Sète-Nador
The Sète to Nador ferry is a 38-hour trip bringing you to Morocco from France. The trip is provided by two companies, GNV and Balearia. Let’s help you out when and where to book this trip and what you should know about this ferry.
Ferry to Nador from Sète
The ferry from Sète to Nador is a well-known ferry crossing from France to Morocco. It's a long route so on this route, you have to make the right choice. We did the work for you =)
Let's compare the two operators that travel to Nador by the two vessels that they use. Simply because you are on this ship for about 40 hours, you might want to try to ferry on the best vessel.
GNV Cristal (wiki) | Regina Baltica (wiki) | |
Operator: | GNV | Balearia |
Overall Reviews: | This ship/route mostly has negative reviews, mainly related to GNV staff, the condition of the ship and service. | This ship also tends to have negative reviews. Generally, the complaints are about the cleanliness of the ship. |
This you must know | Don't buy the meal vouchers on this trip. (The food is not that expensive, and the vouchers limit your choice.) | Free Wi-Fi seems to be disastrous. make sure you buy Wi-Fi or pre-download the things you need. |
Don't blindly follow up on the negative reviews: one bad person on the staff or one bad cleaning of the ship can result in a wave of negative reviews. However, there is a pattern here: Don't take this ferry if your expectations in terms of service, food and cleanliness are high.
These vessels are quite old, the GNV Cristal is from 1989, and the Regina Baltica is from 1980. They won't provide you with a cruise-like experience, but they do get you to Nador!
On this route, there are two operators, making this route really good for comparison.
Check the availability and prices of ferries to Nador
This will result in the following kind of overview:

Timetable Sète – Nador
Currently, there are two ferry companies that offer this route, these are Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV) and Balearia. Departure days are quite irregular, so it is often best to make a booking on a comparison website. The different timetables for Sete Nador:
From Sete to Nador
- The GNV boat departs twice a week, on different days, usually around 20:00.
- The boat from Balearia (Baleària) also leaves two times a week, on different days, usually at 18:00.
Ships on long ferry routes can of course encounter long delays. Before you go to port you can track the vessels and see if they will probably arrive on time. This can save you many hours: GNV Cristal Tracker and the Regina Baltica Tracker.
From Nador to Sète
- The GNV boat departs twice weekly, on different days, usually at 23:00.
- The Balearia boat leaves two times a week, on different days, usually at 18:00.
Departure, sailing time & arrival
GNV recommends arriving at least 2 hours before check-in for this route.
Entrée, Rue de la Peyrade, Port de Sete Orsetti, 34200 Sete, France
The crossing in the direction of Morocco takes about 38 hours.
La route del port n25 , Beni-Enzar .، Nador 62900, Morocco
Ferry to Sète and Nador costs
For a single ticket with this route, you will have to pay at least €120. If you travel with two passengers in a car (return), the costs quickly add up to ~ € 500.
About Nador

Nador (Berber: ⵏⵏⴰⴹⵓⵔ, Arabic: الناضور) is a city located in the northeast of Morocco. The city has around 160,000 inhabitants and, in addition to a large port, also has its own airport. More and more Moroccans living in Europe travel to Nador in the summer. Because of that, the tourist industry is growing rapidly.
PS. This route does have an alternative, you can also travel from Barcelona to Nador!
How we would book this trip
To summarize: We would use the comparison website we mentioned and check the different dates and availability. Which operator to take depends on the date you want to travel. They are both simply not high quality on this route at the moment, so it doesn't matter which one you take. Keep your expectations low, and GO! Of course, this can change in the future. Let's hope so 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a number of questions that are often asked about this crossing:
Moh_ex –
I went in August on the GNV Cristal to Nador. I was ‘OK’ with the ferry. It was not the best experience, not like luxury or so. But what do you expect for a return ticket for 150 Euro.
But the food was ok, I liked the staff, and the trip was luckily for us not with many waves and seasickness.