Tangier, Tetouan and the northwest
At first glance, it would appear that Morocco’s northwest corner has everything a traveller could want. Bordered on one side by sweeping expanses of near-deserted coastline washed by both Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, and on the other by the wild, rugged Rif mountain range that defines the physical boundary between Europe and Africa, this part of the country is home to a number of ancient, walled Medinas that remain mainly non-touristy and begging to be explored. As idyllic as it may sound, in reality the region has often been the country’s ugly duckling and, especially in the latter half of the twentieth century, was virtually ignored by both king and state.
The reasons for this cold shoulder were historical and twofold – Tangier’s reputation for European-influenced vice and extravagance, and two assassination attempts on the king (Hassan II, the current king’s late father) that were widely believed to have emanated from within the largely lawless interior of the Rif mountains. This is all firmly in the past now, however. As a young prince, King Mohammed VI enjoyed many a summer holiday here jetskiing and hiking, and since the death of his father in 1999 he has steadily opened the country’s (and foreign investors’) eyes to the northwest’s obvious charm and attraction, both in its natural beauty and close proximity to Europe.
Nowhere is this progress more visible than in Tangier. Once seedy from its days as a centre of international espionage and haven for gay Europeans and dodgy banks, the city has reinvented itself over the past 20 years as a vibrant, accessible and modern Mediterranean beach resort. South of Tangier along the Atlantic coast are the seaside resorts of Asilah and Larache, both of which offer wonderful, aimless meanderings within their compact whitewashed Medinas. Asilah is a relaxed and low-key town, well known for its international arts festival, while Larache is similarly attractive, and close to the ancient Carthaginian-Roman site of Lixus. A more distinctively Moroccan resort is Moulay Bousselham, south of Larache, with its windswept Atlantic beach and abundance of birdlife.
The Spanish enclave of Ceuta was a possession too valuable for the Spanish to hand back to Morocco upon the latter’s independence in 1956, and makes a pleasant change of pace when coming from the relatively haphazard and chaotic Moroccan side of the border. In the shadow of the Rif mountains, Tetouan has a proud Andalusian-Moroccan heritage and offers up yet another fascinating, authentic Medina while its nearby beaches are popular with both locals and visitors. South of Tetouan is the mountain town of Chefchaouen – a small-scale and enjoyably laidback place with perhaps the most photographed Medina of them all.
Northern Morocco has an especially quirky colonial history, having been divided into three separate zones. Tetouan was the administrative capital of the Spanish zone; the French zone began at Souk el Arba du Gharb, the edge of rich agricultural plains sprawling southward; while Tangier experienced International Rule under a group of foreign legations. Subsequently, although French is the official second language (after Arabic) throughout Morocco, older people in much of the northwest are equally, or more, fluent in Spanish – a basic knowledge of which can prove useful.
At the meeting point of two seas as well as two continents, TANGIER’s strategic location has made it a highly sought-after locale since ancient times. Founded by Mediterranean trading nations, ruled by empirical Romans, and squabbled over by European powers before finally returning to the Moroccan nation in 1956, it’s perhaps no surprise that the city defies comparison with any other in Morocco.
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ANCIENT LIXUS
Highlights
Tangier’s café squares Sit with the ghosts of French spies and British secret agents as you wile away the hours over a mint tea or espresso.
The Caves of Hercules Look out to sea from this grotto in the cliffs, through a cave window shaped like Africa.
Asilah A laidback beach resort with an intimate pastel-washed Medina, an international arts festival, and the palace of an old bandit chief.
Ancient Lixus Extensive Roman ruins in a fine setting, which you’ll have pretty much to yourself to explore.
Moulay Bousselham Wander the expansive windswept Atlantic beach and take a boat ride on the nearby lagoon, home to diverse birdlife and pink flamingos.
Ceuta A Spanish enclave with a couple of forts and no less than three army museums – not to mention good beer, tapas and shops full of duty-free booze.
Chefchaouen One of the prettiest and friendliest towns in Morocco, up in the Rif mountains, with a Medina full of pastel-blue houses.
Highlights are marked on the map
For the first half of the twentieth century, Tangier was an international city with its own laws and administration, plus an eclectic community of exiles, expatriates and refugees. It was home, at various times, to Spanish and Central European refugees, Moroccan nationalists and – drawn by loose tax laws and free-port status – to over seventy banks and four thousand companies, many of them dealing in currency transactions forbidden in their own countries. Writers were also attracted to the city, including the American novelist Paul Bowles who called it his “dream city” and lived here for 52 years, and William Burroughs who spent most of the 1950s here. Tangier was also the world’s first and most famous gay resort, favoured by the likes of Tennessee Williams, Joe Orton and Kenneth Williams. In the words of the English academic Andrew Hussey, Tangier was a “utopia of dangerous, unknown pleasures”.
Faux guides (“false guides”) are petty crooks who attach themselves to new-in-town tourists, usually claiming to be “guiding” you and therefore due payment, or just steering you into hotels or shops where they receive a commission (added to your bill, naturally). At one time, Tangier’s faux guides were particularly heavy; nowadays they have largely been cleaned out of town thanks to a nationwide police crackdown, though you may still experience some hustling when arriving at the gare routière or Tanger Med port. Generally speaking, faux guides now limit their activities to encouraging you to visit the shops that employ them – though if they can hustle you into a hotel that will pay them commission, they will do that too (the price of a room will be higher than it should be to cover this commission). Some may also insist that you will need help buying train and ferry tickets (which you don't) or try to sell you kif (cannabis).
There are a number of approaches you will soon learn to recognize: a favourite is trying to guess your nationality, or asking “Are you lost?” or “What are you looking for?” If you ignore them or turn down their advances, they will sometimes accuse you of being angry or “paranoid”. The best way to get rid of them is to ignore them completely or explain politely (while never slackening your pace) that you are alright and don’t need any help. As a last resort – and it should not come to this – you can dive into a café or even threaten to go to the police if necessary (the Brigade Touristique are based in the former Gare de Ville train station at the entrance to Tanger Ville port, and there is also a police post in the kasbah). Bear in mind that local residents, as well as the law, are on your side.
Rooted in an enduring eccentricity, Tangier’s charm is undeniable. Until fairly recently, the city’s tourism future didn’t look too rosy, having, over the years, gained a reputation as somewhere to avoid due to continuing reports of a large population of hustlers and unsavoury characters known to prey on foreign arrivals. King Mohammed VI, however, has provided much of the impetus for Tangier to re-invent itself under a flurry of renovation and building projects. These include the recent remodelling of the port area, which now has a newly-vamped cruise ship jetty and terminal (they often dock here on their way from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean) as well as an additional 1400 berth yacht marina called Tanja Marina Bay. Restaurateurs, hoteliers and even boutique owners have also done much to enhance the city for Tangerines, expat residents and visitors.
Tangier was known in ancient times as Tingis, which is Amazigh (Berber) for a marsh and reveals the site’s Berber origins. It was colonized around the seventh century BC by the Phoenicians, a seafaring people from what is now Lebanon, and in 42 AD, the Romans made Tingis the capital of their newly created province of Mauretania Tingitania (roughly the north of modern Morocco). In 429 AD, with the collapse of the Roman Empire’s western half, Tangier was taken by the Vandals, after which point things become a bit hazy. It seems to have been regained a century or so later by the Roman Empire’s resurgent eastern half in the form of the Byzantines, before falling to Spain’s rulers, the Visigoths, in the early seventh century.
Andalusian and European Influence
In 707, Tangier was taken by the Arabs, who used it as a base for their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula four years later. However, with the Christian reconquest of Spain and Portugal from the eleventh to fifteenth centuries, Tangier was itself vulnerable to attack from across the Straits, and eventually fell to the Portuguese in 1471. In 1661, they gave it to the British (along with Bombay) as part of Princess Catherine of Braganza’s dowry on her wedding to Charles II. Tangier’s Portuguese residents, accusing British troops of looting and rape, abandoned the town, but new settlers arrived, many of them Jewish refugees from Spain, and Britain granted the city a charter guaranteeing freedom of religion, trade and immigration. The British also introduced tea, now Morocco’s national drink. Under virtually constant siege, however, they found Tangier an expensive and unrewarding possession. Moulay Ismail laid siege to the city in 1678, and in 1680, England’s parliament refused any further funding to defend it. Four years later, unable to withstand the siege any longer, the British abandoned Tangier. The city then remained in Moroccan hands until the twentieth century, growing in importance as a port – one of its exports, mandarins, even took their name from the city, being known in Europe as Tangerines.
Tangier’s strategic position made it a coveted prize for all the colonial powers at the end of the nineteenth century. European representatives started insinuating themselves into the administration of the city, taking control of vital parts of the infrastructure, and when France and Spain decided to carve up Morocco between them, Britain insisted that Tangier should become an International Zone, with all Western powers having an equal measure of control. This was agreed as early as 1905, and finalized by treaty in 1923. An area of 380 square kilometres, with some 150,000 inhabitants, the International Zone was governed by a Legislative Assembly headed by a representative of the sultan called the Mendoub. While legislative power rested with the assembly – consisting of 27 members of whom eighteen were European – the real power was held by a French governor.
At the International Zone’s peak in the early 1950s, Tangier’s foreign communities numbered sixty thousand – then nearly half the population. As for the other half, pro-independence demonstrations in 1952 and 1953 made it abundantly clear that most Tanjawis (natives of Tangier) wanted to be part of a united, independent Morocco. When they gained their wish in 1956, Tangier lost its special status, and almost overnight, the finance and banking businesses shifted their operations to Spain and Switzerland. The expatriate communities dwindled too as the new national government imposed bureaucratic controls and instituted a “clean-up” of the city. Brothels – previously numbering almost a hundred – were banned, and in the early 1960s “The Great Scandal” erupted, sparked by a number of paedophile convictions and escalating into a wholesale closure of the once outrageous gay bars.
After a period of significant decline, the early 2000s saw Tangier reborn as one of the country’s premier beach holiday resorts as both the Moroccan government and foreign investors directed more interest (and more funds) towards the city and its future. Marketed mainly towards the domestic market as well as day-tripping Spaniards, Tangier’s regeneration shows no sign of fading. As well as the redevelopment of the old port and its glitzy marina, much of the Medina has been restored, and many of the city's main streets and boulevards have new palm trees as part of a city-wide beautification project.
The layout within Tangier’s Medina, like most throughout Morocco, was never planned in advance. As the need arose, a labyrinth of streets and small squares emerged that eventually became the various quarters there today. The Grand Socco offers the most straightforward approach to the Medina. This is a busy transport hub and a good place to watch the chaos of traffic, carts, and people go about their daily routines. The arch at the northern corner of the square opens onto Rue d’Italie, which becomes Rue de la Kasbah, the northern entrance to the kasbah quarter. Through an opening on the right-hand side of the square is Rue es Siaghin, off which are most of the souks and at the end of which is the Petit Socco, the Medina’s small, main square. An alternative approach to the Medina is from the seafront: follow the American steps, west of the port, up from Avenue Mohammed VI, walk round by the Grand Mosque, and Rue des Postes (Rue Mokhtar Ahardane) will lead you into the Petit Socco.
Rue es Siaghin – Silversmiths’ Street – connects Grand Socco with the smaller Petit Socco, and was Tangier’s main thoroughfare into the 1930s. Many of the buildings along here were constructed by Europeans in the late 1800s, with windows and balconies looking out onto the street rather than the traditional inward-looking Medina architecture. Most of the silversmiths have since been replaced by bureaux de change and souvenir shops, but it’s a pleasant enough access road.
Church of the Immaculate Conception
The Church of the Immaculate Conception, halfway along Rue es Siaghin, was built in 1880 by a Franciscan missionary, Father José Lerchundi and is the only church in Morocco found within the walls of a Medina. No longer used for services, the building is occupied by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. The area behind here was formerly the Mellah, or Jewish quarter, centred around Rue des Synagogues.
Looking at it today, the Petit Socco, or Zoco Chico (Little Market), seems too small ever to have served such a purpose, though up until the nineteenth century the square was almost twice its present size, and it was only at the beginning of the twentieth century that the hotels and cafés were built. Up until the 1930s, when the focus moved to the Ville Nouvelle, this was the true heart of Tangier, and a broad mix of people – Christians, Jews and Muslims, Moroccans, Europeans and Americans – would gather here daily.
In the heyday of the “International City”, with easily exploited Arab and Spanish sexuality a major attraction, it was in the alleys behind the Socco that the straight and gay brothels were concentrated. William Burroughs used to hang out around the square: “I get averages of ten very attractive propositions a day”, he wrote to Allen Ginsberg. The Socco cafés lost much of their appeal at independence, when the sale of alcohol was banned in the Medina, but they remain diverting places to sit around, people watch, talk and get some measure of the Medina.
8 Rue d’Amérique • Closed on Moroccan public hols • Charge; guided tour charge • 
legation.ipower.com/blog
A former palace given to the US government by the sultan Moulay Slimane, the American Legation (officially Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies), tucked away in the southern corner of the Medina, is America’s only National Historic Landmark located abroad. Morocco was the first overseas power to recognize an independent United States and this was the first American ambassadorial residence, established in 1777. A fascinating three-storey palace, bridging an alleyway (the Rue d’Amérique) below, it houses excellent exhibits on the city’s history – including the correspondence between Sultan Moulay Ben Abdallah and George Washington – and has displays of paintings by, mainly, Moroccan-resident American artists. Malcolm Forbes’s military miniatures of the Battle of Songhai and the Battle of Three Kings are also on display having been donated by the Forbes family when the Forbes Museum was closed. Downstairs, by the library, are a couple of rooms dedicated to Paul Bowles features photographs of Bowles and his contemporaries, including a shot of him by Beat poet Allen Ginsberg.
Cnr Rue Ibn Batouta & Rue Gzenaya, Quartier Jnan Kaptan • Daily, no set times • Free; caretaker donation suggested
While there’s no actual evidence to confirm or deny the existence of the remains of explorer Ibn Battutah, they are said to lie in this typically small, simple, nondescript mausoleum tucked away in a corner of Tangier’s Medina. Inside the serene mausoleum, the Tomb of Ibn Battutah is draped in the colour of Islam (green) and watched over by a caretaker; remember to take off your shoes as you enter.
The kasbah, walled off from the Medina on the highest rise of the coast, has been the city’s palace and administrative quarter since Roman times. It was the Brits who destroyed the city’s medieval fortifications, including a great upper castle which covered the entire site of the present-day kasbah. It is a strange, somewhat sparse area of walled compounds, occasional colonnades, and a number of luxurious villas built in the 1920s, when this became one of the Mediterranean’s choicest residential sites.
Abu Abdallah Muhammad Ibn Abdallah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Battutah al-Lawati al-Tanji, better known simply as Ibn Battutah, was born in Tangier in 1304. At the age of 21 he went on a pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca), a journey that stretched out to nearly thirty years as he explored much of the then-known Islamic world. Travelling alone and three times as far (in distance) as the more famous Middle Ages explorer Marco Polo, who died shortly before Ibn Battutah started his journey, Battutah visited the coasts of East and North Africa, the Middle East, India, China and travelled across the Sahara to Mali. He mostly worked for his passage and was sometimes employed as a judge and ambassador by several of the rulers he visited. In 1354 he returned to Morocco and related his travels to the Sultan. A Granadian scribe later wrote down Ibn Battutah’s stories in El Rihla (“The Travels”), considered to be one of the all-time great travelogues and an invaluable literary account of the Islamic world as it was. Ibn Battutah died in 1377 and his remains are (possibly) in a modest mausoleum in Tangier’s Medina. For more on the “world’s first backpacker”, read Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battuta by British travel writer Tim Mackintosh-Smith (mackintosh-smith.com).
The eccentric Woolworths heiress, Barbara Hutton, moved into the kasbah quarter in 1947, reputedly outbidding General Franco for her mini palace, Sidi Hosni. Her parties were legendary – including a ball where thirty Reguibat racing camels and their drivers were brought a thousand miles from the Sahara to form a guard of honour.
Most visitors approach the kasbah from the Medina through Bab Haha. There are touts here who will offer to give you a guided tour but this is unnecessary as the kasbah is small and signs point the way. Another approach is Bab el Assa, featured in the 1912 painting La porte de la Kasbah by the French artist, Henri Matisse. Just inside this gate is the Seqaya Bab el Assa, one of the largest and most beautiful fountains of the Medina featuring exquisite zellij mosaic tiling and an ornamental wooden roof. The kasbah’s main point of interest is the former Dar el Makhzen, or Sultanate Palace (see below). It stands to the rear of a formal court, or mechouar, where the town’s pashas held public audience and gave judgment well into the twentieth century.
Dar el Makhzen, Pl de la Kasbah • Charge
The Dar el Makhzen – built, like the Medina’s Grand Mosque, in the seventeenth century by Moulay Ismail – last saw royal use in 1912, as the residence of the sultan Moulay Hafid and his entourage of 168, who was exiled to Tangier after his forced abdication by the French. The ground floor kitchens and first floor apartments are home to the Museum of Antiquities, often just called the Kasbah Museum. The rooms are centred on two interior courtyards, each with rich arabesques, painted wooden ceilings and marble fountains. Some of the flanking columns are of Roman origin, particularly well suited to the small display of mosaics and finds from Volubilis. In the rooms are well-presented artefacts discovered in and around Tangier, with origins dating from the Palaeolithic era up until Portuguese occupation. Other exhibits include a map depicting international trade routes, a section dedicated to the Islamization of Tangier, an interesting room concerned with Roman religion and funeral rites, and other rooms are devoted to Moroccan arts including silks and ceramics from Fes.
Opposite the museum’s entrance, and off the main interior courtyard, are the herb- and shrub-lined palace gardens, shaded by jacaranda trees.
Sprawling westwards and southwards from the ancient Medina is the European-built Ville Nouvelle. Much of its architecture and layout, especially immediately outside the Medina, is of Spanish origin, reflecting the influence of the city’s large Spanish population during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The Grand Socco is the obvious place to start a ramble around the town. Its name, like so many in Tangier, is a French–Spanish hybrid, proclaiming its origins as the main market square. The markets have since long gone, but the square remains a meeting place and its cafés make good spots to soak up the city’s life. The Grand Socco’s official but little-used name, Place du 9 Avril 1947, commemorates the visit of Sultan Mohammed V to the city on that date – an occasion when, for the first time and at some personal risk, he identified himself with the struggle for Moroccan independence.
A memorial to this event (in Arabic) is to be found amid the Mendoubia Gardens, flanking the northwest side of the square, which enclose the former offices of the Mendoub – the sultan’s representative during the international years – and now home to the local Chamber of Commerce. Here there’s also a spectacular banyan tree, said to be over 800 years old. Essentially now an open grassed area, the gardens are popular with local families who enjoy the small playground.
