Things to do in Tangier: by interest and by category

Visiting the medina and the Kasbah

The two squares of the old town, the alleys that climb to the Kasbah and its museum. Allow half a day on foot, more if you go into the museums.

• Grand Socco (Place du 9 Avril 1947) The large square linking the new town to the medina.~20 minFree accessMedinaOn foot from the centre
• Petit Socco (Souk Dakhli) The small square at the heart of the medina, lined with historic cafés.~30 minFree access · optional spending : a drink on the terraceMedinaOn foot from the centre
• Kasbah and Kasbah Museum The fortified quarter at the top of the medina, with the former sultan's palace, now a museum, and a viewpoint over the Strait.~1 h 30Free access · optional spending : Kasbah Museum, 30 MAD per adult according to fnm.maKasbahOn foot from the centre
• American Legation A museum housed in the first American public property abroad, given in 1821.~1 hPaid · 50 MAD at mostMedinaOn foot from the centre
• Cinémathèque de Tanger (Cinema Rif) An art-house cinema and its café, in the former Cinema Rif on the Grand Socco.~45 minFree access · optional spending : a film or a coffeeMedinaOn foot from the centre

Visiting the Tangier medina · The 3-hour route · Souks and shopping

Museums and historic sites

The Kasbah Museum, the American Legation, the Phoenician tombs, and the places of the 20th-century international city.

• Kasbah and Kasbah Museum The fortified quarter at the top of the medina, with the former sultan's palace, now a museum, and a viewpoint over the Strait.~1 h 30Free access · optional spending : Kasbah Museum, 30 MAD per adult according to fnm.maKasbahOn foot from the centre
• American Legation A museum housed in the first American public property abroad, given in 1821.~1 hPaid · 50 MAD at mostMedinaOn foot from the centre
• Phoenician tombs Tombs cut into the rock on a headland facing the Strait.~15 minFree accessMarshanOn foot from the centre
• Gran Teatro Cervantes A theatre opened in 1913, a reminder of the Spanish presence in Tangier.~10 minFree accessNew townOn foot from the centre
• Librairie des Colonnes (bookshop) The historic bookshop on Boulevard Pasteur, opened in 1949.~20 minFree accessNew townOn foot from the centre

The American Legation · The international city · The historic cafés

Viewpoints and sunsets

Tangier is best seen from above: terraces over the Strait, the cliffs of the Marshan, the end of the continent at Cape Spartel.

• Café Hafa Terraced seating facing the Strait, open since 1921.~45 minPaid · price not verifiedMarshanOn foot from the centre
• Terrasse des Paresseux A viewpoint on Boulevard Pasteur, with old cannons pointing towards the port.~10 minFree accessNew townOn foot from the centre
• Phoenician tombs Tombs cut into the rock on a headland facing the Strait.~15 minFree accessMarshanOn foot from the centre
• Cape Spartel The 1864 lighthouse at the entrance to the Strait, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean.~45 minFree accessCape Spartel & Atlantic coastTaxi or car

Cape Spartel

Beaches and nature

The Corniche and the city beach, the Perdicaris forest, then the Atlantic coast: Cape Spartel, the Caves of Hercules and Achakar, by taxi or car.

• Corniche and municipal beach The long seafront promenade along the Bay of Tangier.~1 hFree accessBay & portOn foot from the centre
• Perdicaris Park (Rmilat) A pine and eucalyptus forest above the sea, on the road to Cape Spartel.~1 hFree accessCape Spartel & Atlantic coastTaxi or car
• Cape Spartel The 1864 lighthouse at the entrance to the Strait, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean.~45 minFree accessCape Spartel & Atlantic coastTaxi or car
• Caves of Hercules Caves opening onto the ocean through a gap whose shape recalls the map of Africa.~45 minPaid · 80 MAD at mostCape Spartel & Atlantic coastTaxi or car
• Achakar beach A large Atlantic beach near the Caves of Hercules.~1 h 30Free accessCape Spartel & Atlantic coastTaxi or car

Tangier's beaches · Two days: the city, then the ocean

Food, cafés and markets

The specialities to try, the cafés where people linger and the restaurants we have noted, with their source.

