Tangier, a legendary Moroccan destination

Tangier, in Morocco, is a great place to visit and a popular port of entry for tourists. It is a large city with approximately 950,000 residents situated in the very north of the country. Many people visit from other countries, contributing to its growth, yet it still maintains a diverse population. The city is steeped in stories and myths. According to legend, Anteo, the son of Neptune, founded the town and named it after his wife, Tingis. However, historical records indicate habitation dating back to the Paleolithic era. During the 1800s, when it was a colonial city, Tangier served as an inspirational hub for artists and politicians alike.

Tangier

Tangier has been subjected to many invasions from the West and the East. In the past, the inhabitants of Carthage, Vandals, Romans, Phoenicians, and Arabs, settled on the city’s coasts. The Spaniards, the French, the English, and the Portuguese also arrived there.

This city has been home to famous people like Tennessee Williams and Samuel Beckett and many famous people who ate there. Its palaces have also been home to Barbara Hutton and Malcolm Forbes. They were both drawn to it because it looked and its light inspired Matisse. For all of them, Tangier was an experience they will never forget. The white city still loves and enchants geniuses and artists.

Tangier is set up like a theater over the Strait of Gibraltar, viewing the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Its location, history, and hotel amenities have made this city an excellent place for travelers who want to create romantic memories. It’s also less dangerous than people think.

African and European cultures unite uniquely in a few cities globally, and it’s beautiful. The Mediterranean Sea and its proximity to Europe have helped Tangier, Morocco, and the rest of Europe get to know each other because of the short 14.5 km that separates this city from Algeciras. It has many things that will surprise you. Many people don’t know about these things, but they fall in love with them.

The medina is one of the things to see in Tanger

As one of the biggest cities, it is still a city that can see on foot. Like most cities in Morocco, Tangier divides into two parts, just like most. On the one hand, we have the old town or medina, which goes from the port to the top of the hill. On the other hand, the Ville Nouvelle was built by Europeans in the 20th century and had the Plaza de Francia as its center. The Plaza de Francia is where the old town meets the new town.

The medina walls are full of alleys full of shops and bazaars that sell local goods. Suppose you’ve been to other Moroccan medinas before. In that case, Tangier is similar but also very different and unique. These medina’s streets are full of life because of all the cafes, shops, small pensions, and hotels that have moved into the old part of the city. They make the old part of the city even more lively.

Every place in Tangier can be seen in a day or two, and it’s straightforward to do that

The Great Souk of April 9, 1947. There is ample space between the old and new parts of the city. If you want to see how busy the town is, you should go there. There are now many cafes in the square where the market used to be. The old market stalls have moved to nearby streets. It was made in 1917. Square: This mosque is called the Sidi Bou Abid Mosque. It was built at that time. Beautiful: It has a rainbow-colored minaret made of tiles.

The Anglican Church of St Andrew

It was built in 1905 when Hassan I gave land to the British community in Tangier. Andalusian style is the one that stands out in its mix of styles. This church has a cemetery next to it where some people are buried.

Parque de la Mendubia

It is right next to the medina and the souks, and though it looks like just another square at first glance, it’s a great place to relax after a long day of shopping. It’s a great place to learn about Tangier and Morocco’s culture and how they live. At the entrance to this park, we see an arch with Arabic text. An 800-year-old banyan tree is one of the trees in this park.

We walk down the Rue des Siaghins

A very lively street with many interesting shops. We come to a Catholic church. They are called Siaghins, which is a word that means silversmiths. This word refers to the work that their merchants used to do. Iglesia de la Purisima Concepción was built in 1880 and is a Catholic church. It has a front that looks like it was made in the Middle East. At number 41 of the street, there’s the Dar Niaba, a former Renaissance-style palace that was the French legation’s home and served as the Naib’s office. The old French consulate also used to be housed in Dar Niaba.

the Small Souk

Also known as the Dakhil souk, it is the heart of the medina and one of the city’s most exciting and unique places. It’s also one of the best places to shop. In this Plaza, there are balconies and wrought iron bars. It’s near travel cafes and hotels.

It was built in 1821 and stayed there for more than 100 years. It has old furniture, documents, photographs, maps, and things from the city’s best days. It is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 5 pm. You can go there on those days.

Lori Foundation Museum

There is the Lori Foundation Museum in the area. It was named after Marisha Lorin (1943-1993), a great art lover who loved Tanger and Morocco. This museum is on Tuahin Street, inside a synagogue with a cyclical architectural style. It has a lot of photos, scores, cartoons, and documents from the first half of the 20th century in Tangier. People can visit this museum from 11 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 5 pm daily.

Great Mosque

It’s also worth seeing the Great Mosque, built by Moulay Ismail in 1684. Many civilizations, including the Romans, lived there because the capital was found inside. It also became the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit when the Portuguese took over the land. In front of the Great Mosque, an old Madrasa was rebuilt in the 1800s. Going down a little, we find a great spot with great port views.

What to do in Tangier: visit the new city

There’s no better place than Boulevard Pasteur, the main street. In the beginning, we find the Plaza de Faro, called the “lazy square.” There are several cannons from Portugal in this square. This square has some beautiful views. Near the Gran Teatro Cervantes, this is where you can go to see shows. This is where you can see a show. The building was built in 1913 by Diego Jiménez. It is a modernist Art Deco building. People in the city still have things like this. On its main street, you can see all the unique things about Tangier and Morocco: the people, the veiled women, other tourists, the balconies, and the different buildings. A single walk will let you know a little at a time what it’s like to live here.