Malcolm Forbes: Tangier’s last tycoon
The American publishing tycoon Malcolm Forbes bought the Dar el Mendoub, on Rue Mohammed Tazi in La Marshan, in 1970. His reason, ostensibly at least, was the acquisition of a base for launching and publishing an Arab-language version of Forbes Magazine – the “millionaires’ journal”. For the next two decades, until his death in 1990, he was a regular visitor to the city, and it was at Dar el Mendoub that he decided to host his last great extravagance, his seventieth birthday party, in 1989.
This was the grandest social occasion Tangier had seen since the days of Woolworths heiress Barbara Hutton. Spending an estimated $2.5m, he brought in his friend Elizabeth Taylor as co-host and chartered a 747, a DC-8 and Concorde to fly in eight hundred of the world’s rich and famous from New York and London. The party entertainment was on an equally imperial scale, including six hundred drummers, acrobats and dancers, and a fantasia – a cavalry charge which ends with the firing of muskets into the air – by three hundred Berber horsemen.
Forbes’s party was a mixed public relations exercise, with even the gossip press feeling qualms about such a display of American affluence in a country like Morocco. However, Forbes most likely considered the party a success, for his guests included not just the celebrity rich – Gianni Agnelli, Robert Maxwell, Barbara Walters, Henry Kissinger – but half a dozen US state governors and the chief executives or presidents of scores of multinational corporations likely to advertise in his magazine. And, of course, it was tax deductible.
For a while Forbes opened part of Dar el Mendoub as a museum to display his curious collection of 119,000 lead soldiers, but after his death, his children sold the property to the government and it is now used as a VIP residence for royal and state guests.
In Place de France, south and uphill of the Grand Socco, the cafés are the main attraction – and at their best in the late afternoon and early evening, when an interesting mix of local and expatriate regulars turn out to watch and be watched. The seats to choose are outside the 1920s Gran Café de Paris, a legendary rendezvous throughout the years of the International Zone. During World War II, this was notorious as a centre of deal making and intrigue between agents from Britain, America, Germany, Italy and Japan. Later the emphasis shifted to Morocco’s own politics: the first nationalist paper, La Voix du Maroc, surfaced at the café, and the nationalist leader Allal el Fassi, exiled in Tangier from the French-occupied zone, set up his Istiqlal party headquarters nearby.
Just to the east of Place de France is a wide terrace-belvedere looking out over the Straits to Spain. Officially titled Place de Faro but known as Terrasse des Paresseux (“terrace of the lazy”), it’s a great spot for people watching, and on a clear day the pay-for-use telescopes (1dh) afford a good view of the Spanish port of Tarifa.
Bv d’Angleterre • Sun service 8.30am & 11am • At other times knock on the door and the caretaker will give you a tour • Donation expected
The nineteenth-century Anglican Church of St Andrew is one of the city’s odder sights in its fusion of Moorish decoration, English country churchyard and flapping Scottish flag – the cross of St Andrew, to whom the church is dedicated (though, being an English church, they sometimes fly the cross of St George instead). The regular congregation has fallen considerably but the church is still used for a Sunday morning service, when the numbers swell with worshippers from West African countries en route (hopefully) to a better life in Europe.
In the strangely serene graveyard, among the laments of early deaths from malaria, you come upon the tomb of Walter Harris, the most brilliant of the chroniclers of “Old Morocco” in the closing decades of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. Also buried here is Dean of Dean’s Bar (“Missed by all and sundry”), a former London cocaine dealer (real name Don Kimfull) who tended the bar in the El Minzah hotel before opening his own place in 1937, and worked as a spy for British intelligence in Tangier during World War II; and Caid Sir Harry Maclean, the Scottish military adviser to Sultan Moulay Abd el Aziz at the turn of the twentieth century. Inside the church another Briton is commemorated, Emily Keane, who married the Shereef of Ouezzane in 1877 – at the time one of the most holy towns of the country. Also look out for the Lord’s Prayer engraved in exquisite Arabic calligraphy on an archway behind the altar.
To the west of the kasbah is La Marshan, an upmarket 1840s residential district that offers a pleasant meander through its rich spread of villas, consulates and royal properties. Here you’ll also find Café Hafa.
Tangier’s beach is a pleasant place to escape the city streets. It’s especially good for a daytime stroll, either on the beach itself or along the 3km-long promenade that runs between the sand and Avenue Mohammed VI. Lining the promenade is a string of cafés, some of which offer a place to change into/out of your beach wear as well as showers, deckchairs, food and drink. Swimming here is unfortunately not a good idea though as the water isn't very clean. The Sun Beach (99 Av Mohammed VI) is where Tennessee Williams wrote a first draft of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, though renovations have stripped it of its original character. The promenade is quite safe at night, but it’s advisable to avoid walking on the beach in the evenings.
Tangier is one of the major transport hubs in Morocco. Travelling on into Morocco from Tangier is simplest either by train (the lines run from Meknes–Fez–Oujda or Rabat–Casablanca–Marrakesh; all trains stop at Asilah en route), or, if you are heading east to Tetouan, by bus or shared grand taxi.
Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (onda.ma/en) is off the N1 road 15km west of the city. It is served by a number of international airlines, many of them budget operators from Europe, and flights from Casablanca by RAM. On departure, be prepared for slow queues at immigration before flights to Europe. There are four banks/bureaux de change plus a couple of ATMs, cafés and shops. Car rental is also available here. Royal Air Maroc have an office at 1 Pl de France, Ville Nouvelle (royalairmaroc.com). Cream/beige grands taxis line up outside the terminal; there is a notice board listing set prices at the terminal’s exit and another at the taxi rank itself. Other than pre-organizing a private transfer with your Tangier accommodation, the only other transport option from the airport is to walk 2km to the main road, where you can pick up bus #9, which goes to Rue de Fez in town. To get to the airport from Tangier, most hotels will be able to organize a transfer for you, or you can rent a grand taxi from the Grand Socco.
The first stage of the country’s grand development of a 1500km high-speed rail (HSR) network is currently under construction between Tangier and Casablanca. Work began in 2011 and the section between Tangier and Kenitra (47km northeast of Rabat) is now complete. Work continues on the Casablanca to Kenitra sectionEven with a change in Kenitra it can take just under two hours to travel from Tanger to Rabat.Tangier’s main train station, Tanger Ville, is 2km east of the Medina on the continuation of Av Mohammed V, and only 300m or so off the eastern end of the beach. The station was completely rebuilt in 2018 and has ATMs, cafés and shops. The best way to reach the station is by petit taxi (20dh or so); it is also served by bus #16 from the bus station but not by any buses from the city centre. A convenient service from Tangier is the night train to Marrakesh, departing at 9.40pm and arriving at 8.10am; it’s regularly full, so book ahead at any train station or Supratours office if possible.
Destinations Asilah (12 daily; 40min); Casablanca Voyageurs (8 direct daily; 4hr 40min–6hr 20min & 2 connecting daily; 7–8hr); Fez (4 direct & 1 connecting daily; 4hr 30min–5hr 10min); Marrakesh (1 direct overnight & 9 connecting daily; 8hr 30min–10hr 30min); Meknes (4 direct & 1 connecting daily; 4hr–4hr 15min); Rabat (8 direct & 3 connecting daily; 3hr 35min–5hr 30min); Souk el Arba du Gharb (11 daily; 2hr).
The gare routière is 2km south of the Ville Nouvelle on Pl Al Jamia al Arabia;a 15min walk from the centre or around 20dh in a petit taxi. With the exception of CTM, all long-distance buses operate from here including Supratours. The CTM Gare Voyageurs bus station is on Route de Tetouan (N2), approximately 5km south of the city centre. However, CTM has a ticket office in the gare routière from where they will transfer you to their bus station on a free shuttle bus.
Destinations Al Hoceima (1 CTM & over 5 others daily; 8–9hr); Asilah (No CTM services; over 10 others daily; 45min); Casablanca (4 CTM & over 10 others daily; 5hr 30min–6hr 30min); Chefchaouen (1 CTM & over 10 others daily, ask for a direct sans détour service; 3hr); Fez (3 CTM & 5 others daily; 6–8hr); Fnideq (for Ceuta; no CTM services; over 10 others daily; 2hr); Larache (3 CTM & over 10 others daily; 1hr 30min–2hr); Marrakesh (1 CTM & over 5 others daily; 9hr 30min); Meknes (2 CTM & 9 others daily; 4hr 30min–5hr 30min); Nador (2 CTM & over 5 others daily; 10–11hr); Rabat (4 CTM & over 10 others daily; 4–5hr); Tetouan (4 CTM & over 20 others daily; 1hr–1hr 30min).
Grands taxis mostly operate from the gare routière and its immediate surrounds. From the rank in the gare routière, grands taxis run to/from Tanger Med port, Chefchaouen, Tetouan and Fnideq. Occasionally you may find a taxi direct to the Ceuta border, 2km beyond Fnideq. Grands taxis running to the Malabata beaches and Ksar es Seghir are parked along Av Moulay Idriss I, opposite the main bus exit. It’s also possible to pick up grands taxis to Fnideq and Ksar es Seghir from Rue du Portugal, off Rue de la Plage at the southernmost corner of the Medina. For destinations in the immediate vicinity of Tangier, you may need to charter a grand taxi at the rank on the Grand Socco, though it’s possible to get to places like the Caves of Hercules or Cap Malabata by shared grand taxi or city bus. Traffic can sometimes be gridlocked around the gare routière, thus lengthening the travel times listed below.
Destinations Asilah (1hr); Chefchaouen (2hr); Fnideq (for Ceuta; 1hr); Ksar es Seghir (30min); Tanger Med port (1hr); Tetouan (1hr).
Morocco lies just a short 14km from Spain and fast hydrofoils can take just 30 (choppy) minutes to cross. Ferries for Tarifa in Spain arrive and depart from the old port, Tanger Ville. All other ferries run to and from Tanger Med Gare Maritime, some 40km northeast of the city. Reservations are useful at the end of the Easter week and during the first and last weeks of Aug. Full details of routes can be found in “Basics”; be aware, too, that immigration formalities take place as you are sailing to Morocco, except when you are sailing from Tarifa where immigration is performed in the terminal building prior to embarkation. Departing Morocco, each passenger needs an embarkation form and departure card, which must be stamped by the port police prior to boarding. At both ports, all passengers must clear a security check, so allow plenty of time for this. Tickets and timetables can be obtained from any travel agent in Tangier or from the ferry companies themselves. Remember to scrutinize timetables carefully as Spain is one hour ahead of Morocco local time.
Tanger Med Gare Maritime tangermed-passagers.com. Ticket booths for all the ferry companies, plus banks, bureaux de change, ATMs and cafés are in the port terminal building and wi-fi is available. Transport options between the city and port include by train (7.15am, 2.50pm & 6pm from Tanger Ville; 9.45am, 11am & 5.35pm from Tanger Med; 1hr; 32dh, but check the ONCF website oncf.ma for the up-to-date schedule); there is a free 10-minute shuttle bus for the 3km between Tanger Med train station and the ferry terminal. Bus # I-3 (a capital 'i', not an L or 1) runs every hour (5.30am–10pm from Tanger Ville train station; 6.15am-11.15pm from Tanger Med Gare Maritime; 1hr10min; 7dh). Grand taxis take about 1hr.
Destinations Algeciras (22-24 daily; 30min fast ferry, 1hr 30min–2hr slower ferries); Barcelona (1 daily; 24–27hr); Genoa via Barcelona (2 weekly; 48–50 hr); Gibraltar (weekly, 1hr 30min–2hr); Sète (3 weekly; 35hr).
Port de Tanger Ville Av Mohammed VI tangerport.com. All hydrofoil “fast” ferries to/from Tarifa operate from the old port where the ferry terminal has been modernised and renovated. There are bureaux de change, ATMs and cafés. It’s a relatively short – though at times uphill – 20min walk into the centre from the port or a short ride by petit taxi (expect exorbitant rates).
Tourist information The tourist office, ONMT Délégation de Tourisme, is at 29 Av Pasteur (Mon–Fri 8.30am–4.30pm; 
0539 948050); official guides can be hired here.
By bus City buses are not much use to tourists. The most useful route is #2, which runs from St Andrew’s Church in the Grand Socco to Ziyatin and on to the village of Jabila, not far from the Caves of Hercules. Route #9 goes from Rue de Fez along the Rabat road to the airport turn-off, some 2km from the airport itself. Route #16 connects the train station and the bus station, and runs on to Cape Malabata, but does not serve the city centre.
By grand taxi Grands taxis (large cream/beige Mercedes) are permitted to carry up to six passengers.
By petit taxi Small blue/green petits taxis (which carry just three passengers) can be flagged down around the town.
By car While Tangier’s traffic is rarely gridlocked and a car can be handy for day-trips within the region, the city itself is small enough to explore on foot. Agencies include Amine Car, 43 Av Mohammed V (aminecar.pro.ma); Avis, airport (avis.com); Estrella Car, 1 Rue Allal Ben Abdellah (rentcartanger.com); Europcar, 87 Bd Mohammed V (and airport (europcar.com).
Tangier has a wide range of hotels and pensions, and finding a room is rarely much of a problem. The city does, however, get crowded during July and Aug, when many Moroccan families holiday here. Cheaper places hike up their prices at this time of year, and you’ll often get a better deal at one of the mid-range hotels.
Medina, map
Continental 36 Rue Dar Baroud 0539 931024. Commanding a great view over the port and Straits, the Continental opened in 1870, with Queen Victoria’s son Alfred its first official guest. Today, the hotel has a somewhat faded grandeur but it’s still comfortable enough and the service is good. Ask to see a selection of rooms before checking in. The multistorey hotel is alcohol-free and there’s no lift, but porters are always available. BB €
Dar Chams Tanja 2–4 Rue Jnan Kabtan, Bab el Assa darchamstanja.com. One of the best maisons d’hôte in the Medina, with hands-on multilingual owners. Surprisingly spacious inside, the large uncluttered rooms all have a/c and satellite TV, and some enjoy glorious port and bay views. There’s a floor dedicated to wellness, offering a hammam, separate massage room, and a chill-out room to savour the experience. Meals can be taken formally in the dining room or casually up on the roof terrace. BB €€€
Dar Kasbah 12 Rue de la Kasbah dar-kasbah.com. Located just outside the Medina near Bab Gzenaya in a striking European-built former 19th-century telegraph office, this place has airy single, double and quad rooms with antique furniture, wooden floors and nice modern artwork, some with sea views, and oozes with character. There's a lounge, rooftop terrace and courtyard restaurant. €€
Dar Nour 20 Rue Gourna, in the kasbah, off Rue Sidi Ahmed Boukouja darnour.com. A perennially popular maison d’hôte run by an attentive English-speaking French trio who have created ten individually styled rooms and suites in what was once five small houses. There are a number of communal areas, including little nooks and crannies perfect for a spot of quiet reading, interesting objets d’art throughout, and a well-stocked library. Literally topping it all off are three terraces with sweeping views of the Medina and Straits – a favourite spot for evening cocktails. BB €€
Dar Rif 17 Rue Mohamed Bergach 0539 939497. This friendly small B&B with traditional colorful décor is on the same street as Dar Jameel (see 84), both a five-minute walk away from Grand Socco. Not all rooms have much natural light but are comfortable and en suite and there are views of the port from the roof terrace. Generous breakfasts and will give you a packed one if having an early start. Also runs the Rif Kebdani restaurant 100m away. BB €
Mamora 19 Av Mokhtar Ahrdan 0539 934105. A little bit sterile but centrally located in the heart of the Medina and with very friendly, helpful staff. The fourteen clean, pleasant rooms are spacious and have satellite TV and good views, but the bathrooms are small and hot water can be a bit sporadic. Avoid the ones overlooking the Grand Mosque as the calls to prayer can be noisy. €€
Riad Jamila 6 Rue Mohammed Bergach 0539 334680. Set on five levels but with only eight a/c rooms arranged around an ornate central courtyard. Beautifully decorated with mosaic tiled walls, traditional furnishings and colourful fabrics, this leans towards boutique-style but is surprisingly well-priced. Some rooms have four-poster beds and views of the Straits. Breakfast is taken in a rooftop sunroom. BB €€
La Tangerina 19 Riad Sultan, in the kasbah latangerina.com. Pared-down Mediterranean elegance, stylishly composed interiors, an ambience of simple luxury and an outstanding terrace overlooking the Straits continue to rate this well-run guesthouse as one of Tangier’s best. The rooms are arranged around a courtyard and cover a range of budgets while the attentive service and delicious cuisine are first-class. BB €€€
Ville Nouvelle and seafront, map and this map
It’s a steep climb from the port or bus station to the Ville Nouvelle, so you may want to grab a taxi if carrying heavy luggage.