• Café Hafa Terraced seating facing the Strait, open since 1921.~45 minPaid · price not verifiedMarshanOn foot from the centre
• Petit Socco (Souk Dakhli) The small square at the heart of the medina, lined with historic cafés.~30 minFree access · optional spending : a drink on the terraceMedinaOn foot from the centre
• Tanger Ville port and marina The city-centre port, where the ferries from Tarifa arrive, extended by a marina.~30 minFree accessBay & portOn foot from the centre

Where to eat in Tangier · Kalinté, bissara and fish from the port · Café Baba

Going out at night

Bars in historic hotels, music, clubs in the new town, and what you need to know about alcohol.

Going out in Tangier · Where to stay in Tangier

Day trips

Asilah, Tetouan, Chefchaouen, the coast of the Strait, or Tarifa by ferry: outings from Tangier, with duration and means of transport.

All day trips · Asilah · Tetouan · Chefchaouen · Ksar Sghir and the coast of the Strait · Tarifa by ferry

First visit

The places to see if you are discovering Tangier, almost all on foot from the Grand Socco.

Kasbah and Kasbah Museum (~1 h 30) · Grand Socco (Place du 9 Avril 1947) (~20 min) · Petit Socco (Souk Dakhli) (~30 min) · Café Hafa (~45 min) · Terrasse des Paresseux (~10 min) · Cape Spartel (~45 min, taxi or car) · Caves of Hercules (~45 min, taxi or car)

3 hours in Tangier: the medina and the Kasbah · One day in Tangier without a car · What to do in Tangier? 20 ideas to make the most of the city

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With family

Places without long indoor visits, with room to move: walks, a park, beaches, viewpoints.

Grand Socco (Place du 9 Avril 1947) (~20 min) · Terrasse des Paresseux (~10 min) · Corniche and municipal beach (~1 h) · Tanger Ville port and marina (~30 min) · Perdicaris Park (Rmilat) (~1 h, taxi or car) · Cape Spartel (~45 min, taxi or car) · Caves of Hercules (~45 min, taxi or car) · Achakar beach (~1 h 30, taxi or car)

Visiting Tangier with children · Tangier's beaches: Mediterranean or Atlantic?

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Without a car

Everything that can be done on foot or by petit taxi in the centre, the medina and the Marshan.

Kasbah and Kasbah Museum (~1 h 30) · Grand Socco (Place du 9 Avril 1947) (~20 min) · Petit Socco (Souk Dakhli) (~30 min) · American Legation (~1 h) · Café Hafa (~45 min) · Phoenician tombs (~15 min) · Cinémathèque de Tanger (Cinema Rif) (~45 min) · Librairie des Colonnes (bookshop) (~20 min) · Terrasse des Paresseux (~10 min) · Corniche and municipal beach (~1 h) · Tanger Ville port and marina (~30 min) · Gran Teatro Cervantes (~10 min)

One day in Tangier without a car · Getting around Tangier

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Small budget

Places with free access or almost: squares, the Corniche, viewpoints, the Phoenician tombs.

Grand Socco (Place du 9 Avril 1947) (~20 min) · Café Hafa (~45 min) · Phoenician tombs (~15 min) · Terrasse des Paresseux (~10 min) · Corniche and municipal beach (~1 h) · Perdicaris Park (Rmilat) (~1 h, taxi or car)

How much to budget for Tangier

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If it rains

Visits under cover: museums, the Cinémathèque, a bookshop.

American Legation (~1 h) · Cinémathèque de Tanger (Cinema Rif) (~45 min) · Librairie des Colonnes (bookshop) (~20 min)

Tangier in winter: what to do when it rains? · When to come: the climate through the seasons

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Sunset

Viewpoints over the Strait and the ocean, best at the end of the day.

Kasbah and Kasbah Museum (~1 h 30) · Café Hafa (~45 min) · Phoenician tombs (~15 min) · Terrasse des Paresseux (~10 min) · Cape Spartel (~45 min, taxi or car) · Achakar beach (~1 h 30, taxi or car)

The historic cafés of Tangier

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