Plaza de África

Top choice in Ceuta

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This is the charming heart of Ceuta, with manicured tropical plantings, a square of freshly renovated cobblestone pathways and some of the city’s finest architecture.

Moving clockwise from the oblong Commandancia General, a military headquarters closed to visitors, you encounter the striking yellow Santuario de Nuestra Señora de África, the 19th-century Palacio de la Asamblea, and finally the Cathedral Santa Maria de la Asunción with its museum. The centre of the plaza contains a memorial to soldiers lost in the Spanish-Moroccan War of 1860, a conflict over the borders of Ceuta.

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Nearby Ceuta attractions

2. Catedral Santa Maria de la Asunción

0.03 MILES

The yellow-and-white cathedral overlooking Plaza de África is the finest church in Ceuta, with twin spires that host matching bells. At nightfall, the…

3. Palacio de la Asamblea

0.04 MILES

A striking early 20th-century building with an elegant dome and clock that has served as both a palace and city hall. Inside, find paintings and sketches…

4. Playa de la Ribera

0.08 MILES

Ceuta's urban beach is jam-packed during summer with nearly nude Spaniards and fully clothed Moroccan women. The beach is lined with cafes and bars…

5. Museo de los Muralles Reales

0.14 MILES

This two-floor gallery houses temporary art exhibitions lasting four years each. Squeezed out of the fort's unforgiving architecture, it's a beautifully…

6. Museo de la Basilica Tardorromana

0.15 MILES

This superbly executed underground museum is integrated into the architectural remains of an ancient basilica discovered during street work in the 1980s,…

7. Murallas Reales

0.18 MILES

The most impressive sight in Ceuta is the medieval Royal Walls, which date back over 1000 years and have been passed from Arab to Portuguese to Spanish…

8. Museo de la Legión

0.3 MILES

This intriguing museum is dedicated to and run by the Spanish Legion, an army unit set up in 1920 that played a pivotal role in Franco’s republican army…