A small but beautiful city is just a 60 minute ferry ride from a nearby African city.

Algeciras is a city in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, close to the Strait of . It has a population of 120,000 people and is the largest city in the Bay of Gibraltar.

The port is one of the largest in the world in three categories: container, cargo and transshipment. It serves as the main embarkation point to Tangier and other ports in as well as the Canary Islands and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

And for those looking to explore Morocco, it is also served by a number of ferry routes with crossings to Ceuta and Tanger Med available, with up to eight sailings daily.

Journey times across the 38 miles range from one hour on the Ceuta service to two hours 30 minutes on the Tanger Med service. Both services carry up to 1,000 people and have a shop and cafe on board.

The urban area of Algeciras straddles the small Río de la Miel, which is the southernmost river of continental Europe. The river is very short, only 350 metres long with some waterfalls and water wheels.

The main shopping streets, together with the town square and central market, are mainly pedestrianised. There is a wide range of shops from local food markets and boutiques to big brands.

To see in the city is the Plaza Alta de Algeciras, the medieval walls, the coastline path, Maria Cristina Park, the Church of Our Lady of La Palma, and Almirante Tower.

Reviewers on Tripadvisor called Algeciras a "must-see" area to visit if you are in the area. One person called the main square "charming", saying it looked "lovely in the sunshine".

Many commented on the "amazing" coloured tiles covering the Old Town, calling the area "lovely and picturesque".

Algeciras has a Mediterranean subtropical climate with very mild, rainy winters and warm, dry summers. It has summer highs of 28C and winter lows of 11C.

In recent years it has become a significant tourist destination, with popular day trips to Tarifa to see bird migrations; to Gibraltar to see the territory's sights and culture; and to the Bay of Gibraltar on whale watching excursions.

It is also close to two natural parks -El Estrecho and Los Alcornocales. El Estrecho sits on the southernmost point of mainland Europe on the migratory route for many birds. Los Alconocales is one of the largest cork forests in the world.