Tangier is on the Northern most tip of Morocco, with beaches both on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. A very continental town, its enigma is derived from its former status as an international City where the glittering rich, the playfully adventurous and the blatantly curious swarmed in to escape the humdrum realities of their lives in the USA and Europe. As the last saxophones of the Jazz age faded, Artists, writers, aristocrats and scoundrels haunted the bars on the Grand Socco.
Echo’s of that ambience still remain in the steep cobbled roads that wind up from the harbour to the Grand Mosque, and the Medina is still the same maze of twisting lanes washed by the smells of mint, mimosa, fish and kiff. Tangier (or Tanger) boasts two main beaches in the town and several secluded coves and beaches within easy reach by car or taxi.
Sightseeing
The Grand Socco
Visit the Grand Socco Market Square with its street cafés and absorb the city life. The market sells everything including arts and crafts, fruit and vegetables and plain old junk.
The Mendoubia Gardens
Enjoy the inviting shade that surrounds the Grand Socco Square in the midsummer afternoons. This garden contains a fascinating banyan tree that’s over 800 years old.
Place de France
Place de France is a small French-looking square right in the middle of the Ville Nouvelle (new town) with many friendly, inviting street cafés.
The Medina
Head into the old city, across the Grand Socco and into the medina for a look into the local life of Tangier. You can visit the souks, food markets, fish markets and can stop off for a traditional cup of Moroccan mint tea at a local cafe.
The Caves of Hercules
The Caves of Hercules are situated 14km west of Tangier in the Cap Spartel area. It is a place of great beauty and archaeological significance.
Cap Spartel
Close to Tangier, this area is good for bird watching, including White Storks and Black Kites
Excursions
Rif mountains, Tetouan and Chefchaouen
From Tangier it is worth visiting the Rif Mountains, Tetuan (a market town with Andalusian overtones) and Chefchaouen (a charming mountain town with white andblue washed buildings and winding pebbled lanes).
Asilah
The good-natured and quiet village of Asilah, 45 minutes from Tangier, with its fortand whitewashed houses is also well worth an excursion. It has several excellent fish restaurants, and every August artists use the whitewashed walls as canvas during the Festival of Asilah.
