Morocco can be very far away, depending where you are. It’s also a quick 1-2 hour hop from Spain (once you include delays and customs & immigration) on the Tarifa-Tangiers ferry. Anyone expecting to recapture the times of Tangiers as the seedy and exciting International City that it was between the 1920s and 1950s should look elsewhere, but it’s still worth a visit as the vibrant northwest corner of Africa. Once your ferry slips at Tarifa port, it’s about an hour across the Straits of Gibraltar.
Tangiers ferry port sits at the foot of the Medina – the old fortified town – which is at the center of the picture below. It’s a quick walk there if that’s where you happen to stay, and that’s where you should.
Tangiers is a lively and walkable town. The Medina is very navigable if you have a functioning map function on your mobile, and if you don’t, it is relatively small so that sufficient wandering will usually bounce you out onto a main thoroughfare. The main navigation points are the Petit Socco – the somewhat central small main square, the roughly east-west Rue Siaghine, and the Kasbah, which is the old palace area that lies uphill and to the north of the Medina.
To the southeast of the Medina is the new town – Ville Nouvelle – that runs along the bay, which is pleasant to stroll around and has its own more open vibe. There’s a busy esplanade overlooking the port and the straits.
The French colonists left a busy cafe culture, and the coffee and mint tea is what most people have.
The larger city sits in a natural bowl around a bay facing the straits and it seems that you never get used to the view.
This drum team performing in front of a new cell plan store along Ave. Mohammed V drew a big crowd.
South entrance to the Kasbah on Place du 9 Avril 1947.
There are some great views of the Straits and Spain in the distance – head up to the high ground at the north end of the Kasbah at Bab al Bahr for a stroll, and make sure you go by night and day.
Moroccan cooking is spot on, this is a lamb meatball tagine (that’s a scrambled egg on top) at Chez Hassan Bab Kasbah.
The former Sheikh’s palace, the Dar el Makhzen, now the Kasbah Museum, located in the Medina, is worth a visit.
There is also this incredible Roman mosaic, from the site at Volubilis.
Or this North African medieval map of North Africa and Europe – with an inverted south to north perspective.
Other historical sites include the American Legation museum in the Kasbah. Morocco sits in one of the best agricultural regions of the world, and the central market on Rue Abdallah Ben Hachimi at the south end of the Kasbah is worth wandering around.
There are a lot of places to buy all kinds of dates.
If you’re seeking literature, you should read up on or just read Paul Bowles, or any of the beat writers who visited in the 1950s. William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac stayed and wrote at the Hotel El Muniria, which is still operating, although they likely wouldn’t recognize the bar.
Tangiers doesn’t have extensive nightlife unless you liked smoke-filled bars. The Cinema Rif off Place du Avril 1947 has periodic film festivals and a nice cafe out front.
I found a couple of days was good for Tangiers, although it has good rail and bus connections for onward travel through Morocco.
Logistics
There are frequent daily sailings between Tarifa and Tangiers city port (Tanger Ville) operated in alternating frequencies by FRS (frs.es) and Inter Shipping (intershipping.es), for about 32 euros each way. Schedules as of April 2018 were:
The journey is about an hour but allow another 30-60 minutes for delays. You need to arrive about 45 minutes in advance although I was told by FRS that foot passenger tickets could be sold at least 15 minutes in advance. On the journey into Tangiers, Moroccan customs process inbound passengers en route, so either (a) hoof it to the passenger lounge on boarding to avoid queuing all trip or (b) wait until closer to Tangiers when the line has reduced. On the journey to Spain, you process at the arrivals terminal, so again leave the ferry expeditiously to avoid the line. Don’t forget the time difference between the two countries.
Beware that Morocco opened a modern port called “Tanger Med” that is about 40 km east of Tangiers, usually served by ferries from Algeciras in Spain. Don’t get on that ferry unless you mean to.
I stayed at the Dar Souran http://darsourantanger.com/en/ in the Kasbah, which is a traditional guesthouse in the medina. There is plenty of accommodation within walking distance of the main sights.
Foodwise you are spoilt for choice. I found the following to be excellent Moroccan options:
Chez Hassan Bab Kasbah, 8 Rue de la Kasbah – tagines and bbq, excellent.
Saveur de Poisson, 2 Escalier Waller – this is quite popular so turn up at or before opening time or be prepared to wait. Great seafood, fixed 200-Dh. menu.
Restaurant Bachir, Rue Zyriabe – Moroccan standards, in an area with plenty of restaurants in the new town.