Tangier
Where two seas and two continents meet — a port city with more history and better food than its reputation suggests.
Tangier spent decades as an international zone where spies, writers and smugglers all found reasons to stay, and something of that cosmopolitan, slightly lawless charm still lingers in the old medina and the kasbah above the port. On a clear day you can see Spain across the strait — fourteen kilometres of water separating two continents.
It's had a real renaissance in the last decade, with the medina restored and the seafront rebuilt, and it works well either as a first taste of Morocco arriving by ferry, or a northern bookend before heading south to Chefchaouen and Fes.
Kasbah viewpoint over the strait
Spain visible across the water on a clear day, from the old sultan's palace grounds.
Café Hafa
A century-old terraced café above the sea, a favourite of writers who passed through.
The American Legation museum
The first American public property outside the US, tucked in the old medina.
Mild strait weather, good for walking the kasbah and medina.
The same easy balance as spring, with fewer ferry-day crowds.
Warm but tempered by the strait breeze.
Can be windy and occasionally wet off the Atlantic and Mediterranean both.
Tangier as the northern gateway
Tangier is the natural entry or exit point for anyone crossing from Spain, and pairs easily with Chefchaouen and Fes on a northern route.
Mustapha often meets guests here who arrive by ferry from Spain.
Ready to explore Tangier?
Tell Mustapha your dates and he will build Tangier into a journey that is yours alone.