Tangier: A Gentle Guide to the City of Two Seas

Most cities ask you to walk. Tangier asks you to sit down.

It sits on the northwestern corner of Africa, on a hillside above a wide bay, at the point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean across the Strait of Gibraltar. On a clear morning you can see the coast of Spain — close enough to make out the shape of the hills. That single view has shaped everything here: the traders, the spies, the writers, the layered old town, and above all the local habit of ordering a mint tea and looking out to sea for an hour without apology.

For travelers over 60, this is Tangier's quiet gift. You do not need to conquer it. Four or five good vantage points, a slow wander through the old town, a plate of grilled fish, and an afternoon on a cliff terrace will give you the city more honestly than any checklist. This guide covers what to see, how hard the walking really is, and where to stay so that the hills work for you rather than against you.

A little history

Tangier is very old and has changed hands often. Phoenicians, Romans, Portuguese, Spanish and English all held the city at one time or another — it even passed to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza, before Sultan Moulay Ismail brought it back under Moroccan rule in 1684.

Its strangest and most famous chapter is more recent. From 1923 until 1956, Tangier was an International Zone, administered jointly by a committee of Western powers rather than by any single country. Those decades made it a free port, a banking centre, a listening post for spies and a refuge for writers and painters. When Morocco regained independence in 1956, the zone was abolished and Tangier rejoined the kingdom.

You can still read that history in the streets: Spanish shopfront lettering, French café tables, a Spanish-built theatre from 1913, and an American diplomatic house tucked inside a Moroccan medina. Few cities wear so many pasts so lightly.

The Kasbah, the fortified upper quarter of Tangier.

What to see

The Grand Socco and the Petit Socco

The Grand Socco — officially Place du 9 Avril 1947 — is the wide, palm-edged square at the main entrance to the medina, and the natural place to begin. From there a gently descending lane leads to the Petit Socco, a small café-lined square that was the social heart of international-era Tangier. Both are excellent sitting places, and both have level ground around their cafés.

The medina

Tangier's walled old town is a maze of narrow lanes, whitewashed walls and painted doors that tumbles downhill toward the port. It is smaller and calmer than the medinas of Fes or Marrakech, and rarely overwhelming. Wander without a plan; when you want out, walk downhill to the port or uphill to the Grand Socco.

The Kasbah and its museum

At the top of the medina stands the Kasbah, the old fortified quarter and former sultan's residence, now one of the city's most desirable addresses. Its museum of Moroccan arts and antiquities occupies the former palace, with cool tiled courtyards, and the ramparts nearby give a fine open view over the strait.

The Tangier American Legation

Hidden in a medina lane is the building given to the United States by Sultan Moulay Slimane in 1821 — the first American public property abroad, and the only U.S. National Historic Landmark outside the country. Today it is a museum of Moroccan-American relations and of Tangier's cosmopolitan years, with paintings, letters and a room devoted to the writer Paul Bowles.

The cliff cafés and the bay

Above the sea in the Marshan quarter, a cluster of open-air café terraces steps down the cliff face toward the water; the most famous of them has been pouring mint tea for well over a century. Below the old town, a long seafront promenade curves around Tangier Bay — flat, paved and ideal for an easy evening stroll.

A street in the medina of Tangier.

A half-day just outside town

About 12 to 15 kilometres west of the city — roughly 25 to 40 minutes by taxi, depending on traffic — the land runs out at Cap Spartel, the headland overlooking the meeting of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Its handsome lighthouse dates from the 1860s and was built under an unusual international agreement; there is a small museum inside, and the views along the coast are superb.

A few minutes further down the coast road are the Caves of Hercules, sea caves partly carved by waves and partly by generations of quarrymen cutting millstones. The famous sea-facing opening is said to resemble the outline of the African continent when seen from within.

A word of honesty: the caves involve a walkway with steps and some uneven, often damp rock underfoot. Cap Spartel itself is far easier, with parking close to the viewpoint. If steps are difficult, go for the cape and the coastal drive alone — it is worth the trip on its own.