Biarritz 104 Av Mohammed VI 0539 932473. A family-run protectorate-era budget hotel within a short (and flat) walk from the port’s gates. A marbled staircase leads to comfortable en suite rooms, some with a balcony, some triples, and a fair bit of old-fashioned charm. Ask for a room away from the busy road. €
Bristol 14 Rue el Antaki 0539 944347. Situated 100m uphill from the beach, this is a good bet, with large brightly coloured rooms with TVs and compact bathrooms. Rooms on the upper floors – accessed by an antique elevator – miss most of the noise from the street-level restaurant-bar. €
Camping Miramonte Marshan 0539 423322, campingmiramonte.com. This is one of the best campsites on the Atlantic coast, but unfortunately access for camper vans is a little difficult. There are well-maintained grounds that include electrified sites, ablutions with hot water, motel-style rooms, self-contained bungalows, two restaurants, two swimming pools and a bar. Gets pretty busy and noisy in Aug. It’s best accessed by the oceanside road that links the port with the city’s Marshan neighbourhood. Camping €, rooms €, bungalow €€
Dar Omar Khayam 26 Rue el Antaki daromarkhayam.com. This former convent is a popular stalwart of Tangier’s budget accommodations. You can opt for cell-like singles with shared bathrooms or splash out on en suite doubles with a/c. Rooms at the rear are quieter. Breakfast is taken in the pleasant courtyard garden. BB €
El Djenina 8 Rue el Antaki hoteleldjenina.com. Though the bland but modern rooms are a little on the small side, they are all en suite with TV and always sparkling clean. It’s well managed and only a short walk from the beach. €
Le Grand Hôtel Villa de France Cnr Rue de Hollande & Bv d’Angleterre 0539 333111. Built in the late 18th century but completely restored, this hotel looks out over St Andrew’s Church and beyond to the ocean; this was the view from room 35 (refurbished to its past glory as a pseudo-museum), where French impressionist Henri Matisse painted his famous Vue de la fenêtre à Tanger (View from a Window in Tangier) in 1912. There’s a range of rooms and suites available, most with a distant sea view, plus a fine-dining restaurant, piano bar and expansive gardens. While the refurbished decor leans a bit too much to kitsch Orientalism, the overall ambiance is still one of grandness. BB €€
El Minzah 85 Rue el Houria (Rue de la Liberté) leroyal.com/en/AFRICA. Built in 1930, this remains one of Morocco’s most prestigious hotels, with a wonderful garden, a huge pool overlooking the sea and town, several (pricey) restaurants and bars, and a spa with hammam and gym. The slightly faded grandeur rooms are still worth the price for the hotel’s nostalgic atmosphere. BB €€€
Mövenpick Av Mohammed VI 0539 329300, movenpick.com. Consistently one of Tangier’s better deluxe hotels, 3km east of town on the road to Malabata, with all the facilities you’d expect from this Swiss chain – three restaurants, a pool, health club, sauna and casino. There’s an array of room options (two of which have been adapted for wheelchair users) mostly offering splendid sea views. €€€€
Pension Miami 126 Rue de la Plage 0539 932900. Beautifully tiled old Spanish townhouse said to be over 110 years old. One of many very cheap hotels around Rue de la Plage with clean rooms, some with balconies, squat toilets on each corridor and two hot showers downstairs. Friendly reception staff. €
Rembrandt Cnr Avs Pasteur and Mohammed V rembrandthotel.ma. One of the city’s better value hotels, exuding a 1950s feel while still offering modern, spacious rooms (ask for a sea view) with all the mod cons. Downstairs there’s an average restaurant, a shaded poolside café and a sultry piano-lounge bar. The service is usually good and there’s free parking. BB €
Out of town, map
Villa Josephine 231 Rue de la Montagne, Sidi Masmoudi villajosephine-tanger.com. Resplendent in antiques, oak panelling and Moroccan carpets, the villa has ten opulent suites – five with private balconies or terraces overlooking the sea. Built in the 1920s by Walter Harris and a former summer residence of Pasha el Glaoui the estate is in impeccable condition. There’s also a colonial-esque bar and a very good restaurant (non-guests welcome) offering daytime snacks and a French-inspired dinner menu served either inside the classy restaurant or on the outdoor poolside terrace with fantastic Straits views. €€€€
Tangier is certainly no culinary hot spot, but the city’s continuing rejuvenation has encouraged a general rise in the standard and variety available, plus there’s now a wealth of attractive cafés and patisseries too. Most top-end restaurants serve alcohol.
A L’anglaise 37 Rue de la Kasbah 0635 186766. This hole-in-the-wall pavement café-restaurant is in the female owner-manager’s house, which perhaps explains the warm atmosphere, eclectic furnishings and excellent home-cooked dishes. The blackboard menu covers most traditional dishes, including pastilla, while the breakfast spread is a renowned tummy stretcher. Try and get a table on the lovely upstairs terrace. No alcohol. €€
Marhaba Palace 26 Palais Ahannar, just outside the Medina 0539 937927. One of a number of “palaces” catering to tourists, this one rates highly due to its warm ambience, unobtrusive musicians and good Moroccan food. The interior is indeed palatial in style with faux-zellij tiling, antiques and colourful furniture. Set menus from €€€
El Morocco Club Place du Tabor, Kasbah elmoroccoclub.ma. This French-owned Kasbah landmark is open for breakfasts and light meals in the terrace café, and lunch and dinner in the fine dining restaurant with its beautifully decorated rooms. Great for a treat, the evening menu might feature the likes of foie gras with rose-flavoured tomatoes, sardines with chermoula sauce or seafood couscous (mains €€). Plus there are gooey desserts and an extensive wine list. The piano bar is open from 7.30pm; look out for the photographs of Tangier's famous writers on the walls. €€€
Le Salon Bleu 71 Rue Amrah 0539 371618. There are tremendous views over the Straights (to Tarifa in Spain on a clear day) from the rooftop cushioned terraces of Le Salon Bleu, which make it a great place for (non-alcoholic) sundowners - try the fresh watermelon or lemon juice. The restaurant offers two fixed priced menus or you can order a la carte, and the grilled fish and tajines are particularly good. €€
Rif Kabdani 14 Rue Dar Baroud 0539 371760. In a handy location close to the Hotel Continental, and with cosy nooks and traditional decor, this offers a menu of Moroccan standards that out-tastes much of its fancier and more expensive competition. The complimentary tapas and mint tea are a bonus, as are the typically French-style desserts like lemon tart or strawberry panna cotta and attentive service. No alcohol. €
Africa 83 Rue Salah Eddine Ayoubi 0539 935436. A simply decorated and peaceful dining room known for its excellent-value four-course set menu. There’s also a la carte standards such as lamb tajine and beef couscous. €
Anna e Paolo 77 Av Prince Héritier 0539 944617. Managed by Anna and Paolo themselves, this is quite simply the best Italian food in Tangier. The dark interior is decorated with pictures of old Italy and the menu bows to tradition with a host of authentic pizza, pasta (the ravioli neri is recommended), meat and seafood dishes. €€
El Dorado 21 Rue Allal Ben Abdallah. A stalwart of Tangier’s restaurant scene with a dependable Moroccan-Spanish menu that also includes a good selection of seafood dishes. Try their couscous on Fri or the good-value paella on Sun. You can dine alfresco at the back. €€
Eric’s Hamburger Shop Arcade Mentoubi, between Av Pasteur and Rue el Moutanabi. It doesn’t get much simpler than this: Eric’s has been open 24/7 since 1968 and succeeds because it doesn’t claim to be anything other than a cheap diner. There’s a row of wooden stools lined up against the stainless steel counter, and the menu consists of four hamburgers and four hot dogs. Close to some of the city’s seedier nightclubs, it’s immensely more attractive at midnight than midday. No alcohol. €
Le Saveur de Poisson 2 Escalier Waller 0539 336326. On the stairs leading to the medina, this friendly family-run restaurant has just one room, cluttered with paintings, and an adjoining kitchen, and is often packed with in-the-know locals. There's just a single five- to six course menu du jour dominated by seafood from the adjacent market, eaten with wooden cutlery on clay plates. Count on dishes like squid baked with coriander, cumin-scented plaice or merlan (whiting) pan-fried in butter with garlic, onions and spinach. Their in-house fruit punch is brewed daily in a big vat in the kitchen. No alcohol. Closed during Ramadan. €€€
San Remo 15 Rue Ahmed Chaouki 0539 938451. This popular restaurant serves up credible, good-value Mediterranean cooking, including a dependable selection of seafood and meat grills. There’s also a good choice of pizzas, available either in-house or from their cheaper pizzeria across the road. €€
Valencia 6 Av Youssef Ben Tachfine 0539 945146. A simply furnished fish restaurant, very popular with both locals and tourists. The straightforward menu includes a variety of friture (fried) or grillé (grilled) dishes, with calamars (calamari), merlan (whiting) and sole the most prevalent. No alcohol. €€
Café Baba Rue Zaitouni; 0539 309943. Very smoky and slightly edgy, this legendary hole in the wall café has been going strong since 1941. In the late-1940s, American socialite Barbara Hutton used to drink tea on the balcony, but perhaps the most famous image on its wall of photographs of celebrity visitors is the one of Keith Richards lighting up a kif pipe at one of Cafe Baba's tables (he sent it to them himself). The mint tea is still good.
Café Hafa Off Av Hadj Mohamed Tazi, La Marshan. A ramshackle affair and popular locals’ café that dates back to 1921, with steep terraces hugging a cliffside looking directly out to the Straits. While the service can be overly casual, the mint tea is good and the views sublime.
Café Metropole 27 Av Pasteur. The Metropole serves one of the best cafés au lait in town; pastries can be bought across the road at Pâtisserie Le Petit Prince and consumed at your table.
Café Porte Cnr Av Prince Moulay Abdellah and Rue Ibn Rochd 0661 163644. A 1950s café, the Porte is popular with a young crowd who come for the ice-cream selection and free wi-fi. There’s also a decent menu offering breakfast and light meals.
Café Tingis Petit Socco. A favourite haunt of Tennessee Williams and Paul Bowles, this traditional high-ceilinged café remains full of charm and character. A raised terrace looks down upon the Petit Socco and is the best spot in the Medina for people watching. The café’s sole concession to the twenty-first century is a flat-screen TV showing football matches.
Gran Café de Paris Pl de France. Tangier’s most famous café from its conspiratorial past. There are two levels of seating inside, including the original 1920s section with studded leather seats. Outside there’s the standard line of chairs for people watching. It’s still a staple meeting place for expats and usually a good place to track down English newspapers in the morning and get a coffee and pastry.
Matisse Residence Nasser, 53 Rue Allal Ben Abdallah 0539 340050. A classy, French-owned patisserie that offers a good selection of pastries, biscuits and deliciously creamy gâteaux (eat in or take away), as well as artisan bread and even a few bottles of wine.
Panorama 6 Av Mohammed VI 0539 946331. A modern café located on the seafront with magnificent ocean views from the deck. The service though is slow and the food (from sandwiches to steaks; mains€) a little uninteresting, but it's a good stop for a coffee and pastry on a walk along the promenade. Useful for train travellers too, as it's right next to Tanger Ville train station and opens early.
Rahmouni 35 Av Prince Moulay Abdellah 0539 940787. A well-established family-run patisserie franchise – there’s another branch in Tetouan – renowned for its high quality, reasonably priced biscuits and cakes and sweet and savoury pastries.
Terrasse Boulevard Tanger Bd Complex, 23 Av Mohammed V 0553 036848. This café has magical views of the port and Straits, and is comfortable at any time of the year thanks to ceiling-high glass windbreakers and a covered roof. If you want more than a coffee, they have a pretty good menu of light meals, as well as milkshakes and fresh juices.
Traiteur al Mouatamid Bnou Abbad 16 Rue al Mouatamid Ibn Abadd 0539 341725. Popular with local Tanjawis catering for a party or celebration, this patisserie offers tray upon tray of sweet biscuits (€/100g) and pastries within a stunning Moroccan zellij (mosaics) interior.
Drinking and nightlifemap and this map
The choice of bars and clubs in Tangier is fairly limited, and many are either stuck in a time warp or are the domain of hard drinking, heavy smoking Moroccan men. Additionally, the famous beach bars along Avenue Mohammed V1 have all been demolished to make way for the new marina. Nonetheless new places are popping up too as the city reinvents itself and young Tangerines (male and female) demand fashionable places to socialise, although some tend to be grossly expensive. Be careful leaving late at night as the streets can be none too safe; best to ask the staff to call a taxi.
555 Av Mohammed VI, opposite the Atlas Rif Hotel beachclub555.com. This massive modern European-style nightclub that can accommodate 1500 serves up body-thumping dance mixes until dawn - don’t even think about arriving until after midnight. Often hosts international DJs and groups can book a VIP table with a bottle of alcohol. Both the entrance fee and the drinks are expensive, but Ladies Night (free entry and drinks) is every Fri.
Caid’s Bar Hôtel el Minzah, 85 Rue de la Liberté 0539 333444. Classy establishment that oozes nostalgia for Tangier’s International Zone days. There’s a pianist tinkling away most nights, while over the bar is the centrepiece of the ritzy decor, a grand painting of Caid Sir Harry Maclean, former commander in chief of the sultan’s army. During the day you can sit by the swimming pool.
Chellah Beach Club Chellah Hôtel, 47-49 Rue Allal Ben Abdellah 0539 321002. This was a beachside bar, and while it has kept its name, because of the new marina it has moved into the Chellah Hôtel in Ville Nouvelle. Nonetheless it remains an especially popular bar with both locals and expats thanks to its fun atmosphere and lack of pretension. The music (live and DJs), ranges from jazz and flamenco, to Moroccan Gnaoua.
Le Coeur de Tanger 1 Rue Annoual, Pl de France. Large easy-going bar upstairs from Gran Café de Paris; the entrance is down a side street. It has a balcony overlooking the action in Place de France, the beer, wine and other drinks are reasonably priced, and there's a good mix of young locals and visitors as hotels often steer people here looking for a drink. A bonus is the free tapas that do the rounds.
London’s Pub 15 Rue Al Mansour Eddahbi 0539 942094. As the name suggests, modelled on a typical English pub with a wood-panelled interior and long bar, popular with groups of young middle-class Moroccans after work or to watch the football and for the novelty of cold pints of Moroccan beer on tap (rarely seen). Little plates of complimentary tapas are brought around, and there's a decent dinner menu.
Number One 1 Av Mohamed V 0539 941674. This cosy little bar has funky kitsch décor, loads of interesting photos and newspaper articles on the walls, chilled music, and a tapas restaurant in the room next door. The draft beer is cold, and it also has a good, if not expensive, selection of wines and spirits.
The Tangerinn Pub 16 Rue Magellan, below the Hôtel el Muniria 0613 321594. One of Tangier’s last surviving International Zone relics – there’s a faded framed picture of Jack Kerouac on the wall – the Tangerinn is more reminiscent of a private club but without the dress standards. The clientele nowadays is mostly local (both male and female), the music is often loud and the service pretty good.
Regine Club 8 Rue al Mansour Eddahbi 0675 031247. Mainstream club firmly stuck in the 1980s with mirror balls and padded booth seating. It’s larger and a little cheaper than most, and is especially fun after midnight. Happy hour 2-for-1 drinks Mon 11pm–1am. Free admission.
There’s a vibrant art scene in Tangier, with at least two or three exhibitions on at any given time. Up-to-date listings and information on various small galleries can be found in the window of Bab el Fen, a well-stocked art supply shop at 25 Rue Ibn Rochd, opposite the Rembrandt Hotel.
Galerie d’Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi 52 Bv d’Angleterre, Ville Nouvelle 0539 936073. Located in the former British Consulate built in 1898 and surrounded by a magnificent garden, with a number of rooms hosting contemporary works by mainly Moroccan and European artists. Admission 10dh.
Galerie Delacroix 86 Rue de la Liberté, Ville Nouvelle 0539 941054. The gallery for Tangier’s Institut Français du Nord, with regular exhibitions by Moroccan artists, and sometimes non-Moroccans residing in Tangier.
Medina Art Gallery 30 Av Abou Chouabib Doukali, Ville Nouvelle medinagallery.com. Founded in 1999 by local artists Saïd Kadiri and Omar Salhi, this gallery aims to discover new local talent and refocus attention on some of the past Moroccan masters, such as Mohamed Hamri.
Volubilis Art Gallery 6 Sidi Boukouja, Kasbah 0539 333875. This little gallery has regular exhibitions of mainly Moroccan artists, including owner Mohamed Raïss El Fenni.
The city’s possibilities for films, theatre, the occasional concert and, at the right time of year, festivals are refreshingly varied nowadays.
American Legation (TALIM) 8 Rue d’Amérique, Medina legation.org. The American Legation often hosts free cultural events such as live performances, book launches and discussions on a range of themes, such as North African art, military history and languages.
Cinema Rif Grand Socco cinemathequedetanger.com. This renovated 1930s Art Deco landmark has nightly showings of new releases, documentaries and classics, plus regular week-long film festivals, including the Mediterranean Short Film Festival of Tangier (ccm.ma). Check beforehand if the film is dubbed into Arabic.
Institut Français du Nord 1 Rue Hassan Ibn Ouazzane, Ville Nouvelle if-maroc.org/tanger. The cultural arm of the French government presents a weekly programme of events that includes art & literary functions, as well as films and live performances from its 170-seater theatre.
Instituto Cervantes de Tanger 99 Av Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah, Ville Nouvelle tanger.cervantes.es. Like its French counterpart, this branch of Spain’s cultural arm is enthusiastically involved in Tangier’s social scene, providing a weekly programme of film screenings, discussions, concerts and general cultural exchange.
TanJazz tanjazz.org. Highly regarded jazz festival, attracting quality artists from Europe, the Americas, Africa as well as the odd performer from Asia and Australia, which takes place in a number of venues over four days in Sept.
The vast majority of craftwork found in the city’s market stalls and stores are produced elsewhere in Morocco, something worth considering if you’re travelling further into the country.
Boutique Majid 66 Rue Almohades, Medina boutiquemajid.com. A decades-old antique and souvenir emporium selling rugs, jewellery, pottery, wood and metal crafts, textiles and silk embroideries and clothing. Majid himself might be on hand with his entertaining stories about celebrity visitors.
Ensemble Artisanal Cnr Rue Belgique & Rue M’sallah (left-hand side, going west from the Pl de France). A government-run centre that both produces and sells Moroccan crafts, such as zellij (mosaics), woodwork and book binding. There’s virtually no haggling which often relates to higher prices than what you might get elsewhere, but without the stress. It’s recently renovated and is a pleasure to stroll around and browse.
Galerie Tindouf 72 Rue de la Liberté, opposite Galerie Delacroix galerietindouf.com. One of the better-quality junk/antique shops, with a good array of hand-embroidered cushions and throws, carpets, Moroccan lamps and ceramics from both Fez and Salé.
Les Insolites 28 Rue Khalid Ibn Oualid, off Av Pasteur. The hippest bookstore in Tangier with friendly French owners, showcasing Moroccan and North African contemporary writers alongside classics from Paul Bowles, William Burroughs, Tennessee Williams and the like. There's also an excellent choice of modern art for sale and light lunches and tea can be taken at the pavement tables.
Librairie des Colonnes 54 Av Pasteur librairie-des-colonnes.com. Tangier’s premier bookshop with a selection of souvenir coffee table books as well as English-language classics.
Volubilis Boutique 15 Petit Socco, Medina. Shop for the artist and designer Mohamed Raiss el Fenni, with an interesting mix of traditional Moroccan and Western clothing and accessories on offer, as well as paintings.
Banks and exchange Most banks, as well as a number of private bureaux de change, are grouped along Av Pasteur and Av Mohammed V. BMCE has branches at 21 Av Pasteur and in the Grand Socco, both with ATMs, and SGMB also has a Grand Socco branch with ATM. MedChange at 5 Av Mohammed V, near the junction with Av Pasteur opens 9am–10pm daily, as does Best Change at 91 Rue Siaghine, off the Petit Socco in the Medina.
Golf Royal Country Club of Tangier, Route de Boubana royalgolfdetanger.com. 18-holes, open daily except Mon 7am-8pm, clubs, caddies and carts can be hired.
Hospitals Clinique Assalam, 10 Av de la Paix, off Av Moulay Youssef to the west of the gare routière (cliniqueassalam.com), is regarded as the best private clinic in Tangier for medical emergencies. Closer to the city centre is Hôpital Espagnol 0539 931018 on Rue de l’Hôpital Espagnol near Pl Oued el Makhazine. For a private ambulance, call 0539 954040 or 0539 946976.
Internet access Almost all hotels offer Wi-Fi, as do many cafés.
Pharmacies There are several English-speaking pharmacies on Pl de France and along Av Pasteur. They are generally open Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 4-8pm, Sat 9am-1pm. A roster of all-night and weekend pharmacies is displayed in every pharmacie window. Pharmacists can also recommend local doctors.
Police There are several police posts around the city including one on the Grand Socco and in the kasbah. Emergency 19.
Post office The main Poste Maroc office is at 33 Bd Mohammed V and has a poste restante service (Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 8am–noon).
Travel agencies The following can organize ferry tickets and other transport, as well as local tours. Calypso Tour, 71 bis Rue de la Liberté (calypsotanger.com); Euro Maroc Travel, 67 Av la Résistence (euromaroctravel.com); Tangier Travel, 40 Rue Zerktouni (tangiertravel.ma).
16km outside Tangier and 5km south of Cap Spartel • Charge
To the south of Cap Spartel, Africa’s most northwesterly promontory, begins the vast and wild Atlantic, known locally as Robinson Plage. It is broken only by a rocky spit, 5km from the Cape, which is home to the Caves of Hercules (Les Grottes d’Hercule), something of a symbol for Tangier, with their strange sea window shaped like a map of Africa. The name, like Hercules’ legendary founding of Tangier, is purely fanciful, but the caves make an attractive excursion from Tangier. Natural formations, which were occupied in prehistoric times, the caves are most striking for a man-made addition – thousands of disc-shaped erosions created by centuries of quarrying for millstones. There were still people cutting stones here for a living until the 1920s, but by that time their place was beginning to be taken by professional guides and discreet sex hustlers; it must have made an exotic brothel. The caves are a couple of minutes’ walk downhill from the Hotel Le Mirage (below) and are accessed by descending a narrow set of stairs that can at times be slippery from the ocean mist.
If you feel like staying by the sea for a few days, the beach here can be a pleasant base (see below); outside of July and August only stray groups of visitors share the long surf beaches. Take care with currents, however, which can be very dangerous even near the shore.
Arrival and departure Caves of Hercules
By bus On summer weekends, the #2 bus runs here from St Andrew’s Church by the Grand Socco in Tangier (daily 9am, 11am & 4pm; 45min); at other times it runs to the nearby village of Jabila, a long walk from the caves – you’re better off alighting before then, at Ziyatin on the old airport road, from where there are connecting taxis to the caves.
By grand taxi You can charter a grand taxi from the Grand Socco or get to Ziyatin in shared grands taxis from St Andrew’s Church. For the return journey to Tangier there are grands taxis by the caves themselves, and there's another taxi rank by the Hotel Le Mirage itself, opposite Camping Achakar.
By car The caves are a 15min drive from Tangier, travelling west of the city via the plush residential quarter of La Vieille Montagne and Cap Spartel. You can make a round trip by continuing along the coast road, then take either the minor road through Jabila or the faster main road (N1) back to Tangier.
Camping Achakar 0612 249727. Close to the caves, this pleasant, well-wooded campsite has grass pitches and twelve bungalows that sleep four. Showers are clean but usually cold, and there’s a café, restaurant, small shop and children’s playground. Camping €, bungalow €
Le Mirage lemirage.com. This upmarket clifftop complex of luxury bungalows and villas is a two-minute walk from the caves and has full facilities including a swimming pool. The restaurant and piano bar are open to non-residents and make a very pleasant, albeit expensive, day-trip lunch stop. BB €€€
The best beaches in the immediate vicinity of Tangier are to be found at Cap Malabata, where much wealthy villa development has been taking place, but long open swathes of sandy beach can still be found. Beyond here, Ksar es Seghir offers a pleasant day by the sea, or a stop on the coast road to Ceuta. Inaugurated in 2007, the Tanger Med port complex near the village of Dalia, 20km from Ceuta, is still being expanded and together with a new road and rail network, has transformed the rugged coastline into a busy trade hub.
Bus #15 or #16 (every 45min; 5.30am–10pm) from the Grand Socco in Tangier, or grand taxi from Av Moulay Idriss I, opposite the gare routière main exit
The bay east of Tangier is flanked by long stretches of beach and a chain of elderly villas and newer apartment blocks until you reach Cap Malabata, which has a couple of intermittently open hotels and some attractive stretches of beach. Further on, an old Portuguese fort on an outcrop makes a good destination for coastal walks.
Buses travelling between Tangier and Fnideq (1hr;) stop at the junction in the centre of town; shared grands taxis depart from Tangier’s Rue de Portugal
The formerly picturesque little fishing port of KSAR ES SEGHIR has grown a little ugly in recent years, with a modern breakwater constructed at its western entrance and the autoroute from the Tanger Med port towering over the village to its south. Although it continues to attract a fair number of Moroccan beach campers in summer, it now sees few European visitors. Just across the river from the town centre lie the remains of a medieval Islamic town and Portuguese fortress (there’s a plan of the site posted up by the west side of the bridge). Ksar es Seghir has been of specific interest to archaeologists, being positioned at the meeting point of three distinct terrains: the Habt (Atlantic lowlands), Jabala (sandstone hills), and the Rif mountains.
Accommodation and eatingeast of tangier
Diamant Bleu At the western entrance to town; often closed Jan, Feb, Nov & Dec. With a nice view of the coast, this restaurant offers a Moroccan and Mediterranean menu, specializing in seafood. €€
Ksar al Majaz N16 Hwy, 3km from the Tanger Med port 0539 593647. Block-type hotel built to take advantage of passing trade from the new port. Lacking any real character, the modern rooms are nonetheless comfortable and good value and there's a seasonal outdoor pool and sun terrace. There are a number of café-restaurants close by. €€
Saif Tarifa Beach On the N16 or old coastal road, 18km from Tangier, 12km before town saifhotels.com. A smart modern place with comfortable and spacious en suite rooms and suites overlooking the sea, a good-sized pool and terrace next to the beach, and a restaurant serving Moroccan staples and seafood. €€
The first town south of Tangier – and first stop on the train line – ASILAH (sometimes spelt Assilah) is one of the most elegant of the old Portuguese Atlantic ports, small, clean and easy to navigate. First impressions are of wonderful square stone ramparts, flanked by palms, and an outstanding beach – an immense sweep of sand stretching to the north halfway to Tangier. The town’s Medina is one of the most attractive in the country, colourwashed in pastel shades, and with a series of murals painted for the town’s International Cultural Festival (3–4 weeks in Aug; c-assilah.com), which attracts performers from around the world with a programme of art, dance, film, music and poetry.
Before the tourists and the International Festival, Asilah was just a small fishing port, quietly stagnating after the indifference of Spanish colonial administration. Whitewashed and cleaned up, it now has a prosperous feel to it, with a new Grand Mosque, wide paved seaside promenade and swish property developments. There’s a villagers’ market, at its liveliest on Thursday and Sunday, held on Avenue Moulay Ismail below the grand taxi stand. As with Tangier, the beach is the main focus of life in summer. The most popular stretches are to the north of the town, out towards the train station. For more isolated strands, walk south, past the Medina ramparts.
The Medina’s circuit of towers and ramparts – built by the Portuguese military architect Botacca in the sixteenth century – are pleasant to wander around. They include two main gates: Bab el Homar, on Avenue Hassan II, and Bab el Kasba. If you enter by the latter, you pass the Grand Mosque and the Centre Hassan II des Rencontres Internationales, formerly a Spanish army barracks and now an arts venue and accommodation centre for the festival, with a cool open courtyard.
Further on is a small square overlooked by the “red tower”, El Hamra, used for exhibitions. Turn right past here, along a tiny network of streets, and down towards the platform overlooking the sea, and you’ll come upon at least a half-dozen murals painted (and subsequently repainted) during the festival; they form an intriguing mix of fantasy-representational art and geometric designs. Keep an eye out for the small art galleries of local artists which are scattered around the Medina.
Rue Sidi Ahmed Ben Mansour • Other than during the International Cultural Festival, it’s not officially open to visitors but if you’re interested, knock or enlist the help of a local and you may strike lucky with the caretaker
The town’s focal sight, the Palais de Raisuli, overhangs the sea ramparts towards the far end of the Medina, away from the beach. Built in 1909 with forced tribal labour by Moulay Ahmed er Raisuli, a local bandit, the interior is worth seeing, if you can gain access (see above). One of the strangest figures to emerge from what was a bizarre period of Moroccan government, he began his career as a cattle rustler, achieved notoriety with a series of kidnappings and ransoms (including the British writer Walter Harris and a Greek-American millionaire, Perdicaris, who was bailed out by Teddy Roosevelt), and was eventually appointed governor over practically all the tribes of northwest Morocco. Harris described his captivity in Morocco That Was as an “anxious time”, made more so by being confined in a small room with a headless corpse. Despite this, captor and captive formed a friendship, Harris finding Raisuli a “mysterious personage, half-saint, half-blackguard”, and often entertaining him later in Tangier.
Another British writer, Rosita Forbes, visited Raisuli in his palace in 1924. Raisuli told Forbes that he made murderers walk to their death from the palace windows – a 27-metre drop to the rocks. One man, he said, had turned back to him, saying, “Thy justice is great, Sidi, but these stones are more merciful”.
Cnr Av Mohammed V and Av Prince Héritier Sidi Mohamed • No set visiting hours; Mass Sun 11am • Ring the bell by the door alongside the church
The Church of San Bartolome was built in 1925 by Franciscan priests from Galicia, in northwest Spain. The cool and airy colonial-Spanish-style interior is complemented by the nuns’ own small chapel in Moorish style, with prayers common to Islam and Christianity carved in Arabic. One of the few church bells allowed to be used in Morocco is rung for Sunday Mass, and the sisters, from a teaching order founded by Mary Ward in Yorkshire in 1585, train local girls in dressmaking, embroidery and literacy.
Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport is about halfway between Tangier and Asilah on the N1 highway. Buses and trains don't stop there, so from Asilah catch a Tangier-bound grand taxi and ask to be dropped off at the airport on the way.
By train The train station is located 2km north of the town; Grands and petit taxis meet arrivals or It’s a straightforward 15min walk into town. Book ahead if you’re planning on catching the overnight couchette service to Marrakesh, which departs Asilah at about 10.45pm.
Destinations Casablanca Voyageurs (8 direct & 2 connecting daily; 4hr–5hr 30min); Fez (4 direct & 1 connecting daily; 3hr 40min–4hr 10min); Marrakesh (1 direct & 9 connecting daily; 8hr–9hr 30min); Meknes (4 direct & 1 connecting daily; 3hr–3hr 30min); Oujda (1 direct & 1 connecting daily; 10–11hr); Rabat (8 direct & 3 connecting daily; 3–4hr); Souk el Arba du Gharb (11 direct daily; 1hr 15min); Tangier (12 direct daily; 40min); Taza (1 direct & 3 connecting daily; 6hr 20min–7hr).
By bus Buses arrive at the gare routière opposite the Shell petrol station on the Tangier–Larache (N1) road. From here it’s a short walk across the N1 and down Av Moulay Ismail to the central Plaza Mohammed V. Note that CTM doesn’t stop at Asilah; Larache (over 20 daily; 1hr); Tangier (over 20 daily; 1hr); Tetouan (4 daily; 1hr 25min).
By grand taxi Grands taxis park just north of Plaza Mohammed V on Av Moulay Ismail and others operate from the bus station.
Accommodationmap
Accommodation in Asilah once used to mostly consist of bland, multistorey hotels or cheap pensions but a number of good quality, intimate guesthouses have now opened up too. From May to Sept (especially on a weekend or during the International Cultural Moussem), reservations are recommended. Camper vans are usually allowed to park for the night in an open parking area just outside the Medina wall at the end of Rue Moulay Hassan Ben Mehdi – tip the gardien 20dh. Note that recently there has been a marked increase in touts preying on travellers arriving at the Medina – their ploy is to advise you that your chosen guesthouse is fully booked or closed, in their intent to then lead you to alternative accommodation.
Al Alba 35 Lot Nakhil 0539 429190 hotelalalba.com. A comfortable riad about 1km north of the centre with traditional Moroccan décor and deservedly popular thanks to great service and good facilities including a hammam, lovely tea room with relaxing couches, and excellent restaurant (open to non-guests). The 10 spotless rooms are decked out in a pleasing blue, white and gold, have a/c, heating and TV, and some can sleep three. BB €€
Azayla 20 Av Ibn Rochd 0539 416717. A simple but centrally located hotel and easy to find, with clean and spacious en suite rooms with powerful showers and a/c, some with balconies and sea views. The English-speaking reception staff are very helpful. No breakfast but close to cafés, and parking is available on the street out front. €€
Dar Azaouia Rue 6 n° 18, Quartier Moulay Idriss (near Bab el Homar), darazaouia-asilah.com. Located just outside the Medina in the old Jewish quarter, Dar Azaouia has just four rooms making it feel homely and inviting. Each is individually styled with antiques and Moroccan textiles and have large bathrooms and a fireplace. A split-level rooftop terrace is the setting for a delicious breakfast or dinner cooked by the Belgium owner. BB €€
Dar Manara 23 Rue M`Jimma 0539 416964, asilah-darmanara.com. Lovely, bright Medina guesthouse known for its friendly and personalized service. Five small but comfortable rooms with private bathrooms are spread over three floors that open inwards to a serene central courtyard perfect for long mint teas and a good book. BB €
Patio de la Luna 12 Rue Zellaca 0539 416074. A small house, beautifully converted into a tastefully decorated guesthouse, with simple, rustic double and triple rooms overlooking a peaceful patio-garden. There’s also a sunny rooftop terrace and friendly, Spanish-speaking management. €€
Pension el Karam 40 Rue Mansour Eddahbi 0539 417626. A small, homely pension close to the seafront but a little way from the Medina. Rooms are all ground level, opening onto a pleasant, open courtyard. Shared bathrooms. €
Zelis 10 Rue Mansour Eddahbi 0539 417029. Asilah’s only “skyscraper” and still one of the better hotels in town, but not especially attractive and a little dated. Often used by tour groups, with bright, airy rooms, some of which have ocean views. There’s a swimming pool and buffet breakfast is passable in the restaurant, but there are better places for dinner. BB €€
Eatingmap
Dining in Asilah has an obvious lean towards fresh seafood, and a number of the town’s restaurants are frequently visited by regulars from Tangier, Rabat and Casablanca.
Ali Baba 153 Av Hassan II restaurantalibaba.com. About 150m south of the Medina, this doesn't look much from outside but offers sunny pavement tables, attentive service, and is very good value considering the generous portions. The menu includes tajines, brochettes and pizza, along with plenty of seafood options including a platter for two. No alcohol. €€
Casa Garcia Cnr Av du Prince Héritier and Rue Moulay Hassan ben el-Mehdi 0601 431810. Popular restaurant with tables inside and out on a balcony terrace. Regulars compliment the consistently high standard of the dishes, such as delicious seafood tajine, Spanish paella and fish tapas washed down with Moroccan rosé. It can get pretty busy at times; book ahead on Sun. €€€
Océano Casa Pepe 22 Pl Zalaka (opposite Bab Kasbah, the medina's walled garden) 0539 417395. An Asilah institution, this is one of the more formal dining options in town. Seafood dishes make up most of the menu, including a house paella as well as the Asilah speciality of marinated white anchovies. There’s seating inside and out, black-tied waiters and a wine list dominated by Spanish vineyards. €€€
La Perle d’Assilah Cnr Rue Allal Ben Abdallah and Av Melilla 0539 418758. This classy, friendly restaurant is owner-managed by Moroccan-Irish couple Lahcen and Helen Iouani, Lahcen doubling as head chef. Outdoor tables are shielded by glass windbreakers, while the wood-panelled and spacious interior creates an intimate dining area. The menu includes a variety of seafood, meat and vegetarian choices, as well as good-value set menus, plus there’s also a decent wine list. €€
Banks Banque Populaire, BMCE, Crédit Agricole and Attijariwafa Bank all have branches with ATMs on Plaza Mohammed V. There’s a WafaCash bureau de change on Av du Prince Héritier.
LARACHE is a relaxed, easy-going town, its summer visitors primarily Moroccan tourists who come to enjoy the beaches to the north of the estuary of Oued Loukkos. You’ll see as many women around as men – a reassuring feeling for women travellers looking for a low-key spot to bathe. Nearby, and accessible, are the ruins of ancient Lixus, legendary site of the Gardens of the Hesperides.
Larache was the main port of the northern Spanish zone and still bears much of its former stamp. There are faded old Spanish hotels, Spanish-run restaurants and Spanish bars, even an active Spanish cathedral for the small colony who still work at the docks. In its heyday it was quite a metropolis, publishing its own Spanish newspaper and journal, and drawing a cosmopolitan population that included the French writer Jean Genet, who spent the last decade of his life here and is buried in the old Spanish cemetery found to the southwest of town.
Before its colonization in 1911, Larache was a small trading port. Its activities limited by dangerous offshore sand bars, the port-town eked out a living by building pirate ships made of wood from the nearby Forest of Mamora for the “Barbary Corsairs” of Salé and Rabat.
Downtown Larache remains delightfully compact and has a lovely relaxed atmosphere, largely bereft of any hustle or hassle, despite the construction of the LIXUS Beach Resort Hôtel, a golf and marina resort to the north of the estuary. A true hybrid of its Andalusian-Arabic heritage, this is a town where paella is served alongside tajine, and where the evening paseo (promenade) is interrupted by melodic meuzzins (calls to prayer).
The town’s circular main square, Place de la Libération, is still often identified by its original name, Plaza de España. Set just back from the sea and centred around a fountain within well-kept gardens and impressive palm trees, the plaza is encircled by many striking examples of Spanish colonial architecture, best appreciated by one of the cheap and cheerful cafés underneath the section known simply as “the Arches”.
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar
Av Mohamed V, just south of Place de la Libération • Mass Sun 11am
Built in the 1920s and designed by Spanish architects, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar) cathedral is another architectural reminder of Larache’s Andalusian relationship. Its exterior is not unlike a mosque, while the interior is very much that of a traditional Catholic cathedral. Mass is still given every Sunday.
A high Hispano-Moorish archway on Place de la Libération, Bab el Khemis, leads into the Medina, a surprisingly compact wedge of alleys and stairways leading down towards the port and up to Plaza Dar el Majzen. The colonnaded market square, Zoco de la Alcaiceria, just inside the archway, was built by the Spanish in the seventeenth century.