Another well-known place in Tangier is the Café de Paris in the Plaza Francia. People say Second World War spies met there.

There is a great thing about the Plaza de la Alcazaba. You can see the whole bay and the port area from there. Seeing the sunset from it is a must. Of its beautiful streets and buildings, the Marshan neighborhood is one of the best parts of the city. Most of its attractions can be found in this area.

50 holes carved

With 98 tombs in the Punic cemetery, there are a lot of places to rest your head. This part of the city is full of them. Ceiling: There are more than 50 holes carved into the top. Old rock walls are on the edge of a cliff. Many people from the Punic and Neo-Punic traditions and Roman artifacts from different times have found things in this place. Because it is so old, people last used it a long time ago now. You can see the Strait of Malacca; High up, it has excellent views. A few Roman columns can see near the front door. A well-known cafe called Café Hafa is close to this graveyard.

Punic cemetery

That isn’t the only thing that’s exciting about the new Tanger. The luxurious Punic cemetery, built by Lord Bute in 1930, is another thing to look forward to. To return in time and stay at the Hotel Continental, you should go to this place. People from all over the world could come and hide there. Arabic and Hispanic decor, a terrace with beautiful views, and lovely gardens make this hotel an excellent choice. The TV show “The time between seams” was filmed in the Minzah, and scenes from the Hotel Continental show Marcus and Sira meeting in the fourth episode.

Cape Spartel

Cape Spartel is about 12 kilometers northwest of the city of Tangier in Morocco and is a part of the country. If we are passing through, it is one of the places we should go. Beautiful: In this place, we can look out over the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and see a lovely mix of turquoise and blue. There were two names for Cabo Spartel before it became known Cabo Ampelusia or Cabo de Los Vias. They were: This famous lighthouse was built by the Tangier diplomatic corps in 1865. We can see it when we look inside. Many rockrose and cork oaks grow there because of the high humidity. At the same time, there are the spectacular Caves of Hercules, natural caves that the sea gets into when the tide is coming in. The coastal route between Tangier and Ceuta has beautiful views of the Strait, hidden beaches, and small coves.

Cape Malabata

You can also see the Bay of Tangier and the Strait of Gibraltar from Cape Malabata. Still, there is also a castle that looks like it was built at the beginning of the century: Malabata Castle. Many farms and canneries of fish and garum are in the small Roman town of Cotta. These places show the curious traveler how people lived in the first centuries of our time.

Tangier is a city in Morocco and Spain. You can get there by plane or bus

Five hours by train will get you there. If you aren’t coming from Morocco or Spain, you can get to Tangier quickly by ferry and get there in less than an hour.

It’s easy to get to Tangier by plane: Tangier airport is the fourth busiest in the country and is very well connected with international flights (Royal Air Morocco, Iberia, and Air France).

If you want to avoid flying, or if you’re going to go to Tangier by car, train, or bus, you’ll have to take a ferry. The cheapest way to get to Algeciras, in the southern part of Spain, is to take a boat across the Strait of Gibraltar. When you leave Algeciras, you must decide whether to go to Tangier or Ceuta. Then, you must cross the border from one country to the other.

On your trip to Tangier, where should you go to get food?

This is a note: Ferries can also take from Sete (France), which takes 36 hours to get there. There is also a train line from Almera, Spain, to Nador and Melilla in North Africa.

If you want to eat cheaply and very well in Tangier, you can do the same thing in the rest of the country. People in the country like to eat sandwiches and mixed dishes at many small places. Then there are:

There are two small Italian restaurants in Paris. One is Anna & Paolo, and the other is Prince Héritier (16 and 27 euros per person).

Escalier Waller 2: a restaurant with typical decor, a friendly and attentive owner, and a closed menu that you can’t get any more (about 20 euros per person) (about 20 euros per person).

This restaurant is called Dall’Italiano, and it’s on the seafront of Tangier. It runs by a beautiful chef who came straight from Italy.

An excellent place to eat fish: Restaurant L’Ocean, Plage Sidi Kacem: 20 minutes from the center of Tangier, on the Atlantic beach. Good fish cuisine but a fantastic bohemian and chic atmosphere. While it is true that it costs more than other restaurants in the area, the price is fair for the quality of the food.

If you want good food at a low price, go to L’anglaise, 37 Rue de la Kasbah. They make some tasty natural juices—a perfect and unique way to decorate. You’ll get the attention and kindness you deserve when you stay at The Morocco Club, Rue Kachla, and Place du Tabor. Awtar Cafe Restaurant, Cafe Le Detroit, and Cafe Hafa are some of Morocco’s best cafes and bars. Marhaba, in the Alcazaba, is a Moroccan food restaurant and belly dance show where you can eat Moroccan food and see belly dancing.

Morocco tours leave Tangier, and they go to the country

The city of Tangier is the starting point for many trips through Morocco. If you want to start your journey there, we have a lot of routes that start in Tangier. You can go on a tour that includes the main cities and exciting places in the country, like the Imperial Cities and the most beautiful towns on the country’s Atlantic coast. You can also visit the Sahara desert and the most barren lands.