Once Upon a Time Travel to …Tangier

Travel to Tangier, a city that bridges the gap between Europe and North Africa.

We enjoyed our stay in Tangier, but the beaches were really dirty and the Medina somewhat small. Nonetheless, it is worth making a pit stop there or swinging by when you travel around Morocco.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Tangier is supposedly between 2,500 and 12,000 years old. Yes, that is a big age difference. Heck, I am no archeologist. Tangier got its name from the Greeks who referred to it as Tingis.

Tangier passed through a myriad of ‘invaders’ before finally joining modern-day Morocco in the 11th century A.D. However, it still had to endure wars and disputes with Portugal and Spain battling for the control of the city between 1471-1662. Then, Tangier was offered as a gift to English King Charles II as a wedding gift to a Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza.

The British ruled the city until Sultan Moulay Ismail imposed a blockade that forced the British to withdraw. Upon leaving, the British destroyed the city and its port. Although partially reconstructed, Tangier declined to around 5,000 people in the early 1800s.

During the Protectorate Era (1912-56), Tangier was declared an international zone administered by France, Spain, Britain, and Italy until World War II; what William Burroughs dubbed the “Interzone” in his Beat masterpiece Naked Lunch, which he wrote while living in Tangier.

Who is Tangier?

Tangier has long been romanticized by artists, Beat poets, and writers who arrived at its busy shores seeking adventure. Tangier is the gateway to Africa for many travelers. Cruise ships often dock there on their way from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

Your first impressions of Tangier will be punctuated by the scent of sulfur that hangs in the air and the sultry atmosphere that accompanies it. It’s this very mood that has proved irresistible to writers and artists alike and even added a bohemian touch to this remarkable city.

In the last few years, the King has taken a great interest in promoting Tangier as a high-end tourist destination. There is a new luxury port abutting the ancient Medina of Tangier. You’ll see yachts belonging to the rich and wealthy port as part of their tour of the Mediterranean Sea. Much of the Medina has been recently restored and many of the main streets and boulevards have new palm trees as part of a city-wide beautification project.

FUN FACTS ABOUT TANGIER

While preparing and planning our family travel to Tangier, I stumbled upon a few fun facts.

Spies loved Tangier

Spies used to travel to Tangier to feel “right at home.” During the 19th and 20th century, Tangier was a safe ground for international spies and is the location where many spying and smuggling activities happened. This is why you’ll often see Tangier brought up as a location in many spy fiction books and films, such as the popular Bourne series.

If you like tangerines, you can thank Tangier

The sweet and delicious tangerine is named after the city of Tangier. The fruit originated around the area and was subsequently named after it. According to the Oxford English dictionary, people who lived in Tangier were also once called tangerines.

Take a Paseo

After their siestas, it’s typical for the people of Tangier to take a paseo (a stroll) along the long promenade formed by Avenue Pasteur and Boulevard Mohamed V. They meet with friends, do a little shopping and enjoy their walk as the heat of the afternoon gives way to the cool of the evening. This walk will take you down Avenue Pasteur at Place de France to Place Brahim Aroudani, where you can turn left and continue your paseo on the beach and take in the Bay of Tangier.

GETTING THERE

An easy way to get to Tangier is by train, which is a very inexpensive and comfortable way to travel around Morocco.  You can also access Tangier by ferry from Tarifa in Spain.

The beautiful Tangier train station (Tanger Ville) is about 4 km southeast of the ferry port and bus station. Take a petit taxi and make sure the meter is on to get to and from the train station.

We took a train from Fès to get to Tangier which took us about 5 hours. We had to switch trains for the second half of our journey and boarded a TGV 1st class. It was so nice to travel in comfort and in style at a very low cost.

Tangier is also located 1h30 from the capital of Morocco, Rabat, by TGV train for about 20$CAD in first class.

For more information about how trains work in Morocco, read this article.

WHERE WE STAYED

Tangier has a wide range of affordable accommodations, mainly excellent riads (boutique hotels in restored mansions). Finding a good hotel that offers a little respite from the hustle will really make your visit more enjoyable. Make sure you book your first night in advance and don’t listen to people on the street who offer to show you to a hotel.

Our first night in Tangier was spent at Hotel Ibis, right next to the train station. It was a last-minute reservation as we originally were supposed to spend it on the night train from Fès. The rooms are clean but very small. They are not very practical for families as the spare bed only fits at the entrance of the room, blocking the entryway. However, the location is very convenient as it is so close to the train station and the mall. You have to pay extra for breakfast, but the spread is plentiful with many options to pick from.

Hotel Continental

Our second night in Tangier was spent at the Hotel Continental and it was fantastic. The interior is absolutely beautiful, filled with traditional Moroccan designs, ceramic patterns, and all the things you would love to buy inside the Medina. The rooms are very spacious, and the breakfast included in the price is the best we had in Morocco.

You can also have dinner there and half of our table ate the recommended freshly caught fish of the day, swordfish, and loved it. We really felt like royalty in this hotel.

Also, you get a beautiful unobstructed view of Tangier’s port and new city and peace and quiet.

Access

Our taxi did not want to make the complicated drive up to it as it is one lane that goes both ways.  As you can imagine, it isn’t very practical. Therefore, we walked up to it with all of our luggage. It wasn’t very difficult of a walk but hard on Jacky.