Though lacking in actual sights, wandering through the Medina’s blue- and whitewashed streets is a wonderful opportunity to absorb and view everyday Medina life without the niggling concern of getting lost or being pressured to buy something. At the high, eastern edge of the Medina are the small twin plazas of al Anuar and Dar el Majzen. Separated by a small archway and mosque that defines the Medina’s outer wall, this is a great spot to view midday prayers, especially on a Friday, when worshippers spill out onto a shaded, matted area on Plaza al Anuar. On Plaza Dar el Majzen is the Château de la Cigogne (House of the Stork), a grand two-storey colonial mansion that has been renovated and now houses a music school. Standing guard over the plaza is a hulking, three-sided fortress, the Kasbah de la Cigogne, dating back to the original Spanish occupation in the seventeenth century.
Bus #4 from the port (June–Aug only, every 20min; 45min), though some buses start from Plaza Dar el Majzen, or you can get a grand taxi) or a fishing boat, which shuttle across to the opposite bank, from where it’s a short but hot walk over to the beach
The shore below Avenue Moulay Ismail is wild and rocky; cross the estuary of the Oued Loukkos, however, and you’ll find a popular sandy beach sheltered by trees and flanked by a handful of café-restaurants during summer. Further along the beach, you’ll come to the Lixus Beach Resort Hôtel; a vast property on 12 acres with 253 rooms, a golf course, spa, and restaurant. Non-guests are permitted to visit to use the facilities (lixusbeachresort.com).
By bus Long-distance buses, including CTM, use the town bus station (estación de autobús) just off Av Moulay Mohammed Ben Abdallah. The bus station is a straightforward 400m walk from Pl de la Libération, down Av Moulay Mohammed Ben Abdallah.
Destinations Asilah (over 20 daily; 1hr); Casablanca (1 CTM & 5 others daily; 4–5hr); Fez (2 CTM & 2 others daily; 4–5hr); Ksar el Kebir (over 5 daily; 45min); Meknes (2 CTM & 3 others daily; 3–4hr); Rabat (2 CTM & over 10 others daily; 2hr 30min–3hr 30min); Souk el Arba du Gharb (over 10 daily; 1hr); Tangier (3 CTM & over 10 others daily; 1hr 30min–2hr).
By grand taxi Grands taxis operate from outside the bus station.
Destinations Asilah (1hr); Ksar el Kebir (30min); Moulay Bousselham (1hr); Souk el Arba du Gharb (45min).
Accommodationmap
Cervantes 3 Rue Tarik Ibnou Ziad 0539 910874. Cervantes, just off Pl de la Libération, was built in the early days of the Spanish Protectorate – don’t be put off by the peeling exterior paintwork. This is a friendly little place, with comfortable enough rooms (some with a sea view) and shared hot showers. €
España Pl de la Libération; entrance at 6 Av Hassan II hotelespanalarache.com. This was the Gran Hotel in Spanish days, and there’s still a touch of elegance about the place today. An ornate, carpeted staircase leads from an impressive reception area to a range of large en suite rooms with a/c and TV. A selection of cafés close by makes up for the lack of an in-house restaurant. €€
La Maison Haute 6 Derb Ben Thami lamaisonhaute.free.fr. This small traditional house in the heart of the Medina is full of colour, authentic furniture and antiques, has a family-home atmosphere and excellent views of town from the roof terrace where breakfast is served. The doubles are en suite, while the triple room uses a bathroom down the hall. BB €
Pension Amal 10 Rue Abdallah Ben Yasin 0539 912788. Very basic, cheap and cheerful family-run place off Av Moulay Mohammed Ben Abdallah, with simple but decent rooms and comfortable beds. Hot showers (12dh) and toilets are in the hallways. €
Somarian 68 Av Mohammed Zerktouni 0648 388898. This Spanish-run modern hotel offers large tiled rooms with a/c, TV and good water pressure in the showers. Ask for a sea view if possible, rather than a room overlooking the central covered market. Decent restaurant too, which serves alcohol. Parking is available on the street outside. €€
Tanger Cnr Av Moulay Mohammed Ben Abdallah and Rue Tanger hoteltanger.business.site. This family-run hotel has large, bright rooms, some en suite though those with shared facilities are particularly good value. Spread over three floors, there’s no lift but the friendly management are on hand to assist with luggage. There are good views from the rooftop terrace. €
Eatingmap
There are plenty of reasonably priced places around Place de la Libération, and leading off from here south, along the main pedestrian road, Avenue Hassan II.
Commercial Pl de la Libération. This old restaurant is pretty basic inside but has a good location on the main square. It’s popular with the locals, who come for its simple and cheap dishes such as paella and portions of fried fish. €
Khay Ahmed 1 Av Salah Eddin Al Ayoubi, just off Av Hassan II near Banque Populaire 0661 379362. This multi-floored setup is always busy with locals, yet service is fast and friendly and it is worth the 10-minute walk from Place de la Libération. It offers up the usual Mediterranean-Moroccan standards, plus charcoaled lamb and steak, or simply select a fillet of line fish from their refrigerated display and have it fried or grilled just the way you like. On Friday afternoons they serve traditional couscous. €
Banks and exchange Banque Populaire, Crédit Agricole and Crédit Immobilier et Hôtelier (CIH) are all on Av Mohammed V, just south of Pl de la Libération. Bureau De Change Aya Cash, 25 Av Moulay Mohammed Ben Abdallah (Mon–Fri 10.30am–10pm, Sat 10.30am–7pm, Sun 10.30am–2pm).
Consulate Spain, 1 Rue de Casablanca (Mon–Fri 8am–2pm; 0539 15392).
Golf Port Lixus Resort Golf Club, north of Oued Loukkos, turn off at Lixus ruins (18 holes; 0539 500782).
Ancient Lixus is one of the oldest – and most continuously – inhabited sites in Morocco. It had been settled in prehistoric times, long before the arrival of Phoenician colonists around 1000 BC, under whom it is thought to have become the first trading post of North Africa. Later, it was in turn an important Carthaginian and Roman city, and was deserted only in the fifth century AD, two hundred years after Diocletian had withdrawn the empire’s patronage. There are remains of a church from this period, and Arabic coins have also been found.
As an archeological site, then, Lixus is certainly significant, and its legendary associations with Hercules add an element of mythic allure. The ruins lie upon and below the summit of a low hill on the far side of the Oued Loukkos estuary, at the crossroads of the main Larache–Tangier road and the narrow lane to Larache beach. A track, worth climbing for the panoramic view alone, wends up to the amphitheatre area, where there are mosaics. The ruins are interesting rather than impressive, and only around a quarter of the site has been excavated.
While there is a visitor centre, the site is not effectively enclosed and therefore always open and accessible. There’s a useful map board by the roadside at the entrance, but there is no interpretive signage within the site itself. On random days there is a self-appointed French-speaking gardien who is eager to show visitors the main points of interest for a tip. The Lower Town, spreading back from the modern road, consists largely of the ruins of factories for the production of salt – still being panned nearby – and garum fish sauce. The factories seem to have been developed in the early years of the first century AD and they remained in operation until the Roman withdrawal.
A track, some 100m down the road to Tangier, leads up to the Acropolis (upper town), passing on its way eight rows of the Roman theatre and amphitheatre, unusually combined into a single structure. Its deep, circular arena was adapted for circus games and the gladiatorial slaughter of animals. Morocco, which Herodotus knew as “the wild-beast country”, was the major source for these Roman venations (controlled hunts), and local colonists must have grown rich from the trade. Until 1998, the baths built into the side of the theatre featured a remarkable mosaic depicting Neptune’s head on the body of a lobster; unfortunately, the mosaic was irreparably damaged when the gardien’s son tried to dig it up to sell, and just about a third of it remains.
Climbing above the baths and theatre, you pass through ramparts to the main fortifications of the Acropolis – a somewhat confused network of walls and foundations – and temple sanctuaries, including an early Christian basilica and a number of pre-Roman buildings. The most considerable of the sanctuaries, with their underground cisterns and porticoed priests’ quarters, were apparently rebuilt in the first century AD, but even then retained Phoenician elements in their design.
Arrival and departureAncient Lixus
By bus and grand taxi From Larache port, bus #4 (June–Aug only, every 20 min) and bus #5 (5 daily) will both drop off at the ruins (35min); bus #4 continues on to the beach; alternatively, charter a grand taxi but be sure to agree on a collection time from the ruins and only pay once you’re back in town.
Adjoining the Moulay Bousselham lagoon is a large wetland area known as Merja Zerga (“Blue Lake”). The lagoon’s periphery is used for grazing by nomadic herds of sheep, cattle and goats, and the lagoon itself is a Ramsar-listed Wetland of International Importance, and is one of the largest of its kind in Morocco.
The huge extent of the site ensures rewarding birdwatching at all times of the year. There are large numbers of waders, including a large colony of flamingos, plus little-ringed plovers, black-winged stilts and black-tailed godwits.
For serious birdwatchers, it is the gulls and terns that roost on the central islands which are worthy of the closest inspection, as, among the flocks of lesser black-backed gull and black tern, it is possible to find rarer species such as Caspian tern. The adjacent grassland is probably the best place in Morocco to see pairs of North African marsh owl, which usually appear hunting above the tall grasses shortly after sunset. Marsh harrier and osprey can also sometimes be spotted. One bird you’ll certainly see wintering here, usually around cattle (and sometimes sitting on their backs), is the cattle egret. For rarity-spotters, the current grail is the lesser crested tern and its cousin the royal tern, both immigrants from Mauretania during spring and summer.
English-speaking local ornithologist Hassan Dalil (0668 434110) is easily the best guide in the region, and can be contacted directly or via the Café Milano in Moulay Bousselham, which also keeps a bird log. Beware of copycat guides purporting to be “the” Hassan. The tours are best taken in early morning or at dusk, depending on the tides; the boat isn’t shaded so bring along a hat, protective clothing, sunscreen and water.
On foot It’s a 4–5km walk to the ruins from both Larache beach or town. Currently lacking any great signage, the entrance to the site is on the corner of the Larache–Asilah road and a minor road signposted as “Plage Ras Rmel”.
As its name – in Arabic, “the Great Enclosure” – suggests, KSAR EL KEBIR, an eleventh-century Arab power base 36km southeast of Larache, was once a place of some importance. It was 12km north of here where, in August 1578, the Portuguese fought the disastrous Battle of the Three Kings, the most dramatic and devastating in their nation’s history – a power struggle disguised as a crusade, which saw the death or capture of virtually the entire nobility and which ultimately resulted in 62 years of Spanish rule.
The town fell into decline in the seventeenth century, after a local chief incurred the wrath of Moulay Ismail, though its fortunes were revived to some extent under the Spanish protectorate, when it served as a major barracks.
The Sunday souk is held right by the gare routière and Moulay el Mehdi station. On any morning of the week, however, there are lively souks around the main kissaria (covered market) of the old town – in the quarter known as Bab el Oued (Gate of the River). Beyond Ksar el Kebir, a decaying customs post at Arbaoua marks the old colonial frontier between the Spanish and French zones.
Arrival and departure Ksar el Kebir
By train The easiest way to get to Ksar el Kebir is by train, either on a direct service or via Casa Voyageurs or Sidi Kacem stations. Ksar el Kebir station is way out on the northern edge of town; for the town centre, get off at Moulay el Mehdi station, one stop south.
Destinations Asilah (12 daily; 40min–1hr); Casablanca Voyageurs (8 direct & 3 connecting daily; 3hr 30min–5hr); Rabat (8 direct & 3 connecting daily; 2hr 25min–4hr); Sidi Kacem (5 direct daily; 1hr 30min) Tangier (12 direct daily; 1hr 30min).
By bus The gare routière is next to Moulay el Mehdi station. However, as the motorway bypasses the town, few long-distance buses come here.
Destinations Larache (over 5 daily; 45min); Moulay Bousselham (5 daily; 35min).
By grand taxi Grands taxis from Larache operate to and from a station just across the tracks from the gare routière, and those from Souk el Arba du Gharb operate from one 500m further south.
Destinations Larache (30min); Moulay Bousselham (30min); Souk el Arba du Gharb (30min).
There are a number of hotels and basic places to eat located on or near the town square; head south from the Moulay el Mehdi station and turn right after 300m.
Ksar al Yamama 8 Bd Hassan II 0539 907960. A good-value place, with nice, large, airy rooms, some en suite with a bathtub, and some with balconies overlooking the town square. No wi-fi. €
MOULAY BOUSSELHAM, 55km from Ksar el Kebir, is a very low-key resort, popular almost exclusively with Moroccans. It comprises little more than a single street, crowded with grill-cafés and sloping down to the sea at the side of a broad lagoon and wetland area, known as Merja Zerga. This is one of northern Morocco’s prime birdwatching locations, and avid birdwatchers from all over the world come here to see the lagoon’s flamingo and other bird colonies.
The beach itself is sheltered by cliffs – rare along the Atlantic – and has an abrupt drop-off, which creates a continual crash of breaking waves. While a lot of fun for swimming as well as beginner surfers, the currents can at times be quite strong and only the most confident of swimmers should venture out past the breakers. In summer, a section of the beach is patrolled by lifeguards.
For Moroccans, the village is part summer resort, part pilgrimage centre. The village’s namesake saint, Marabout Moulay Bousselham, was a tenth-century Egyptian whose remains are housed in a koubba prominently positioned above the settlement. In July this sees one of the largest moussems in the region.
Arrival and departure Moulay Bousselham
By bus Buses stop at a car park at the entrance to the village. From here it’s a short, slightly uphill walk to the village centre or a similar distance but slightly downhill to the two camping sites. Note that CTM buses do not come here.
Destinations Ksar el Kebir (5 daily; 35min); Souk el Arbaa du Gharb (4 daily; 40min). You will need to change buses at either one of these to get to Larache.
By grand taxi Grands taxis stop at the same spot as the buses, though it’s worth asking the driver to drop you off in the village centre or even at your accommodation. The frequency of services increases greatly during the summer holiday season.
Destinations Ksar el Kebir (20min); Larache (1hr); Souk el Arba du Gharb (30min).
Most Moroccan families either camp or rent houses so there's not much choice of accommodation. During the summer try and book in advance. In the village centre is a line of grill-cafés; indistinguishable from each other – they will all fix you a large, great value mixed platter of freshly fried fish. Another interesting alternative is to go to the market and buy your own fish and take it to one of the vendors to be grilled for a small charge.
The Moussem of Moulay Bousselham is held annually in mid-July. The village, already bursting at the seams at this time of the year, overflows with pilgrims dressed in white who come to pay homage to the saint by visiting the koubba. A fantasia – a traditional cavalry charge culminating in firing of muskets in the air – also usually takes place during the festival, on a level field between the village and the autoroute.
Over the last few decades, the economies on both sides of Ceuta’s border seemed to benefit from the enclave, spurred on by the city’s duty-free status. However, the border is also the frontier between Africa and Europe, and inevitably the EU became increasingly concerned about traffic in drugs and illegal immigrants, financing in 2005 a £15m ($22m) hi-tech “wall” with a double fence, CCTV, regular watch towers and movement sensors along the 8km boundary.
The money to be made from outflanking these defences has attracted hi-tech smugglers trading in hash and hard drugs. But in recent years it has been the storming and scaling of the six-metre-high border fence by migrants that has been more newsworthy. It has become a regular occurrence that groups of up to six hundred men – desperate refugees from as far south as Liberia and Rwanda and some disadvantaged Moroccans – simultaneously rush the Moroccan border guards and ascend the fence. There have been incidences where these men have used sticks, stones and petrol bombs as defence weapons and, equally, that the Moroccans and Spanish guards have resorted to using rubber bullets. While some migrants get stopped, often between the double barriers or stuck on top, others to do manage to climb over into Spanish Ceuta. They then continue to go over to mainland Spain by night, often in small boats unsuited to the short but difficult crossing. The same has been happening at the sister city of Melilla, and in 2018, Spain surpassed both Italy and Greece as the number one destination for migrants crossing the Mediterranean by boat.
Camping Caravaning International 500m east of town on the lagoon 0537 432477. This large, grassy, shaded but ageing campsite remains ever popular due to its lagoon-side location. It can get very busy during summer, when both the ablutions and mosquitoes are a worry. It has a restaurant and takeaway and vendors sell fresh fish at the gate. Price includes an electric point. €
Flamants-Loisirs 1km east of town, signposted opposite the post office campingmaroc1.com. The better of the town’s two campsites, set away from the village in a relatively secure lot overlooking the lagoon from up high. There’s lots of shady camping sites and basic ablutions with hot water, as well as an on-site restaurant, small grocery shop and large swimming pool (summer only). Price includes an electric point. €
Le Lagon Main road, village centre 0537 432650. An ageing, crumbling, overpriced 80s-era hotel with fantastic views over the lagoon – its one and only attribute. Rooms are en suite and some also have TV. €
La Maison des Oiseaux About 2km east of town; phone ahead for directions moulay.bousselham.free.fr. The “house of the birds”, down by the lagoon, is a whitewashed villa with a pleasant garden, though the homely atmosphere of times gone by seems to have disappeared. There’s a variety of rooms, including some family suites that sleep up to six adults. BB €
Vila Bea 41 Rue de Mer vilabea.com. Easily the village’s best accommodation, this charming French-owned guesthouse overlooks the Atlantic. The spacious rooms boast quality furnishings and some have views over the welcoming infinity pool to the ocean. An in-house restaurant offers sumptuous breakfasts and fine seafood dinners. BB €€€
Villa Nora At the far northern end of town, about 1.5km from the centre 0537 432071. This British-owned, friendly guesthouse overlooks the beach and the Atlantic rollers, offering rooms that are small but comfortable, with a shared bathroom. The service is still commendable and meals can be arranged, but many of the furnishings are in need of repair and the overall standard seems to have dropped of late. BB €€
Banks Attijariwafa, Banque Populaire and Crédit Agricole are all located at the entrance to the village; all have ATMs.
Post office At the entrance to the village, close to the banks.
A Spanish enclave since the sixteenth century, CEUTA (Sebta in Arabic) is a curious political anomaly. Along with Melilla, east along the coast, it was retained by Spain after Moroccan independence in 1956 and today functions largely as a military base, its economy bolstered by a limited duty-free status. It has been an autonomous city, with a large measure of internal self-government for its eighty-five thousand inhabitants, since 1995. The city makes for an attractive stop when en route either to or from Morocco with its relaxed European atmosphere, pristine squares, tapas bars, coastal walks and pleasant accommodation options. Note that the euro is the only accepted currency and Ceuta runs on Spanish time.
