The northwestern Moroccan city, Tangier, is the perfect gateway to Africa and Europe. The downtown is located at the entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar. However, the birthplace of Ibn Battuta is worth exploring, as the historic port city of Morocco is always ready to welcome its guests with open arms. While exploring the best places to see in Tangier city, this in-depth travel guide will help you. Here you will also get to know the best places to stay and eat in Tangier.
What is the Best Time to visit Tangier City?
The middle months of the year are comfortable with high temperatures, as it is the second-best time to visit Tangier city. However, the crowd is tremendous from June to August, and that’s why you wouldn’t find cheap accommodations. Therefore, we didn’t suggest you visit here in the summer.
According to us, the ideal time to visit Tangier, Morocco is fall (September to November) or spring (March to May), when holiday crowds aren’t around, and the ocean breeze helps to keep the weather cooler than other Morocco cities.
Best places to see in Tangier city
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Kasbah
Undoubtedly, it is the most popular tourist attraction of Tangier city. The place where the Sultan lived was built in the 17th century with carved wooden ceilings and a marble courtyard. The place has been a haunt for the writers, artists, and hangers-on.
The main door of the Kasbah opens into a large courtyard, where you will see the popular Dar el-Makhzen Palace and the modern-day Kasbah Museum. These two places are worth exploring if you are a history lover.
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Ville Nouvelle
Ville Nouvelle marks the end of the new city and entry to the old town of Medina. It truly deserves to be in the top 5 places to see in Tangier City. Here one can grab the amazing views of the spectacular ocean, which has captivated so many European artists.
The new city contains a wide range of well-architectured buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries, which provides a great way to explore Tangier City. You will find locals strolling, playing, sitting in the area’s cafes for hours, and enjoying the romantic atmosphere due to the high fig and dragon trees population.
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Caves of Hercules
The beautiful caves are located 14 km away from the main city Tangier. It includes two entrances, one from the sea and one from land. Both paid and free entry is available for tourists with different permissions to explore the caves. You can easily travel to the place with your group and explore more about the stories and findings of Richard Hamilton. Explore the lower slopes of the Atlas Mountains.
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Tangier Beaches
However, the Tangier beaches aren’t good for swimming, but the beautiful and louche literary residents make it one of the best places to see in Tangier City. The city’s beach area is a great place to enjoy a wonderful evening, stroll, and enjoy beach fun. Furthermore, it’s also a great place to enjoy parties in nearby restaurants.
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Explore Tangier City Deeply in Medina
If you truly want to explore Tangier city, then you have to get lost in the streets of Old Kasbah, Medina. The narrow endless paths between the gorgeous buildings provide the real feel of the city. Walking randomly in an old town can be adventurous enough, but the friendly and supportive locals will help you double the enjoyment.
However, the streets are cleaner than other older parts of the region. Apart from this, you will also find the cheapest hotels to stay in here.
Asilah
You have to travel for almost 40kilometers to reach the northwest tip of Morocco, where you will find another popular historical sight not far from Tangier. Asilah holds a rich history of the Roman era. It had been under the control of Spain and Portugal at some time.
However, the place offers a great ocean view and to explore well architectured white buildings around. The area is also popular for some delicious seafood and the Mediterranean feel.
Best Places to Eat in Tangier City
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Enjoy a Great Afternoon at Cafe Hafa
Cafe Hafa is practically a historical institution, which has existed since 1921 which is also one of the best places to see in Tangier City. The place stays packed with the locals and travelers in the afternoon, playing cards, listening to live music, and sprawling across the tables.
However, you will find the cheapest tea here in the town, for which you have to pay just 7 to 10 Dirhams. The open-air cafe also serves the traditional sugary sweet Moroccan mint tea, steaming bowl of bissara, and Moroccan soup made of fava beans. Enjoy a wonderful lunch with great ocean views and cooler sea air.
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Enjoy Home-Cooked Dinner at Bachir Restaurants
The bustling local restaurant is ridiculously cheap and a great place to explore Tangier‘s traditional food. The wonderful family restaurant serves a delicious bowl of Bisara for only 7 dirhams and tasty chicken tagine for about 20 or 30 dirhams. Many locals came here every night to grab a bite of delicious traditional Moroccan food.
Best Hotels Nearby Popular Places to See in Tangier City
We highly recommend you choose hotels in the nearby areas of Medina or the Old Kasbah area. Here you can find some great cheap accommodation deals. You can also go with AIRBNB to find out the budget hostels or guesthouses around Tangier. For the best accommodations, you can also check in the tool below:
Perfect Way to Reach Tangier City
However, Tangier holds an international airport, where many airlines land their flights regularly. Therefore, the Tangier Ibn Battuta Airport is the perfect place to land from where you can easily access all the major places to see in Tangier City. If there is 0 direct flight available from your country, you may opt for any nearby Morocco city’s airport, as all the cities are well connected.
You also have the possibility of traveling by the new Morocco high-speed train called “Alboraq”, linking Tangier to some big cities like KENITRA, RABAT, and CASABLANCA.
Read more about Best Places to Visit in Dakhla.
