Morocco
Tangier
Africa's front door to Europe: a clifftop kasbah above the Strait and a literary legend to match.
Tangier sits on Morocco's northern tip, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic and Spain is visible across the Strait of Gibraltar. A whitewashed medina climbs to a clifftop kasbah, and the city's mid-century spell as an international zone drew diplomats, smugglers and writers from Paul Bowles to William Burroughs. Today it is a fast-modernising port with a literary legend, sea views from almost every high point and a mixed Moroccan, Spanish and European character unlike any other city in the country.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
Arabic, French
Currency
MAD
Timezone
UTC+1
Why you'll love Tangier
The Strait views across the water to Spain from the kasbah walls and the Marshan cliffs, with ships passing between two seas
The legend the international-zone city of Bowles, Burroughs and Matisse, still traceable in its old cafes, bookshops and legation
The kasbah a whitewashed citadel of gateways, riads and quiet lanes on the cliff above the port
The gateway a short ferry from Spain or a fast train from Casablanca puts you straight into Morocco
Best time to visit
Jan-Nov
17-30° days
35.770° N, 5.803° W
UTC+1 · Africa/Casablanca
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Weather & when to go to Tangier
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Jan-Nov
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Tangier
There is no truly bad season: the weather works from January to November, and December, the one month outside that run, is wet and blustery. July and August bring crowds of holidaying Moroccans and returning families through the ferry ports, and the strong easterly Levante wind can whip through the Strait and delay crossings.
Top things to do in Tangier
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Kasbah Museum - the sultan's palace on the clifftop
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe Dar el Makhzen, the former sultan's palace at the top of the kasbah, now holds collections on Morocco's history from Roman Tingis onwards, set around tiled courtyards and an Andalusian-style garden. The square outside looks straight over the Strait.
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Tangier American Legation - America's first property abroad
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedA rambling Moorish-style building in the lower medina, given to the United States by the sultan in 1821. It now houses a museum of paintings, maps and engravings of old Tangier, and a wing devoted to Paul Bowles.
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Grand Socco and the medina - from the big square to the Petit Socco
history shopping 👍 PopularThe Grand Socco, the busy square where the new town meets the old, leads past the Mendoubia Gardens into the medina's lanes and down to the Petit Socco, the small cafe-lined square that was the gossip hub of the international-zone years.
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Caves of Hercules - the sea cave shaped like Africa
nature wildlife history 👍 PopularWest of the city near Cap Spartel, a limestone cave opens onto the Atlantic through a hole whose outline resembles a map of Africa. Legend says Hercules rested here; the walls are scarred by centuries of millstone quarrying.
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Cafe Hafa - mint tea on the Marshan cliffs
culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedTerraced cafe tumbling down the cliff in the Marshan district since the 1920s, serving glasses of mint tea with a view across the Strait. Bowles and a long line of visiting writers and musicians came here; nearby are rock-cut Phoenician tombs.
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St Andrew's Church - an Anglican church in Moorish dress
history culture artsA 19th-century Anglican church built in Moorish style, with a minaret-like tower and Arabic inscriptions inside. Its shady churchyard holds the graves of many of the city's expatriate characters, among them the Times correspondent Walter Harris.
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Place de France and Boulevard Pasteur - the international-zone new town
history culture artsThe grand cafe on Place de France was a spy and expat haunt in the zone years, and the Terrasse des Paresseux next door looks over the port to Spain. Along Boulevard Pasteur, the Librairie des Colonnes bookshop kept the city's literary circle supplied.
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Cinematheque de Tanger - an art-house cinema on the Grand Socco
culture artsThe restored Art Deco Cinema Rif on the Grand Socco runs an art-house programme of Moroccan, Arab and world film, with a cafe terrace that is a favourite meeting point for the city's creative crowd.
Best areas to stay in Tangier
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Kasbah
Atmosphere seekers $$Clifftop citadel of riads and views
Explore hotels in Kasbah →
Medina
Budget travellers $Tangled lanes around the Petit Socco
Explore hotels in Medina →
Ville Nouvelle
Convenience and cafes $$Colonial-era boulevards and cafe terraces
Explore hotels in Ville Nouvelle →
Malabata
Beachfront comfort $$$Modern hotels along the eastern bay
Explore hotels in Malabata →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Tangier
Getting to & around Tangier
Getting there
Fly into Tangier Ibn Battouta, take the high-speed train from Casablanca or Rabat, or cross by ferry from southern Spain
Flight
Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG)
The airport is about 15 km southwest of the centre, roughly 20-30 minutes by road. Most people take a taxi from the rank outside arrivals or a hotel pickup.