Plaza de Nuestra Señora de Africa
The most attractive part of Ceuta is within several hundred metres of the ferry terminal, where the Plaza Nuestra Señora de Africa is flanked by a pair of Baroque churches, Nuestra Señora de Africa (Our Lady of Africa; open most days) and the cathedral (usually locked). Bordering the square, to the west, are the most impressive remainders of the city walls – the walled moat of Foso de San Felipe and the adjacent Muralla Real (Royal Walls). The oldest sections of the fortifications were built by the Byzantines.
30 Paseo del Revellín • Free • 956 511398
To the east of Plaza de la Constitución, an oldish quarter rambles up from the bottom of the long Paseo del Revellín. There’s an interesting little municipal museum here, the Museo de Ceuta, displaying archeological finds from Stone Age and Roman times through to the Islamic era, well laid out and with good explanations, but in Spanish only. There is also a section dedicated to contemporary art exhibitions on the ground floor.
On the southern flank of the city centre, the Museo de la Legión offers an interesting glimpse of Spanish–African military history. Relatively small in size, its four exhibition rooms are crammed with uniforms, weapons and paraphernalia of the infamous Spanish Foreign Legion. Opposite the museum is a statue of a legionario accompanied by a Barbary sheep, just one of many mascots that the Ceuta regiment has had over the years.
A round circuit of the peninsula makes for a pleasant day-trip if the weather is fine. Start by heading east (and uphill) on Recinto Sur; as the buildings gradually disappear from view, the land swells into a rounded, pine-covered slope offering fine views out to the Rock of Gibraltar. Known as Monte Acho, the summit is crowned by a Byzantine-era fort that is still an active military setup, and therefore off-limits. Around midway, signs direct you to the Ermita de San Antonio, an old convent rebuilt during the 1960s and dominated by a monument to Franco. At the very eastern end of the peninsula is another military museum, the Museo del Desnarigado (free), housed in a fort that is mainly nineteenth-century, though with remnants from the sixteenth and seventeenth too. Below the lighthouse here is a secluded beach, Playa Torrecilla.
Parque Marítimo del Mediterráneo
Paseo de la Marina Española, parquemaritimo.es • Charge
The seafront leisure and amusement complex of Parque Marítimo del Mediterráneo is very popular in summer, with hordes of families and young people enjoying three large saltwater pools set among waterfalls and sculptures. A replica Muralla Real houses restaurants, bars and cafés, as well as a disco and casino come late.
By bus & taxi Running between Ceuta’s Plaza de la Consitutíon and the border are local bus #7 and metered taxis. Taxis can also be usually found waiting outside Ceuta’s ferry terminal, while the closest bus stop is opposite the Muralla Real (Royal Walls) on Avda de España.
By ferry The ferry terminal is a short walk northwest of the town centre. Aside from Semana Santa and the last week in Aug, it’s usually possible for foot passengers to board a ferry for Algeciras within a couple of hours of arriving at the port (15–20 daily; 1hr–1hr 30min for standard ferry and 45min for more expensive hydrofoil). Timetables and fares are on the websites. They also transport cars; book ahead, which you can do online. Ticketing offices for Acciona Trasmediterránea (trasmediterranea.es), Balearia (balearia.com) and FRS (frs.es) are inside the terminal, and there are ticket agencies along Avda del Cañonero Dato.
By helicopter Ceuta Heliport is on Avda Compañía del Mar. Flights go between Ceuta and Algeciras (7min) and Málaga (35min) for a lot less money than you might expect. Helity (Spain +34 856 590146, helity.es).
Time Ceuta works to Spanish time, an hour ahead of Morocco (2hr ahead between the times when Europe and Morocco change to daylight saving).
Telephone When phoning Ceuta from Morocco (or anywhere else outside Spain), you must prefix phone numbers with the international code (00 34). Dialling numbers within Ceuta you must include the old local code (956) as part of the nine-digit number. To phone Morocco from Ceuta, you need to dial 00 212, followed by the local code (minus the initial zero) and number.
Tourist information The tourist office is under the traffic flyover at the western end of Paseo de las Palmeras 956 506275). The website of private company Servicios Turísticos De Ceuta has excellent information in English (ceuta.si)
Kayak tours Ceuta Kayak (ceutakayak.es) offers a number of guided paddles around the Ceuta coastline as well as a very interesting circuit that explores the waterside fortifications of the Muralla Real.
Accommodationmap
It’s advisable to book ahead throughout the year, but especially during the main festivals: Carnival (Feb), Holy Week (Easter), the Fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Monte Carmel (July 16), and the Fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Africa (Aug 5).
Ceuta Puerta de Africa Calle de Alcalde Antonio L. Sánchez Prados ceutapuertadeafrica.com. Modern, large three-star chain hotel centred around a gleaming white atrium, offering a hundred and twenty rooms with all the mod cons. The breakfast buffet is extensive but the in-house restaurant isn’t as good. Underground parking is available (charge). BB €€
Hostal Central Paseo del Revellín 15, first floor hostalesceuta.com. One of the cleaner and more modern of the city’s cheap hotels, in a good, central location, offering small but comfortable en-suite rooms complete with TV and fridge. Single rooms available (€). €€
Hostal Plaza Ruiz Plaza Teniente Ruiz 3, second floor hostalplazaruizceuta.com. Located opposite the Museo de Ceuta, this reliable option offers similar but slightly larger rooms than its sister hotel down the road, Hostal Central (see above), some of which benefit from wrought-iron balconies overlooking the plaza below. Triples (€€) and quads (€€) also available. €€
Parador de Ceuta Pl Nuestra Señora de Africa 15 parador.es. Formerly the Gran Hotel La Muralla and set into the Muralla Real, Ceuta’s grand old dame retains a certain colonial charm. Rooms, some with balcony, are looking a little tired but offer great views of the verdant garden and swimming pool or across a car park to the Mediterranean. BB €€
Pensión la Bohemia Paseo del Revellín 12, first floor 956 510615. Best deal among the cheapies, this clean and comfortable pensión is centred around a pleasant interior courtyard. Most of the rooms lack outside windows but all come with fan and TV; bathrooms, with hot water, are shared. The pensión can be difficult to locate as trees sometimes obscure the blue sign. €
Pensión la Puntilla Carretera de Servicio la Puntilla 28 pensionlapuntilla.com. Despite looking a little worn, this is still one of the best and most welcoming places among a number of small, cheap lodgings in this area. Bathrooms with hot water are shared, and there’s a small kitchen. It's a bit far from the sites, but walking distance from the port, which is handy if you're taking an early ferry. €
Since the Algeciras–Ceuta ferries and hydrofoils are quicker than those to Tangier (and the ferries significantly cheaper for cars or motorbikes), Ceuta is a popular point of entry and exit to Morocco. There is no customs/passport check at the port as the frontera (border; open 24hr) is 3km out of town and a further 2km from the Moroccan town of Fnideq.
At the border, which is well signposted from the port and vice versa, formalities for entering and leaving Spain are brief. On the Moroccan side, the procedure can be time-consuming, especially for drivers. Each passport holder needs an immigration form (yellow or photocopied white) and, if you have a car, an additional green form; these are available – though you have to ask for them – from the officials sitting inside the small immigration posts. The car form requires inconvenient details such as chassis number and date of registration. If you despair of getting a form and having it processed, you can always enlist one of the innumerable touts for asmall fee; ignore their standard scam of trying to charge you for immigration forms, which are free. The whole business can take ten minutes on a good day, an hour or two on a bad one, and the noise and chaos can be a bit unsettling. Just try to keep a steady head and if you are in doubt as to where and what you should do, ask one of the (sometimes over-stressed) officials for assistance or directions.
Coming from Ceuta into Morocco, try to arrive early in the day so that you have plenty of time to move on to Tetouan or Tangier – and possibly beyond. Once across and into Morocco proper, you can take a shared grand taxi to Fnideq, 2km away , where you’ll find connecting bus and taxi services to Tetouan or Tangier. When travelling to Fnideq by bus from Tangier, services that travel via Ksar el Seghir will drop you at the border post, whereas the services that travel via Tetouan terminate at Fnideq’s gare routière. You can also book your own grand taxi from the border to Tangieror Tetouan. On the Moroccan side of the border is an Attijariwafa bureau de change, and on the Spanish side there are a couple of travel agencies that will change Moroccan dirhams into euros.
Ulises Calle Camoens 5 hotelulises.com. One of the best hotels in town, all 124 rooms sport a contemporary look with wood-panelled floors and works of art adorning the walls; those on the higher floors offer unobstructed sea views from balconies and the least street noise. A swimming pool operates inn summer. BB €€
Eating and drinkingmap
Ceuta’s main concentration of restaurants is around the Plaza de la Constitución. For tapas bars, check the smaller streets off Calle Camoens. All of the below recommendations serve alcohol.
La Campana Calle Real 13 956 514395. A pasteleria with a reasonable set menu (though not much choice for non-pork eaters), plus tapas, spaghetti, sandwiches, beer and wine from the barrel. €
Charlotte Plaza de los Reyes, Calle Cameons. This popular and inviting café-tapas bar overlooks a busy plaza and offers a varied menu of breakfasts and light dishes. There’s also plenty of beers, wine and cocktails to choose from, and a great range of leaf teas served in heavy clay teapots. A second café is located down at Paseo de las Palmeras 10 (same opening hours). €
Goichu Calle Independencia 15 goichu.com.com. One of the best places to eat in town, although pricey, it is in a wonderful location overlooking La Ribera Beach and with both indoor and covered outdoor seating. It offers an innovative menu that mixes the food of the Basque Country with hints of Japan. €€€€
Gran Muralla Plaza de la Constitución 4. A popular, long-established Chinese restaurant with sweeping views over the harbour. The extensive menu (in English) offers the usual standard dishes, including some good seafood choices, as well as sushi. €€
Oasis Urb San Antonio 89 956 515925. It's worth taking a taxi (15min) out to this pleasant spot high up in the hills overlooking the sea on the outskirts of town for views of the Rock of Gibralter on a clear day. The menu features tasty Moroccon lamb, chicken, fish and vegetable tajines as well as Spanish seafood dishes. Wine, beer and traditional teas compliment a leisurely meal. €€
Banks and exchange Only the euro is used in Ceuta. Currency exchange is available on the Spanish side of the border and at most banks on Paseo del Revellin in Ceuta. There is a telebanco (ATM) on the ground floor of the ferry terminal.
Police Paseo de Colón, next door to the Museo de la Legión.
Approaching TETOUAN from the landward side it looks strikingly beautiful, poised atop the slope of an enormous valley against a dark mass of rock. Its name (pronounced Tet-tá-wan) means “open your eyes” in Berber, an apparent reference to the town’s hasty construction by Andalusian refugees in the fifteenth century.
The city has shaken off its bad reputation for conmen and hustlers of the early noughties, and, thanks to both Moroccan and European investment, the past few years have seen Tetouan almost reborn again – in particular, the once-neglected Spanish Medina is now looked upon affectionately as one of the most “untouched” in the country. Tetouan has remained a popular Moroccan resort that attracts huge numbers of Moroccan families in the summer, who flock to the nearby beaches to escape the heat.
Two cities rose and fell in the vicinity of Tetouan before the present-day city was built. Tamuda, the scant ruins of which can still be seen on the south side of Oued Martil, 4km southeast of town, was founded by the Berber Mauritanians in the third century BC, and razed by the Romans in 42 AD; and the original Tetouan, built by the Merenids in 1307, on the same site as today’s Medina, destroyed by a Castilian raiding party in 1399. The present town was established in 1484 by Muslims and Jews fleeing the Christian reconquest of Andalusia in southern Spain. Jewish merchants – able to pass relatively freely between Muslim North Africa and Christian Europe – brought prosperity to the city, and ramparts were put up in the seventeenth century under Moulay Ismail.
Tetouan has since been occupied twice by the Spanish. It was seized briefly, as a supposed threat to Ceuta, from 1859 to 1862, a period which saw the Medina converted to a town of almost European appearance, complete with street lighting. Then, in 1913 a more serious, colonial occupation began. Tetouan served first as a military garrison for the subjugation of the Rif, later as the capital of the Spanish Protectorate Zone. As such it almost doubled in size to handle the region’s trade and administration, and it was here in 1936 that General Franco declared his military coup against Spain’s elected Liberal–Socialist coalition government, thus igniting the Spanish Civil War.
For Tetouan’s Moroccan population, there was little progress during the colonial period. Spanish administration retained a purely military character and only a handful of schools were opened throughout the entire zone. This legacy had effects well beyond independence in 1956, and the town, alongside its Rif hinterland, adapted with difficulty to the new nation – it was at the centre of anti-government rioting as recently as 1984. Aware of this undercurrent, King Mohammed VI made it his business to visit the former Spanish protectorate almost as soon as he ascended the throne in 1999, a gesture that helped to give Tetouan and its region a much stronger sense of nationhood than it had under the previous monarch.
Tetouan’s old meeting place and former market square, Place Hassan II joins the Medina with the Spanish Ville Nouvelle, El Ensanche. It’s also where the Royal Palace (built on the site of the old Spanish consulate) stands, incorporating parts of a nineteenth-century Caliphal Palace that once stood beside it. Much of the square is roped off for security reasons, but it’s usually OK to take a picture of the palace from the perimeter. You’ll know when the king is in residence by the number of soldiers and police here. Facing the palace, the laneway to the right off Place Hassan II is Rue al Qods, the main street of the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter that was created as late as 1807.
The Medina dates back to the fifteenth century, following the mass migration to North Africa of persecuted Muslims and Jews from Andalusian Spain. The refugees brought with them the most refined sophistication of Moorish Andalusia, reflected in the architecture of the UNESCO heritage-listed Medina, and even their houses, with tiled lintels and wrought-iron balconies, seem much more akin to the old Arab quarters of Cordoba and Seville than those of Moroccan towns. Largely hassle-free, the Medina can be a delight to explore; meander into the Medina’s heart and you’ll be immersed into ancient Medina life – no traffic, children playing games, women chatting over chores, and men chatting over coffee.
Bab er Rouah, on the southern flank of the Royal Palace, is the main gateway into the Medina from Place Hassan II. Immediately through the gate is Rue Terrafin, a relatively wide lane with overhead terracing and a string of jewellery shops that (with its continuations) cuts straight across to the east gate, Bab el Okla. Along the way a series of alleys give access to most of the town’s food and craft souks. The Souk el Houts, a small shaded square directly behind the grounds of the Royal Palace is a good point of reference, being a central point between the northern and southern halves of the Medina. Another trick for orientation is to look at the longer central stones running down the middle of the cobblestoned streets. If they are three wide it means that it is a main street leading to one of the medina's seven gates; two wide, a thoroughfare leading to a main street; and one wide, a residential alleyway or a dead end.
From the north side of the Souk el Houts, two lanes wind up through a mass of alleys, souks and passageways towards Bab Sebta. Following the one on the right (east) for about twenty metres, you’ll see an opening to another small square. This is the Guersa el Kebira, essentially a cloth and textile souk, where a number of stalls sell the town’s highly characteristic foutahs – strong and brilliantly striped lengths of rug-like cotton, worn as a cloak and skirt by the Jebali and Riffian women.
Leaving the Guersa at its top right-hand corner, you should emerge more or less on Place de l’Oussa, another beautiful little square, easily recognized by an ornate, tiled fountain and trellises of vines. Along one of its sides is an imposing nineteenth-century Xharia, or almshouse; on another is a craft shop, elegantly tiled and with good views over the quarter from its roof.
Most of the specific craft souks lie beyond Place de l’Oussa, heading up towards Bab Sebta. Among them are copper and brass workers, renowned makers of babouches (pointed leather slippers), and carpenters specializing in elaborately carved and painted wood. Most of the shops along the central lane here – Rue el Jarrazin – focus on the tourist trade, while the souks themselves remain refreshingly traditional and don’t see much tourist traffic.
Bab al Okla • Charge • maroc.net/museums
The Ethnographic Museum is housed in a former arms bastion of the nineteenth-century Alaouite sultan Moulay Abderrahman. Themed around the everyday but staunchly private elements of Moroccan life, the museum’s exhibits include exquisitely detailed traditional costumes (wedding gowns, for example) as well as a decorative funeral coffin. There’s also a great view of the surrounding countryside from the roof terrace.
Opposite Bab el Okla, outside the Medina • Charge
At the Artisan School (École des Métiers) you can see master craftsmen (maâlem) watch over apprentices working at new designs in the old ways, essentially unmodified since the fourteenth century. This is the only arts program in Morocco that offers a diploma to students. Ranging in trades from metalwork and wood turning to embroidery, many of the workshops have items for sale. Perhaps owing to its Andalusian heritage, Tetouan actually has a slightly different zellij (enamelled tile mosaics) technique to other Moroccan cities – the tiles are cut before rather than after being fired. A slightly easier process, it is frowned upon by the craftsmen of Fez, whose own pieces are more brittle, but brighter in colour and closer fitting.
Cnr Av Hassan II and Av Massira • Free • 0666 046081
Tetouan’s Museum of Modern Art (Centro de Arte Moderno de Tetuán) is located in the city’s renovated old train station (1918), and the green and white building looks half castle, half mosque but is now all sleek and modern inside. The main entrance is from the rear of the building, and visitors are welcomed to a large sunlit space with welded figurative sculptures, while to the right is a colonnaded gallery displaying traditional classics from painters such as Mohamed Serguini and others. A second, larger ground-floor gallery is dedicated to contemporary works from a number of leading Moroccan artists, including Tetouan-based Hassan Echair and Safaa Erruas. The upstairs gallery exhibits a wide range of works – abstract, impressionist and contemporary – by Moroccan artists.
The Ensemble Artisanal on the main road below the town has a wide range of handicrafts for sale on the ground floor, which are worth a look if you’re planning to make purchases in the souks and want to assess prices and quality first. However, the main points of interest are upstairs, where you will find a fascinating array of carpet and embroidery workshops, and outside the building, where there are metalwork, basketry and musical instrument artisans at work. This is a unique opportunity to get up close to the craftsmen and -women and their work without feeling pressured into buying anything.
2 Rue Ben Hussaien, off Pl al Jala • Charge • maroc.net/museums
The Archeological Museum was founded during the Spanish protectorate and, unsurprisingly, features exhibits from that zone of influence, including rock carvings from the Western Sahara. Highlights, as so often in North Africa, are the Roman mosaics, mostly gathered from Lixus and the oft-plundered Volubilis. Other than these, the most interesting exhibits are concerned with the ancient stone circle at Mzoura, near Asilah, including a model and aerial photographs. The signage is all in French, Spanish and Arabic.
The Spaniards left an attractive architectural legacy behind in Tetouan, largely in the Spanish quarter, El Ensanche (“the widening”). Directly west of the Medina’s walls, this neighbourhood of wide avenidas and tall colonial buildings was the Spanish version of the French Ville Nouvelle. Upon independence, however, El Ensanche faded into a derelict obscurity following decades of little development or investment by the state. In recent years, however, the quarter has benefited greatly from the renewed interest and investment in Tetouan and El Ensanche is once again looking proud and grand. Boulevard Mohammed V, the cobblestoned pedestrian avenue that meanders between Place Moulay el Mehdi and Place al Jala, looks more like a street in Barcelona these days with some interesting examples of Spanish colonial and 1920s Art Deco architecture. At sunset, it's very popular for a stroll and to have coffee or ice cream.
Arrival and information Tetouan
By bus Besides CTM, all buses serve Tetouan’s gare routière, 1km south of the city; petits taxis are usually parked out the front of the building. Ticket booths are on the ground floor, and Supratours also have an office in the Ville Nouvelle, on Bd 10 Mai. CTM buses (ticket office daily 4am–midnight) use their own separate station, more conveniently located just below the Medina on Av Hassan II.
Destinations Al Hoceima (2 CTM & over 5 others daily; 8hr); Casablanca (5 CTM & over 10 others daily; 6–7hr); Chefchaouen (5 CTM & over 10 others daily; 1–2hr); Fez (4 CTM & over 10 others daily; 6hr); Fnideq (for Ceuta; 1 CTM & over 10 others daily; 1hr); Larache (2 CTM & over 5 daily; 2–3hr); Marrakesh (1 CTM & over 5 others daily; 9–10hr); Nador (2 CTM & over 5 others daily; 13hr); Oued Laou (5 daily; 1hr 30min); Rabat (5 CTM & over 10 others daily; 5–6hr); Tangier (4 CTM & over 20 others daily; 1hr–1hr 30min).
By grand taxi Collective grands taxis for Tangier and Chefchaouen arrive and depart from Av Khaled Ibnou el Oualid, west of town, a 20min walk or short petit taxi ride. Grands taxis to Fnideq (Ceuta border), Mdiq, Martil and Cabo Negro leave from Av Hassan II; those for Oued Laou leave from the beginning of Av Ksar el Kebir, which is the Oued Laou turn-off from Av Hassan II, not far from Bab el Okla.
Destinations Chefchaouen (1hr); Fnideq (for Ceuta; 20min); Martil (15min); Mdiq (20min); Oued Laou (1hr); Tangier (1hr).
Tourist information 30 Bd Mohammed V 0539 961915; official guides can be enlisted here.
Accommodationmap
Africa 17 Kaid Ahmed 0539 701520. Popular with ultra-budget travellers, this spotless guesthouse near the Royal Palace and the riads below is in a typical medina house with arches and mosaics and is run by affable Nordin who will ply guests with mint tea and tell his tales. Four doubles, and other rooms accommodate up to four (including single travellers; 80dh), good shared bathrooms with hot water, and magnificent medina views from the rooftop terrace. €
Blanco Riad 25 Zankat Zawiya Kadiria blancoriad.com. This former Spanish Consulate, in an arched lane off Bd Mohammed V, is surprisingly spacious with a central courtyard and separate paved garden area. The eight rooms and one suite range in style from small and minimalistic to grand and exquisitely Andalusian. There’s also a hammam and great restaurant. BB €€
El Reducto 38 Zankat Zawiya Kadiria elreducto.com. Tetouan’s most upmarket accommodation, this small riad was the home of the city’s Grand Vizier in the 1940s, and was lovingly brought back to life in 2006 by the current owner. Six suites, each individually furnished in the Andalusian style, overlook a central courtyard and an excellent restaurant. Book ahead. BB €
Riad Dalia 25 Pl el Ouessaa 0539 964318. This older riad once housed the Dutch Consul-General. A quirky combination of palatial and antique (though they’re in danger of becoming tired), the seven rooms range from very large and luxurious to tiny, with a shared bathroom. This range in room types (and costs) attracts a welcoming mix of travellers. There’s a great roof terrace and an in-house restaurant. BB €
Al Mandari Av Moulay Abbas 108 hotelalmandari.ma. This fairly new offering has 32 spacious, light-filled rooms on four storeys with a/c, TV and coffee machines, some with balconies and singles and triples available. The restaurant on the first floor has great views of the mountains around Tetouan and offers a good-value Moroccan and Italian menu. BB €€
Atenas 7 Bd Allal Ben Abdellah hotelatenas.ma. This modern hotel is a class above anything else in this part of town, with eighty large rooms over four floors, all en suite with satellite TV, a small fridge and balcony, and some small but good-value triples (815dh). There's a restaurant and covered parking. BB €€
Oumaima Av 10 Mai 0539 963473. This ageing hotel is central and functional but a little soulless. The rooms are on the small side but are all en suite with TV. The ground-floor café does a nice breakfast. €
Panorama Vista Av Moulay el Abbas 0539 964970. In a handy location close to the CTM bus station and with indeed a lovely panoramic view from the mountain-facing rooms, this three-star hotel offers 63 dated but clean rooms with small en suites. Parking is chargeable and there's a restaurant 150m away for supper. BB €€
Regina 8 Rue Sidi Mandri hotelreginamaroc.com. This ageing, budget hotel still offers very good value for money. The large, bright rooms have colourful, Riffian fabrics on the beds and clean bathrooms with constant hot water. A ground-floor café serves breakfast. €
Chams Rue Abdelkhalek Torres hotel-chams.com. This three-storey, modern hotel is 3km out of town and perhaps only worth it if you have your own transport. The en-suite rooms are all very comfortable with a/c and satellite TV, and there’s a good-sized swimming pool and in-house restaurant. Large discounts out of season. BB €€€
Eatingmap
Blanco Riad 25 Zankat Zawiya Kadiria blancoriad.com. Serving the best cuisine in the city, this riad’s restaurant offers tables inside a traditional indoor courtyard of whitewashed walls studded with exquisite zellij tiling, or in a peaceful, sunny stone-paved outdoor garden. The menu – traditional Moroccan with a contemporary Mediterranean twist – is incredibly inventive; think seafood pastilla or goat and caramelized fig tajine. €€
El Reducto 38 Zankat Zawiya Kadiria elreducto.com. The menu (in Spanish; ask for a translation) at this stylish restaurant in a riad takes inspiration from Tetouan’s Spanish and Moroccan heritage; try their signature dolmas or kefta tajine. Choose to dine on the cosy, traditionally decorated ground-floor courtyard or flop back on loungers under a rooftop tent. It's also one of the few places that serves wine and spirits. €€
Restinga 21 Av Mohammed V. Eat indoors or in the leafy courtyard at this very pleasant restaurant serving tajine, couscous and fried fish every day since 1968. Popular with locals for a midday meal, the service is attentive, with some English-speaking staff. Beer and wine are available. €
La Union 1 Pasaje Achaach. Popular with locals, this budget place serves up standard Moroccan fare, including harira, brochettes and a reasonable meat tajine. To find it, go through the arcades opposite Cinema Español. No alcohol. €
Café de Paris Pl Moulay el Mehdi. A large café on the main square, which has become quite a fashionable and relatively female-friendly hangout. Besides great coffee and mint tea, there are also fresh pastries and some delicious gateaux on offer.
Chatt Rue Mourakah Annual. A small and popular diner that’s been serving up fast (and cheap) snack food for years. The wall-mounted menu offers pretty much everything you’d need for breakfast (pastries, fresh orange juice), plus tea, coffee, burgers, omelettes and snacks (mains €).
Patisserie Rahmouni Bd Youssef Ben Tachfine. Clean, modern café-patisserie with a good selection of breakfast and tea delights, such as chocolate doughnuts, croissants, baghrir (Moroccan crumpet), and plenty of cakes and biscuits, purchased by weight. There’s also ice cream, coffee and tea, plus tables with waiter service.
Cinema Avenida Pl al Adala. Shows current release movies, including the odd Hollywood flick, though it will always be dubbed.
Cinema Español Bd Mohammed Torres. Mainly shows “L’histoire et la géographie” (a double bill of Bollywood and kung fu).
Institut Français du Nord 13 Bd Chakib Arsalane if-maroc.org/tetouan. The cultural arm of the French government, the Tetouan branch is quite active and often presents cultural events such as exhibitions, films and live performances.
Instituto Cervantes 93 Bd Mohammed Torres tetuan.cervantes.es. Like its French counterpart, this branch of Spain’s cultural organization provides a weekly programme of film screenings, discussions, concerts and general cultural exchange.
Banks and exchange Attijariwafa Bank, BMCI and Société Général Bank are all on Bd Sidi el Manri. Alma Change is on Av Mohamed Ameziane close to the Bab es Saida gate to the medina.
Hospitals Clinique Nakhil, 74 Av Hassan II (0539 962600, cliniquenakhil.com); Hospital Régionale De Tetouan, Av Abdelkhalek Torres (about 2km from the city centre; 0535 998750).
The Tetouan coast: Fnideq to Oued Laou
Despite the numbers of tourists passing through, Tetouan is above all a resort for Moroccans, rich and poor alike – a character very much in evidence on the extensive beaches to the east of the town. Throughout the summer, whole villages of family tents appear at Martil, Mdiq and, particularly, around Restinga-Smir and Fnideq, further north. Oued Laou, 40km southeast of Tetouan, is the destination of a younger, more alternative crowd. The general increase of investment in the region has encompassed this section of the coast, with the appearance of beachside promenades (corniches) as well as new hotels and all-inclusive resorts with private mini-marinas.
Fnideq, sometimes called by its Spanish name Castillejos, has little to recommend it, especially compared with Mdiq and Martil further along the coast. However, it has seen some development of late, including a beachside promenade between here and the beach at Restinga-Smir, and there’s a couple of good hotels; if you’re arriving late in the day on your way to or from Ceuta, it makes a decent stopover.
Tetouan’s International Mediterranean Film Festival (Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen; festivaltetouan.org), takes place around the end of March each year. Established in 1985 by a group of Tetouan-based film lovers and originally called “Rencontres Cinématographiques de Tétouan” (Tetouan Film Encounters), the week-long festival has since become truly Mediterranean and features a diverse offering of over eighty films from all over the region.
The moussem of Moulay Abdessalem Ben Mchich is a very religious, traditional occasion with a large number of Riffian tribesmen in attendance. It’s usually held on 1 July at the saint’s marabout, or tomb on a flat mountain-top near the village of Beni Arouss, about halfway between Tetouan and Chefchaouen off the N2. Contact the Tourist Information Office in Tetouan for more information.
By bus Fnideq’s gare routière is in the centre of the town, set a couple of blocks back from the seafront highway. Grands taxis ply the route from the station to the Ceuta border, about 3km away (7dh).
Destinations Casablanca (1 CTM & 2 others daily; 6hr); Martil (6–10 daily; 30min); Mdiq (6–10 daily; 20 min); Rabat (1 CTM & 2 others daily; 4hr 30min); Tangier (10 daily; 2hr); Tetouan (1 CTM & over 10 others daily; 1hr).
By grand taxi Grands taxis gather at both the bus station and a separate taxi rank at the northern (Ceuta) end of town. They depart for the Ceuta border (5min;) throughout the day, though the wait is a little longer during the night, and similarly for Tetouan (35min) via Restinga-Smir, Mdiq (15min) and Martil (25min). There are also irregular runs to Tangier (1hr), travelling directly past the Tanger Med port.
La Corniche Av Hassan II, southern end of town towards Restinga-Smir 0539 976163. The best of Fnideq’s hotels, with modern, comfortable rooms, some with sea views and balconies. There’s also a classy sea-facing café-restaurant, which offers light meals like omelettes, pizzas and salads (€), and usefully an underground carpark. BB €€
Senator Route de Ceuta, northern end of town 0539 677777. This smart white block is a former Ibis hotel and has good facilities including a large pool with pleasant sun terrace and a decent restaurant. The 101 rooms have recently been refurbished and are very comfortable with TV and a/c, though note that those facing the sea also face the busy Av Hassan II road. Note that entry is via the parallel Route de Ceuta which joins Av Hassan II at a roundabout 250 m north of the hotel. Parking is extra. BB €€
Mdiq is a lovely coastal town and an active fishing port. A popular promenade overlooks the town beach (which gets better the further north you go) while a vibrant café-restaurant quarter lies one block back. The small port has recently been redeveloped and split into roughly two halves; one side retains the fishing industry while the other is now an upmarket marina with a yacht club There are a handful of nice places to stay and plenty of seafood to eat, which only adds weight to the town’s honest claim of being the best of Morocco’s northwestern coastal resorts.
By bus and grand taxi Mdiq is on the bus and grand taxi route between Fnideq and Tetouan, with both forms of transport operating from a large open stand at the northern entrance to the town, a 5–10min walk from all the action. The frequency of services increases July–Aug.
Destinations Fnideq (for Ceuta; 15–20min); Martil (10–15min); Tangier (via Fnideq or Tetouan; 1hr 30min to 2hr); Tetouan (15–25min).
Badis Cnr Av Lalla Nezha and Av Casablanca, northern end of town 0539 663030. Three floors of small but modern rooms with TV, some sleeping up to four comfortably and others with sea views. However, the main road down below can be noisy with traffic in season. A ground-floor café serves a decent breakfast of pastries and eggs. BB €€
Golden Beach Av Lalla Nehza 84, on the beachside corniche at the northern entrance to town 0539 975077. This large resort-style hotel has long been one of the best along this coast. The sea is so close that rooms with a sea view feel like they’re literally in the water. Besides a very decent restaurant, there’s a large swimming pool, a bar and a nightclub, which can get pretty loud during the summer holidays; request a room away from it during this time. BB €€
Zain Av Omar Ibn Abdelazziz, centre of town 0539 664995. This modern and comfortable hotel is a five-minute walk from Av Lalla Nezha and the beach, which makes it quieter than most, with four floors of bright and airy en suites with TV, microwaves, fridges, and excellent walk-in showers. No breakfast but plenty of cafés nearby. €
Besides the beachside eating options listed below, there’s a bevy of cafés and cheap restaurants gathered along a couple of pedestrianized streets just one block back from the beach. During the season, this area has a great atmosphere throughout the day and into the night.
Cafe Blue Sky Av Lalla Nehza cafe-blue-sky.negocio.site. Overlooking the beach next to Las Olas below, this family-friendly spot with an oceanfront terrace that is very popular during the summer season. It offers an impressive and reasonably priced menu of anything from sandwiches, pizzas and tacos to paella and grilled fish and calamari. A good coffee or ice-cream stop, too. €€
Las Olas Corniche car park, Av Lalla Nezha 0539 664433. This beachfront landmark, resembling a lighthouse, offers fantastic views as well as a decent menu. More of a café downstairs and restaurant upstairs, the a la carte menu offers good variety, with some Italian and Moroccan standards accompanying the seafood. €€
Banks Attijariwafa Bank, Banque Populaire BMCE and Crédit Agricole (all with ATMs) are all on Av Lalla Nehza.
Golf Royal Golf of Cabo Negro, Route de Martil, located between Martil and Mdiq golfcabonegro.com. 18 holes; clubs, caddies and carts can be hired.
Post office Poste Maroc is on Av Abdelkarim el Khatabi, opposite the bus and grand taxi stand.
Martil, only 10km or a 15-minute drive from the centre of Tetouan and essentially the city’s beach, was its port as well until the river between the two silted up. Today it is a modern seaside town which takes on a resort-like feel in summer when Moroccan families flood the beach to escape the heat. The beach, stretching all the way around to the headland of Cabo Negro, is an 8km stretch of fine, yellow sand that is long enough to remain uncrowded, despite its summer popularity and colonization by Club Med and other tourist complexes.
By bus and grand taxi Martil is on the bus and grand taxi route between Fnideq and Tetouan, with the frequency of services increasing July–Aug. Buses operate from a large water tower located five streets back from the southern end of the beachside corniche, while grands taxis can be found opposite the Mohammed V Mosque off Av Moulay el Hassan II (the N16 highway to Tetouan).
Destinations Fnideq (for Ceuta; 25–35min); Mdiq (10–15min); Tangier (via Fnideq or Tetouan; 1hr 40min to 2hr 15min); Tetouan (10–15min).
Besides the hotel restaurants below, there’s a string of café-restaurants on the land side of the beachfront promenade.
Etoile de la Mer Av Moulay el Hassan II, southern end of the beachfront 0539 979058. One block from the beach and close to the grand taxi rank, with clean and colourful en suite rooms, some with sea views, although hot water is intermittent. The in-house restaurant (open to non-guests) serves up good breakfasts and some seafood dishes and has pleasant pavement tables. BB €
Hacienda Route de Cabo Negro haciendamartil.com. A 10-minute walk from Martil's beach, this sprawling, friendly hacienda offers a surprising number of spacious, though slightly dated rooms (some sleep four comfortably), as well as large bungalows with equipped kitchen. There’s a lovely swimming pool surrounded by a leafy garden, and a good in-house licensed restaurant that's open to non-guests. BB €€€
Suites Hôtel Omeya Av Lalla Hasna Corniche 0539 688888. Easily the best hotel in town, with a range of modern rooms and suites, all with a sizeable balcony and great sea views. The restaurant specializes in seafood and Moroccan standards, while a street-front café is a good spot for a quick coffee or lunch. There’s also a second-floor piano-lounge-cum-bar with live (and loud) music most weekends; ask for a room on one of the higher floors. Rates include breakfast and dinner. €€€
Travelling southeast from Tetouan, the coastline almost immediately changes and you come under the shadow of the Rif. The coastal highway (N16) continues to follow the coast while also hugging the foothills of the Rif; it’s a stunning drive. Though experiencing something of a construction boom since the N16 was paved in 2012, Oued Laou – named after the River Laou that reaches the ocean here from its source in the Rif mountains near Chefchaouen – is still quieter than the more popular beach towns closer to Tetouan. It’s not an especially pretty place (Riffian villages tend to look spread out and lack any core) but it has a near-deserted beach, which extends for miles on each side, particularly to the southeast, where the river has created a wide, fertile bay down to Kâaseras, 8km distant. There’s not much to do other than relax, read, swim and watch the fishermen hauling in their nets of seabream, anchovies and sardines – not an altogether terrible itinerary. On Tuesdays there is a souk held in Oued Laou's main square, which draws villagers from all over the valley.
Arrival and departure Oued Laou
By bus and grand taxi Buses and grands taxis operate from the old village square, one block back from the beach, opposite the mosque.
Destinations (bus) Chefchaouen (daily; 1hr 30min); El Jebha via Kâaseras (daily; 5hr); Tetouan (3 daily; 2hr).
