping companies operate (at the moment) to the port of Melilla, and they are Balearia and Trasmediterránea, which operate both Malaga/Almería/Motril – Melilla and vice versa (Motril is only operated by Balearia), and the shipping company FRS, which only operates to and from Motril.
Prices, both one way and return, are usually around €60 (the simplest ticket and this is an approximate price to give you an idea), i.e. €120 one way + return. This price is for NON residents.
Normally, there are numerous discounts for non-residents through the Tourist Board. All the info at bonosmelilla.es or by calling the Melilla Tourist Board.
Here are some facts about the ferry trip, so that you can get an idea and have some more information:
Málaga – Melilla:
- Average trip duration: 7 hours.
- Port of departure: Port of Malaga. Avenida Manuel Agustín Heredia, 1, 29001 Málaga.
- Distance: 213 km.
Almería – Melilla:
- Average trip duration: 6h 30 minutes.
- Port of departure: Puerto de Almería. Muelle de la Ribera, s/n, 04002 Almería.
- Distance: 175,9 km.
Motril (Granada) – Melilla:
- Average trip duration: 4h 30 minutes.
- Port of departure: Recinto Portuario, s/n, 18613 Motril, Granada
- Distance: 211,1 km.
Shipping companies’ web access:
- Balearia (Click on “South Strait” and choose Ferry Malaga – Melilla, Almeria – Melilla or Motril – Melilla).
- Trasmediterránea (Simply, under “Estrecho Sur”, choose Malaga – Melilla or Almeria – Melilla).
- FRS (Simply enter Origin, Destination, Date of Departure and Date of Return)
Once you arrive at the port of Melilla, it is very easy to travel from there to the city centre. Just think that only 1km separates them.
You have two options for getting from the port to the centre of town:
- By taxi: There are always taxis waiting there, so you won’t have any problems in that sense to catch one. Remember that they are metered and normally have a maximum occupancy of 4 persons.
- Walking: Remember that the city centre is only 1km away, so with any decent map app you can easily walk to your hotel.
When you need to buy your ferry ticket from Melilla to Malaga, Almeria or Motril, just go to the Melilla port offices and buy your ticket directly there. Or you can also do it through the websites of travel companies or travel agencies.
Perfect. This concludes the two options on how to get to Melilla from different parts of Spain.
Here’s how to get around the city of Melilla.
How to get around the city
To get around the city of Melilla, you have several options:
- Public transport: You can get around by public transport using the Melilla city buses. Here is the official website of COA Melilla (Cooperativa Omnibus de Autobuses), the city’s public buses: https://coamelilla.com/mapa-generico/. Here you will find lines, map, timetables and prices with different plans. But if you don’t want to complicate your life I recommend the Moovit app, very intuitive for travel and in real time. I leave you the direct link to the most popular urban mobility app in Melilla (moovitapp.com).
- Walking: of course, the healthiest and most environmentally friendly option. Think of Melilla as a city of just 12 km. For getting around the centre of Melilla, it is perhaps the best option. But beware of the heat depending on the season in which you visit the city of Melilla.
- By taxi: As mentioned above, taxis are common in Melilla, so you should have no problem catching a taxi. You have 3 taxi ranks in the city: Taxi Cándido Lobera, Taxi Castilla and Taxi Puerto.
- Renting a car: As a fifth option, you can rent a car in the city of Melilla itself. You can go directly to the city offices (Rent a Car Melilla).
- Bring your own car if you travel by ferry: The last option is to take your car on the ferry to Melilla and move around the city in your own car.
- By bike: Another option for getting around is to rent a bicycle. Melilla has some stretches of cycle lanes. Cycling the whole promenade can be a great idea, a nice experience. touring all the urban beaches of Melilla. The sunsets from the promenade are beautiful. You can find the bikes in Las Planadas, between Puerto Noray and Hotel Melilla Puerto. These work with a QR code. You can find more information at bicioh.com.
This is all from my side
I hope I have helped you clear up any doubts you may have about how to get to Melilla and how to get around the city. If you also want to know what to see in Melilla, I have this article for you.
If not, feel free to ask me in the comments and I’ll get back to you as soon as I see it. I do not promise speed, but I do promise a response.
Or simply comment what you think of this free content that I have created to make your visit to Melilla easier.
Greetings from your guide in Melilla!
