Perched over the Mediterranean, Melilla la Vieja is a prime example of the fortress strongholds that the Portuguese and (in this case) the Spaniards built along the Moroccan littoral during the 16th and 17th centuries. Much of it has been painstakingly restored in recent years. The main entrance is Puerta de la Marina , fronted by a statue of Franco, from where you ascend to the summit, passing several small museums. There is a lift, too, that doesn't always work. Signage, in Spanish, French and English, is very good.