The 19th-century lighthouse at Cape Spartel, west of Tangier.

A day trip nearby

Tangier is one of the best bases in Morocco for easy excursions, because the good ones are genuinely close.

• Asilah — a small whitewashed Atlantic town with ramparts and painted lanes, roughly 45 minutes to an hour south by road or a short train ride. The flattest and gentlest of the three, and a lovely half-day.
• Tetouan — an Andalusian-flavoured city with a UNESCO-listed medina, about an hour to an hour and a quarter east through green hills.
• Chefchaouen — the famous blue town in the Rif mountains, usually between two and three hours each way. It is a long day and the town itself is steep, so consider staying a night rather than rushing there and back.

A comfortable compromise is a private car with a driver for the day. Shared minibus tours are cheaper but involve long stretches without a break.

Honest advice for comfortable travel

• Tangier is a hill. The medina slopes steeply from the Kasbah down to the port, with cobbles, ramps and occasional flights of steps. Walk downhill through it and take a taxi back up — this one habit makes the whole visit easier.
• Stay in the Ville Nouvelle or along the bay. Hotels near Place de France or on the seafront sit on flatter ground, take cars to the door and are a short, mostly downhill walk from the medina. Medina guesthouses are charming but often mean stairs, no vehicle access and luggage carried by hand.
• The climate is kind. Sea breezes from both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean keep summer highs around the high twenties Celsius, far milder than inland Morocco — but midday sun on open terraces is still strong. Hat, water, shade.
• Rest stops are everywhere. Cafés are the local institution; sitting for an hour over one drink is completely normal and never rushed.
• Wear grippy shoes. Polished medina cobbles and damp cliff paths are the main hazard, not distance.
• Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Small blue petits taxis work within the city; agree the fare or ask for the meter before setting off.
• Pace the sightseeing. Two attractions a day plus a long lunch is a full, satisfying schedule here.
• Dress lightly but modestly — covered shoulders and knees are appreciated, and evenings by the water can turn cool and windy.

Narrow lanes in the medina of Tangier.

What to eat

Tangier has two working fishing ports and eats accordingly. Grilled sardines marinated in chermoula — a garlic, cumin, coriander and paprika paste — are the local classic, along with grilled sea bass, squid and prawns, often served simply with bread, olives and a tomato salad. Seafood tagines with shrimp or calamari are a gentler, softer alternative if grilled fish feels heavy.

Inland Moroccan cooking is here too: lamb or chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives, harira soup, and couscous, traditionally eaten on Fridays. Spanish influence lingers in the tapas-style plates and the fried fish found in the older quarters.

For something sweet, look for msemen and beghrir pancakes at breakfast, almond pastries in the afternoon, and mint tea at any hour. Fresh orange juice is excellent and everywhere. If you have a sensitive stomach, stick to bottled water and freshly cooked hot dishes — standards in established restaurants are generally good.

A view within the medina of Tangier.

Getting there

Our verdict

Tangier is not Morocco's grandest city, and that is precisely why we recommend it to older travelers. Its old town is compact and forgiving. Its climate is mild when the rest of the country bakes. Its best experiences — a café terrace above the strait, a slow descent through the medina, a plate of fish by the harbour, an hour watching the ferries cross to Spain — cost little effort and reward patience.

Go with modest ambitions and a hotel on flat ground. Take the downhill walks and the uphill taxis. Allow one afternoon to do nothing at all. Tangier has spent two thousand years watching the world pass through the strait; it will not mind if you sit and watch with it.

“Two seas meet below the terraces, and Tangier simply pours the tea and watches.”

Photo credits

• Tangier - 44699733295: Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
• Kasbah, Tánger, Marruecos, 2015-12-11, DD 27: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
• Tangier Medina 3: Ypsilon from Finland, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
• Faro del cabo Espartel, Marruecos, 2015-12-11, DD 02: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
• Medina of Tangier, November, 2017: Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
• At Medina of Tangier 22752338124: cat_collector, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons