Tangier Travel Guide: Africa's Gateway City at the Strait of Gibraltar

Tangier occupies a position unlike any other city in Morocco — and arguably unlike any other city in the world. It sits at the northwestern tip of Africa, facing Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar (the narrowest crossing is just 14 kilometres), with the Atlantic on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. It was an international zone from 1924 to 1956, governed by a council of foreign powers, which gave it a cosmopolitan wildness that attracted writers, artists, and exiles: Paul Bowles, William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Tennessee Williams, Henri Matisse, and the Rolling Stones all passed through. The city still carries that literary and artistic energy.

The medina and kasbah: Tangier's medina is one of the most manageable in Morocco — small enough to explore without a guide, though a guide adds depth. The kasbah at the top of the medina contains the former Sultan's Palace, now the excellent Dar el-Makhzen museum (ethnographic collections, archaeological finds, and traditional crafts — one of the best museums in northern Morocco, admission 70 MAD). The kasbah walls offer panoramic views across the Strait to the Spanish coast, visible on clear days with startling clarity. On a fine day you can see the Spanish city of Tarifa and the outline of the Sierra Nevada mountains beyond.

The Grand Socco and the Ville Nouvelle: The Grand Socco (Place du 9 Avril 1947) is the transitional space between the medina and the French colonial Ville Nouvelle — a large open square where Rif mountain women in traditional striped fabrics sell produce alongside juice vendors and shoeshine boys. The Petit Socco inside the medina, a small square of cafe tables, was the bohemian heart of the international city period and still has the atmosphere of an older, slower Tangier. Paul Bowles lived here for decades; the American Legation (now a museum in the medina) documents the rich intercultural history of the international zone period.

The beach and the Corniche: Tangier's city beach runs east from the port for several kilometres, backed by the wide Avenue Mohamed VI (the Corniche). The beach is popular with locals in summer and pleasant for walking year-round. Further east, the beach at Cap Spartel — where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean — is wilder and more dramatic. The Hercules Caves near Cap Spartel, where the sea has carved a cave through the headland with a sea-facing opening shaped (unmistakably) like Africa, are one of the stranger natural attractions in Morocco.

Getting to Tangier: High-speed trains from Casablanca (2 hours 10 minutes, Al Boraq TGV) and regular trains from Fez (4.5 hours) and Rabat (3.5 hours). Ferries from Algeciras (Spain) take 35 minutes and dock at the Tanger Med port east of the city; a connecting bus runs to the city center. The Tanger Med port has expanded enormously in recent years and is now the largest port in Africa and the Mediterranean. Many of our Morocco tours from Tangier start or finish here, making use of the train connections and the dramatic entry point the city provides.