Train
Tanger Ville station
Al Boraq high-speed trains run from Casablanca and Rabat, and an overnight train comes up from Marrakech
Ferry
Tanger Ville port
Fast ferries from Tarifa in Spain land at the city port below the medina, around an hour's crossing
Ferry
Tanger Med port
Ferries from Algeciras and other European ports use Tanger Med, about an hour's drive east of the city
Coach
Tangier bus station
CTM and other coaches connect Tangier with Chefchaouen, Tetouan, Fes and the rest of Morocco
Getting around
Walking
The medina and kasbah are compact but hilly, and the lanes are best explored on foot
Free
Petit taxi
Small city taxis for trips across town and up to the Marshan; ask for the meter
TBC
Grand taxi
Larger shared or hired taxis for the airport, Cap Spartel, Asilah and Tetouan
TBC
City bus
Buses run along the seafront and out to the suburbs; less useful for the old town
TBC
Day trips from Tangier
Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules
Half dayCape and sea cave
The lighthouse at Cap Spartel marks Africa's northwest corner, where the Strait opens onto the Atlantic. A short drive south are the Caves of Hercules and the long sands of Achakkar beach.
Getting there
car | tour
About 30 min west by taxi, car or tour
Asilah
Full dayWalled seaside town
A small Atlantic town inside Portuguese ramparts, with a whitewashed medina whose walls are painted with murals and a seafront famous for its sunsets and grilled fish.
Getting there
train | car
About 45 min south by train or grand taxi
Tetouan
Full dayAndalusian medina city
The former capital of Spanish Morocco, with a UNESCO-listed medina shaped by Andalusian refugees, white Spanish-era boulevards and a strong crafts tradition below the Rif mountains.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
About 1 hr southeast by grand taxi, bus or tour
Chefchaouen
1-2 daysBlue mountain town
The blue-washed town in the Rif mountains is doable as a long day trip, but most people stay a night to see its lanes once the tour groups have gone.
Getting there
bus | car | tour
About 2.5-3 hr by bus, car or tour
A little history of Tangier
Tangier began as Tingis, a Phoenician and Carthaginian trading post that the Romans made capital of the province of Mauretania Tingitana. Its position on the Strait made it a prize: Arab dynasties, the Portuguese and briefly the English held it, the last receiving it in a royal dowry and abandoning it under siege two decades later. The great traveller Ibn Battuta was born here in 1304.
In 1923 the European powers made Tangier an international zone, and for three decades it was a tax-free haven of banks, smugglers, spies and expatriate writers and artists. Matisse painted here before then, and Paul Bowles, William Burroughs and the Beats arrived after the Second World War. The zone ended with Moroccan independence in 1956.
Tingis becomes capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana
The traveller Ibn Battuta is born in Tangier
The Portuguese capture the city
Tangier passes to England as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry
The English abandon the city, blowing up the harbour mole as they leave
The sultan gives the United States the building that becomes the American Legation
The Tangier Statute makes the city an international zone
Sultan Mohammed V gives his Tangier speech calling for Moroccan independence
The international zone ends and Tangier rejoins independent Morocco
Know before you go
Payment
Cash preferred
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / E
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+212
Mobile network & SIM card
Get an eSIM before you fly
A Morocco eSIM installs in minutes and works the moment you switch off flight mode. No SIM swap, no roaming bill.
FAQs about Tangier
▸ When is the best time to visit Tangier?
Any month from January to November works for the weather, with spring and early autumn the most comfortable for walking the hills. December is the wettest and windiest stretch. July and August are the busiest, as Moroccan holidaymakers and returning families pour through the ferry ports.
▸ How many days do I need in Tangier?
Two days cover the kasbah, the medina, the American Legation and the Marshan cliffs. Three or four let you add Cap Spartel, Asilah or Tetouan, or use Tangier as a base before heading on to Chefchaouen and Fes.
▸ Can I visit Tangier on a day trip from Spain?
Yes, fast ferries from Tarifa make a day trip possible, and many tours run it. A single day only scratches the surface, though, and the city is far more relaxed once the day visitors leave, so a night or two is worth it.
▸ Is Tangier still full of hustlers?
Much less than its old reputation suggests, after years of port and seafront redevelopment. Unofficial guides may still approach new arrivals near the port and in the medina; a polite, firm no is usually enough.
▸ Do people speak Spanish in Tangier?
Darija Arabic is the everyday language and French is widely used, but Spanish is understood far more in Tangier than in most of Morocco, thanks to the city's history and its closeness to Spain. English is common in tourist areas.
More in Morocco
Agadir
Morocco's sunniest big beach, a whole city rebuilt from scratch around its bay after the 1960 earthquake.
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Morocco's modern face: an ocean-edge mosque, a downtown of Art Deco facades and a city that works rather than performs.
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Morocco's breeziest medina: a walled Atlantic port of blue boats, sea ramparts and a bay full of kites.
✓ best all year