Tangier in 3 days

The gateway between continents: kasbah views to Spain, literary legends, and a reborn Mediterranean port city. Best time to visit: April-June, September-November. Average daily budget: $55 to $120 USD.

Day 1, Get oriented

Base: The Kasbah, The walled hilltop quarter with the sultan's palace museum and strait views.

Morning: Kasbah Museum. Explore the former sultan's palace, Dar el Makhzen, and its Mediterranean treasures.

Afternoon: Explore The Kasbah, The walled hilltop quarter with the sultan's palace museum and strait views.

Evening: Café Hafa. Drink mint tea on the clifftop terraces where the Stones and Beats once sat.

Eat: Fresh sardines and grilled fish at the port restaurants

Day 2, Go deeper

Base: The Medina, A manageable old town of souks, the Grand Socco and the Petit Socco cafes.

Morning: Cap Spartel & Hercules Caves. Stand where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean at the lighthouse, then see the Africa-shaped cave opening.

Afternoon: Explore The Medina, A manageable old town of souks, the Grand Socco and the Petit Socco cafes.

Evening: American Legation Museum. Visit the only US National Historic Landmark on foreign soil, in the medina's heart.

Eat: Bissara, the fava-bean soup breakfast of dockworkers

Day 3, Hidden side

Base: Ville Nouvelle, The French-era downtown with the Boulevard Pasteur and beach promenade.

Morning: The Librairie des Colonnes bookshop, a literary institution since 1949.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Ville Nouvelle, The French-era downtown with the Boulevard Pasteur and beach promenade.

Evening: Cinema Rif on the Grand Socco, restored and screening arthouse films.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Seafood pastilla in the kasbah quarter

Hidden gems

The Librairie des Colonnes bookshop, a literary institution since 1949.
Cinema Rif on the Grand Socco, restored and screening arthouse films.
The Perdicaris Park forest trails above the strait.
Day trip to Asilah's mural-painted medina, 45 minutes south.

Getting around

Tangier's Ibn Battouta airport is 15km southwest with flights across Europe. The Al Boraq high-speed train reaches Casablanca in 2h10 via Rabat, and ferries connect to Tarifa in Spain in about an hour from the city port. In town, petit taxis are cheap and plentiful; the medina and kasbah are walkable but hilly. Grand taxis serve Cap Spartel and Asilah.

Safety

Tangier is safe for visitors and far calmer than its hustler reputation suggests, though ignore the faux guides who approach around the port and ferry terminal. Standard city caution applies in the medina at night and on the beach after dark. The strait wind can be fierce year-round, so bring a layer even in summer. Dress modestly in the old town.

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