It is possible to drive up to it, which we did with our rental car. However, we understood then and there why the taxi dropped us off at the bottom.  That ‘road’ is insane!

The Hotel Continental is conveniently located 5 minutes away from the port and litterally at the doorstep of the Medina.

Dar Omar Khayam

On our way back from our side trip to Chefchaouen, we stayed in another hotel, Dar Omar Khayam. It is conveniently located close to Hertz car rental and not too far off from the train station.  However, it is further away from the Medina than Hotel Continental.

The hotel is very nice and clean with a lovely inner courtyard where you can chill on the very comfortable sofas. This is great if you have kids as they can run around safely while you can drink some coffee while still keeping an eye on them. The breakfast was alright, not our best and not our worse.

PLACES TO VISIT WHEN YOU TRAVEL TO TANGIER

Tangier is an interesting, cosmopolitan mix of African and European influences. As with many cities in Morocco, there’s an old town (Medina) and a new town (Ville Nouvelle).

The Medina is where you’ll spend most your time when you travel to Tangier and explore.

If you ever truly get lost, keep in mind that “uphill” is the direction to follow for most of the main exits (or “babs”) of the Medina.

Rocking the Kasbah

After switching hotels and settling in, we left to explore the streets of the Medina and our first stop was the Museum of Moroccan Art and Antiquities.

This museum, located just off Place du Mechouar and often just called the “Kasbah Museum,” houses various relics from the Stone Age through the turn of the 20th century, displaying the rich history of Tangier. Here, you can see evidence of the many people who inhabited or ruled this region. Not to be missed is a beautiful mosaic taken from the Roman city of Volubilis and a nice stroll through the Sultan’s Gardens.

The entrance fee is 10 dirhams.  The kasbah is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day except on Tuesday.

Getting there from Hotel Continental was relatively easy.  Once you are inside the Medina, just go up. The Kasbah is located high on a hill in Tangier with some good views of the ocean. You really can’t miss it and it is worth visiting when you travel to Tangier.

The kids had a lot of fun exploring the streets on our way to the Kasbah. We got to see bread being baked and even bought some, fresh out of the oven. Kids are always happy when they have food right? That is as far as we went in terms of street food. Afterward, we split off.

While Junior and Ioio left to explore on their own and act like big boys and probably try to get into trouble of some sort, Big Boss and I set off on our own inside the Medina.

Petit & Grand Socco

The central vortex of the Medina life is the square known as the Petit Socco, where old men sit for hours drinking tea and playing backgammon. Actually, they seem to do that in every single city we went to, and not just old men. During its fast-paced past, the Medina was a playground for author Paul Bowles and America’s legendary beatnik literary figures such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs. Wandering around this area is a must for Tangier visitors.

Just west of the Petit Socco on Rue Siaghine is the Church of the Immaculate Conception, built by the Spanish in 1880. East of the square is the Grand Mosque.

The Grand Socco (the main square) marks the end of the new city and entry to the Medina. This is where Tangier locals come to stroll, play, and sit in the surrounding cafes for hours. Just to the square’s north is the Mendoubia Gardens, a shady spot full of fig and dragon trees.

We also walked through the market. It is lively and colorful. This reminded me of the ones Jacky and I used to go to in France.

While exploring all the alleys and the stores, we stumbled a store where a weaving loom was in action. We had a lot of fun learning on how-to put-on headscarves and left with two made from camel wool which is very soft.

Old American Legation

In the southeast corner of the old city is the Old American Legation, once the US consulate building and the oldest American diplomatic post. The museum inside traces the history of the relationship between the US and Morocco-as Morocco was one of the first countries to recognize American independence, the US established its legation in Tangier in 1821. The interesting exhibits inside include George Washington’s famous letter to Moulay Abdullah. (We did not visit it)

Zazou took Blondie Bear and Loulou to the beach and were very disappointed by it. The beach (in January) was very dirty as was the water, the sand filled with glass. They still had fun though and ate ice cream which made it all better. You can find better beaches about 10 km west, out of town.

FOOD & DRINKS

In the Petit Socco, take a seat at one of the many cafés and bars to channel the vibes of the Beat Writers who made this city something of a pilgrimage in the 50s and 60s.

We had lunch at Le Bistrot du Petit Socco on the terrace. We really enjoyed the food, but the service was a bit long. However, it does provide you with a great view of the square at a very decent price.

Nord Pinus

If you’re looking for a place to chill with a drink in hand in the evening, try Nord Pinus. From there, you can take in the breathtaking view over the Strait of Gibraltar and Southern Spain.   Being able to drink alcohol in Morocco can be hard to come by.  We were lucky to find this place thanks to Lonely Planet.

The bar is located inside a boutique hotel of the same name. It is very cozy, and the bathroom inspired us to get another sink for our home. If you read our article on Fès, you’ll know that we had already bought one.

The drinks are served with little appetizers, free of charge. On some nights, there is even a live band. The Bar is located near the Kasbah, by the ramparts, so just go uphill and walk alongside the old city walls.

DAY TRIPS FROM TANGIER

When you travel to Tangier, it’s possible to use the city as a home base and explore it surroundings.  From an old cave to a blue city, there are a few day trip options worth trying out.

To and from Tangier – Travel ideas

Tetouan

Discover

Chefchaouen

Discover

Cap Spartel

Discover