Destinations (grand taxi) Dar Ackoubaa (for connecting taxis to Chefchaouen and Tetouan; 20min); Kâaseras (20min).
Mare Norstrum 4km north of Oued Laou, signposted off the N16 0677 628287. The Tetouan coast’s one true luxury option, situated on a cliff overlooking a secluded bay. The ten large bungalows with four-poster beds all offer sea views from good-sized balconies, and there’s a good restaurant and a stunning infinity pool; however, it’s a bit of trek down to the beach and back up. BB €€€
Oued Laou 8 Bd Massira 0648 064435. This basic but friendly hotel is one block from the beach in a cul-de-sac bordering the village’s new square and corniche. It is open year-round and has simple yet clean and sunny rooms, with shared toilets and bathrooms. €
Aramar 2 Bd Massira 0539 569854. The best of a number of beachfront restaurants. While fresh fish is the house speciality (the fishing boats are right out front), there’s also a pretty good menu offering Moroccan standards such as tajines, brochettes and harira soup. €
Café Picasso Picasso beach, 3km north of village centre 0661 459865. Built into the rock and made from driftwood and reeds, Café Picasso is like something out of Robinson Crusoe. This is a great place to relax and in the summer months the owner cooks up tajines on the beach, and they serve (usually warm) beer. €
An isolated refuge for over four hundred years before absorption in the 1920s into the Spanish Protectorate, CHEFCHAOUEN (pronounced “shef-sha-wen”, sometimes abbreviated to Chaouen) remains today somewhat aloof from the goings-on in the rest of the country. Visiting Chefchaouen requires venturing into the rugged Rif mountains and it almost feels by chance that one comes upon the town, still hidden beneath the towering peaks from which it takes its name. The setting, like much of the Rif, is largely rural and the bright lights and bustling noise of cities less than half a day’s drive away are soon forgotten. That’s not to say that Chefchaouen is completely isolated, for the town has long been a stop on the backpacker circuit – thanks in part to the easy availability of the Rif’s kif – and it has also now become popular with mainstream tourists, who are arriving in increasing numbers to wander the town’s blue-washed Medina, surely the prettiest in the country.
While the increase in visitors has inevitably led to a slight rise in hassle, local attitudes are still very relaxed, and the Medina pensions are among the friendliest and cheapest around.
Chefchaouen translates to “watch the horns” in Berber, in reference to the mountain that is split in two by the slope on which the town lies. The region hereabouts has forever been sacred to Muslims due to the presence of the tomb of Moulay Abdessalam Ben Mchich – patron saint of the Jebali Riffian tribesmen – and over the centuries has acquired a considerable reputation for pilgrimage and marabouts – “saints”, believed to hold supernatural powers. An isolated location, it was the perfect base in 1471 for one of Moulay Abdessalam’s shereefian (descendant of the Prophet) followers, Hassan Ben Mohamed el Alami, known as Abu Youma, to launch secret attacks on the Portuguese in their coastal enclaves of Asilah, Tangier, Ceuta and Ksar es Seghir. Abu Youma perished in one of these raids and his cousin, Ali Ben Rachid moved the settlement to its current site on the other side of the river.
Until the arrival of Spanish troops in 1920, Chefchaouen had been visited by just three Westerners. Two were missionary explorers: Charles de Foucauld, a Frenchman who spent just an hour in the town in 1883, disguised as a Jewish rabbi, and William Summers, an American who was poisoned by the townsfolk here in 1892. The third, in 1889, was the British journalist Walter Harris, whose main impulse, as described in his book, Land of an African Sultan, was “the very fact that there existed within thirty hours’ ride of Tangier a city in which it was considered an utter impossibility for a Christian to enter”. Thankfully, Chefchaouen today is more welcoming towards outsiders, and a number of the Medina’s newer guesthouses now include owners hailing from Britain, Italy and the former Christian enemy, Spain.
In the ensuing decades, as the population was boosted by Muslim and Jewish refugees from Spain, Chefchaouen grew increasingly anti-Christian and autonomous. For a time, it was the centre of a semi-independent emirate, exerting control over much of the northwest, in alliance with the Wattasid sultans of Fez. Later, however, it became an almost completely isolated backwater. When the Spanish arrived in 1920, they were astonished to find the Jews here speaking medieval Castilian, a language that hadn’t been heard on the Iberian peninsula for four hundred years. In 1924 the Spanish were repelled back to the coast by the Riffian rebel leader Abd el Krim el Khattabi, but two years later they retook Chefchaouen and held it until the end of the Protectorate in 1956.
Chefchaouen’s Medina is small when compared to others in Morocco, and it is undoubtedly a place to enjoy exploring at random. The architecture has a strong Andalusian character, reflecting the city’s history: Sultan Mohammed Ben Abdallah (Mohammed III) ordered the Jewish families to move into the Medina around 1760, their Mellah taking in the area that today encompasses the southern quarter between the kasbah and Bab el Aïn. Here they built their whitewashed ochre houses with small balconies, tiled roofs and Andalusian-style courtyards. It’s from this time that Chefchaouen’s famous shades of blue arose, the Jews adding indigo into the whitewash to contrast the Mellah against the traditional green of Islam.
The main gateway to the Medina is Bab el Aïn, a tiny arched entrance at the junction of Avenue Hassan II with Rue Moulay Ali Ben Rachid. Through the gate a clearly dominant lane winds up through the Medina to the main square, Plaza Outa el Hammam and beyond to a second, smaller square, Plaza el Makhzen.
Considering the compact layout of the Medina, Plaza Outa el Hammam is surprisingly large. It takes its name from the number of public hammams that used to be located on or around the plaza – one still exists and is tourist-friendly. Watching over the plaza’s daily proceedings is Jamae Kebir, the Grand Mosque. Chefchaouen’s oldest and largest mosque, it was built in 1560 by Moulay Mohamed, son of the town’s founding father Ali Ben Rachid; its octagonal minaret was added to the mosque in the 1700s.
Plaza Outa el Hammam • Charge for museum
The town’s kasbah, a quiet ruin with shady gardens, was built by Ali Ben Rachid in 1471, when he moved the original settlement from across the other side of the Ras el Ma River. Inside, and immediately to the right, in the first of its compounds, are the old town prison cells, where Abd el Krim was imprisoned after his surrender in nearby Targuist in 1926. Four years earlier, he had driven the Spanish from the town, a retreat that saw the loss of several thousand of their troops. Also within the kasbah is a small art gallery exhibiting works from local artists, and an Ethnographic Museum housing musical instruments, ancient weapons, tapestries and carpets, as well as interesting photos of old Chefchaouen. It's also worth climbing the tower for the broad view of the town and taking a stroll through the beautiful grounds.
Plaza el Makhzen – the colonial-era “government square” – is an elegant clearing with an old fountain and flanked by souvenir stalls. It’s home to the Ensemble Artisanal, where a few craftworkers can be seen producing the town’s signature brightly coloured rugs and thick woollen jumpers.
Just outside Bab Onsar – dating back to the early 1500s and the Medina’s easternmost exit – Ras el Ma (head of the water) is where the Oued el Kebir bursts from a sheer cliff-face to cascade down the mountain slope. Riffian women do their laundry here, at a number of modern, concrete washhouses complete with diverted water channels and built-in washboards. A good view of the river and surrounding area can be enjoyed from Plaza Sebanin, from where a small bridge leads to a compact residential quarter on the other side. Along the far side of the river are narrow canals that used to carry water to power flourmills. The mill houses are now a couple of pleasant, shaded riverside cafés, and while another is still intact, it’s unused.
Over to the east of the town, an enjoyable, though uphill thirty-minute walk from Bab Onsar brings you to the “Spanish Mosque”. Built by the Spanish in the early 1920s, the mosque itself has never been used and was derelict up until 2010, when it was restored, again by the Spanish. Set on a hilltop with sweeping views of both the Medina and the surrounding countryside, it’s a popular meeting point for young locals. Alongside the path to the mosque are some spectacular rock-climbing pitches, and in the limestone hills behind, there are active cave systems – the source of local springs.
Arrival and departure Chefchaouen
By bus The gare routière is 1.5km southwest (and downhill) from the town centre – about a 15min walk. Alternatively catch a petit taxi (unmetered) to/from Bab el Aïn (the main gate to the Medina) or to the main taxi drop off point inside the Medina at Plaza el Makhzen. Some waiting outside the bus station will try to charge arriving tourists a higher fee – ignore them and walk down the street a bit and flag one down. CTM & most other companies start their Chefchaouen routes elsewhere, so buses can arrive full, with no space. It’s best to book a ticket in advance, or at least arrive at the station early.
For a short, but uphill, 1.5km walk from the Medina's Bab Onsar, follow the easily found trail to the Hotel Atlas (one of the town's largest buildings, you can’t miss it). As you get higher there's a great view over Chefchaouen and the Rif Mountains from the north. A good day’s hike from Chefchaouen is to head east, up over the mountains behind. As you look at the “two horns” from town, there is a path winding along the side of the mountain on your left. A four-hour (or more) hike will take you up to the other side, where a vast valley opens up, and if you walk further, you’ll see the sea. The valley, as even casual exploration will show, is full of small farms cultivating kif – as they have done for years. Walking here, you may occasionally be stopped by the military, which is cracking down on foreign involvement in the crop. For more ambitious hikes – and there are some wonderful paths in the area – ask at the pensions about hiring a guide. Someone knowledgeable can usually be found to accompany you for a small fee.
If you have your own transport and wish to head towards the west coast from Chefchaouen, an alternative route to the N13 is the R410 to Ksar el Kebir and is a highly recommended scenic route and a short cut. After heading south from Chefchaouen, the road is signed off the N13 on your right about 2km after Derdara (11km from Chefchaouen). The route wends its way through wooded high country following the Oued Loukkos to the Barrage Oued el Makhazine reservoir, where there are magnificent vistas, and on to Ksar el Kebir.
Destinations Al Hoceima (3 CTM daily; 6–7hr); Casablanca (1 CTM & 1–2 others daily; 6hr); Fez (4 CTM & over 5 others daily; 4hr 30min); Rabat (1 CTM & 2 others daily; 5hr); Tangier (1 CTM & over 10 others daily, ask for a direct sans détour service; 3hr); Tetouan (5 CTM & over 10 others daily; 1–2hr).
By grand taxi Grands taxis for Bab Berred (connecting there for Issaguen Ketama and points east) operate from around the junction of Av Allal Ben Abdallah and Av Zerktouni. Tangier and Tetouan services operate from Av Jamal Dine el Afghani, off the west side of Pl Mohammed V.
Destinations Bab Berred (50min); Tangier (2hr); Tetouan (1hr).
Accommodation map
Chefchaouen can get bitterly cold during winter and all of those listed proclaim to have hot water, though few will have any room heating other than plenty of blankets. Although it gets busy in the summer months and booking is advisable, if you are arriving on spec at any time of year, it’s well worth asking for a discount on rack rates.
Andaluz 1 Rue Sidi Hmed El Bouhali 0539 986034. Small, functional pension with friendly management, signposted off to the left at the near end of Plaza Outa el Hammam. Rooms face an inner courtyard and have shared showers; there’s a kitchen and a nice rooftop terrace, with a handy tub for doing your laundry. €
Casa Hassan 22 Rue Targui casahassan.com. Located 100m from Plaza Outa el Hammam, the eight en suite, a/c and heated rooms in this stylish guesthouse feature traditional furnishings and artwork from local artists. Breakfast is served where you choose - the courtyard with its fountain, the rooftop terrace or in your room. There's also a hammam, lounge with fireplace and the excellent Tissemlal restaurant. HB €€
Chams 22 Rue Lalla el Hora 0539 987784. A good compromise of pension price and hotel comfort, this centrally located place has large, modern rooms (en suite or shared bath), a dining area and a very pleasant terrace. Eight of the sixteen rooms are singles. BB €
Dar Antonio 36 Calle Garmata 0539 989997. This cosy guesthouse was personally restored and imaginatively decorated by the hands-on owner-manager. The seven rooms sleep from one to four and each is unique, colourful and warm, and there’s even one with a working fireplace. There's a kitchen, two shared bathrooms, courtyard and rooftop terrace. €€
Dar Gabriel Derb Cadi Ben Maimoun, Bab Souk 0539 989244. British-owned and Moroccan-managed, this is one of the better guesthouses in the Medina. The compact (though not poky) rooms are all simply but thoughtfully furnished, while the common areas include a dining room with fireplace, and a three-tiered rooftop terrace. BB €€
Dar Meziana 7 Rue Zagdud, Bab Souk riadmeziana.com. One of the Medina’s most luxurious guesthouses, with three floors of compact, tastefully decorated en suite and a/c rooms and suites overlooking an open-plan courtyard and kitchen. Comfortable common areas, as well as great panoramic views from the terrace, plus a hammam. HB €€
Dar Terrae Av Hassan I, Quartier Andalous darterrae.com. One of Chefchaouen’s earliest Medina riads, this charming old Andalusian-style house has a great homely atmosphere. The six cheerful rooms are all tastefully furnished, reflecting the Italian owner’s taste, and though not all are en suite and only some have a fireplace, each has its own terrace. BB €€
Hostal Guernika 49 Rue Onsar 0539 987434. This old house, in the higher quarter of the Medina, towards Bab Onsar, has been superbly converted by its Basque owner. Life here revolves around the central fireplace and small library in winter, and the rooftop terrace in summer. The rooms are all en suite; ask for a mountain view. Extra charge for a room heater. Breakfast available. €
Hostal Yasmina 12 Rue Lalla el Hora 0539 883118. Small, bright and clean with just six modern rooms; the back four face inward with no outside windows. It’s very conveniently located, just off Plaza Outa el Hammam, and a very pleasant little place to stay. There are shared hot showers, and during summer – when you should book ahead – guests are welcome to sleep on the rooftop terrace. €
Al Khalifa Av Ras el Ma hotel-alkhalifa.com. Close to Ras el Ma and a 5min stroll from Bab Onsar, this two-star offering has modern, spacious en suite rooms with sweeping Medina and mountain views from large arched windows. Breakfast can be taken in a large salon inside or at a shaded table outside. Attentive service. Parking. BB €€
Parador Pl el Makhzen hotel-parador.com. This former Spanish “grand hotel” is in a great location on the edge of the Medina in the ciudad nueva (new town), and offers an adjoining car park. Popular with both independent travellers and tour groups, there are stunning mountain vistas from a poolside terrace and bar. The 56 rooms and suites are comfortable and have TV and a/c, and they’re also heated in winter. €€€
Salam 39 Av Hassan II 0539 986239. A cheap, friendly place also in the ciudad nueva and a favourite with backpackers who don’t want to be in the Medina. The high-ceilinged rooms are very basic, and bathrooms are shared although hot water is not to be relied on. The back rooms as well as a shady roof terrace overlook the valley. €
Auberge Dardara 11km from Chefchaouen at the junction of the N2 to Al Hoceima and P28 to Ouezzane aubergedardara. Guests, including King Mohammed VI when he was prince, come here to experience a unique blend of rustic getaway and agri-tourism. The brainchild of local resident El Hababi Jaber (“Jabba”), the Auberge has twelve comfortable rooms. The restaurant serves fresh, hearty food. €€€
Eatingmap
While not offering any great culinary experience, Plaza Outa el Hammam is Chefchaouen’s prime spot for a meal day or night. There are about a dozen restaurants on the plaza, all with outdoor tables for prime people watching. Note if you're travelling during Ramadan, you'll be asked to dine indoors out of respect for local people. One of the few places selling alcohol in Chefchaouen is Hôtel Parador.
Assada Rue Abi Khancha, just north of Bab el Aïn T619-569778. Extending across the lane and above to an open rooftop terrace, this has long been a favourite of locals and travellers alike. Very friendly service and food all day from breakfast through to a tajine for dinner or a Fri couscous. Also does excellent fruit juice shakes. €
Casa Aladin (aka La Lampe Magique) 17 Rue Targui 0539 989071. Just north of Plaza Outa el Hammam, with two floors and a terrace, and beautifully done out in Arabian Nights style as its name suggests. Expect great tajines, couscous (including vegetarian) and other staple fare. €€
Hamsa 32 Place Outa El Hamam hamsachaouen.wixsite.com/akhawat. A child-friendly typical Moroccan restaurant offering a simple menu but it does a great breakfast, lunch or dinner with a view. Vegan and vegetarian options. Try to get a seat on the terrace. €€
Mandala Av Hassan I, Quartier Andalous 0654 614449. Not to be confused with the pizzeria of the same name, this Mandala is quite different. Consisting of a ground-level restaurant and second-floor lounge area, the three major cultural influences of journeyman-owner Giani “Gigi” Uigi – Italian, Indian and Moroccan – are all evident in the varied menu, ambience, and the many available kif pipes. Come here with time to spare, even just for a chai, a game of backgammon and some relaxing world music. €€
Morisco Plaza Outa el Hammam T0539 882323. This is one of the best places on the plaza for a casual meal and it also has a terrace on the second floor with great views of the Kasbah and mosque. Apart from sandwiches, pizzas and grilled fish, local specialities include breakfast of goat’s cheese, eggs and olive oil, harira soup, and goat or anchovy tajine. €€
Tissemlal Casa Hassan, 22 Rue Targui casahassan.com. A long-standing and popular restaurant, with a choice between tables on the ground floor with a fireplace and an upstairs roof terrace. Serving only a set menu with a small selection of starters and a good choice of mains including a few tajines, grillés, fish and couscous dishes. The atmosphere is welcoming and the is standard good. €€
Al Azhar At the bottom of the steps on Av Moulay Idriss. Popular local snack restaurant with good food and service. Fast and cheap, with a choice of brochettes, tajines, grilled chicken, sandwiches and omelettes. €
Pizzeria Mandala Cnr Av Hassan II and Rue Sidi Ahmed el Ouafi pizzeriamandala.com. This intimate Italian restaurant is popular with locals. As well as pizzas, the menu offers numerous pasta and meat dishes, as well as some great salads, desserts and ice cream. Takeaway & delivery. €
Banks and exchange Banque Populaire and Attijariwafa Bank (with ATMs) are both on Av Hassan II, opposite Bab el Aïn. A BMCI bureau de change (with ATM) is on Av Hassan II. Crédit Agricole, with a bureau de change, is on Plaza Outa el Hammam.
Hammam Dating to 1549, Hammam-el-Blad is the only hammam left on Plaza Outa el Hammam and is near Pension la Castellana. Note there are cheaper, less historic, options around the Medina – ask at the pensions for recommendations.
Internet Almost all accommodation offers wi-fi.
