Medina and Kasbah
The medina. This is the heart of the city. The former geographical center of Tangier, encircled by the ramparts of the Kasbah, it is a place where people live and meet. It contains within its walls all the vestiges of the various colonizations. Tangier's medina has always been a favorite with artists and writers, including Camille Saint-Saëns, Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote. When you stroll through its picturesque, light-filled streets, it's easy to understand why they drew their inspiration from here. The medina has been undergoing restoration since 2020 as part of a program to renovate and enhance cultural and tourist sites in northern Morocco. We strongly recommend getting lost in the medina for the first few days. It's the place to be. Still relatively untouristy, unlike some medinas in neighboring towns. A visit to the heart of these winding alleys is a veritable journey through time.
The casbah was the residential quarter of the old town, less populated and less lively than the bustling streets of the medina. Today, it's the most beautiful part of the city, containing the main vestiges of its history. It's from the terraces of the casbah houses that you'll get the best view of Tangier's port. Like Marrakech, the Kasbah has seen its value rise from year to year, especially since major restoration work was undertaken (in parallel with that of the medina) during the pandemic, at a total cost of 850 million dirhams. Today, it's a favorite haunt of travelers and expatriates alike.
New town
The center of Tangier, reserved mainly for administration and business, is easily recognizable by its tall buildings and uncluttered avenues. Place du Grand Socco forms the junction between the old town and the new city, which extends westwards into residential districts. Marshan, to the northwest, stretches across the small plateau overlooking the medina. The more airy San Francisco district groups buildings around the cathedral, whose imposing edifice is a reminder that Tangier has long been home to a large Spanish community. Emsallah, a working-class district located below around Rue du Mexique, forms a lively ensemble reminiscent of the medina. Away from this central, active part of the city, sprawling new residential districts have sprung up on the outskirts of the old town, their buildings designed to meet the growing demand for housing. These clusters of buildings form a discontinuous suburb, often made of cheap materials, sometimes unfinished and not always aesthetically pleasing.
Place du Grand Socco. "Joseph Kessel wrote in 1952: "From morning till night, merchants, buyers and the curious meet in the sunshine, in the wind, on the Grand Socco, among the rags of a hundred colors and the rumor of a thousand cries. The Grand Socco is now called Place du 9-Avril, in honor of Mohammed V's historic speech for Moroccan independence in 1947. Originally, this square was a wide esplanade where caravans, camels and donkeys rested. Gradually, it became Tangier's first market outside the city walls, and a veritable hub of trade between the city and its hinterland. Although the permanent market has disappeared, the Grand Socco is still a meeting point, usually in front of the steps of the Cinémathèque, whose café and vast terrace attract the city's film-loving youth and strollers.
Marshan is an extension of the Casbah. It's a more recent district that links the Kasbah to the city center. It has always been home to Tangier's old, city-loving families, but artists and writers have also settled here. The district boasts a number of noteworthy monuments, including the famous Café Hafa, the Forbes Palace, the stadium donated by dictator Franco and the second Royal Palace, which serves as offices and a reception area for official visits by heads of state. The district's charm comes from its old bourgeois mansions, often on one level, and its narrow streets lined with tall trees and flowers, which are sometimes lacking in the new town.
California. This is a residential district located to the west of the city, in the extension of Rue de Belgique, alongside the Spanish Quarter (Spanish School, Spanish Consulate, etc.). Here you'll find beautiful villas adorned with bougainvillea, honeysuckle and umbrella pines. Most were built during Tangier's international heyday in the 1920s. They have been handed down from generation to generation, and today's heirs strive to preserve these symbols of yesteryear's splendor.
Tangier's fishing port. In July 2017, reconstruction and development work on Tangier's new fishing port came to an end. The port now welcomes all fishing boats (deep-sea and artisanal). The new facilities are of much higher quality. The port can accommodate a much larger number of boats, as its surface area has been multiplied by 3 (13 hectares of quay and 13 hectares of dock). All facilities, such as ice factories, warehouses, fish markets, ship repair workshops and administrative buildings, are now housed in the same area. Although the work lasted several years and represented a major cost for Tangier, the city prefers to focus on the positive aspect of this investment. Not only has it given the fishing industry an economic boost, it has also made progress on the social front. These infrastructures facilitate a number of tasks and help to improve working conditions for dockers and fishermen.
The corniche. From the port to the Malabata district, Tangier's beach is an integral part of the city. From any vantage point, you can gaze out over the azure sea and catch a glimpse of nearby Spain. Despite the degradation it has suffered over the last fifty years, Tangier Bay, once designated as one of the most beautiful in the world, is currently being redeveloped. Following initial work in the 2000s, the corniche has been embellished. All along it, hotels, restaurants and cafés liven up this part of the city center, especially in summer and during Ramadan evenings. You can take a lovely stroll along the bay, starting from boulevard Mohamed-VI or following the path along the sand. The Tangier-Metropole program (a project costing 8 billion dirhams), launched in September 2014, aims to position the capital of the Strait as a flagship destination for cruise and yachting tourism in the Mediterranean. The city's largest mosque was also built here. Inhabitants are now waiting for the installation of a cable car that will facilitate access between the city center, the marina, the new fishing port and the kasbah. Although work has proceeded at a steady pace in recent years, the project is not yet complete. The Covid crisis has brought many developments to a halt. Tangiers residents are waiting for the King's approval, as he is the only person who can officially inaugurate these new areas. Further improvements are expected in the years to come.
Malabata. Near the Tangier casino and the former Club-Med, to the east of the port, Malabata is a residential district that has long been neglected. It has undergone real change in recent years. Now directly connected to the Corniche, it is being swamped by tourism and hotel projects. If you take the road to Ksar es Sghir, a few kilometers from the center, you'll see the Cap Malabata lighthouse, surrounded by magnificent beaches that are very popular despite the easterly wind.
Cap Spartel and the surrounding area
The old mountain. It stands like an unshakeable bulwark against the tumult of the ocean. This 345-metre-high hill is home to vast, secluded residences whose discreet luxury is hidden in the lush foliage of a beautiful forest. King Mohammed VI has one of his palaces here, surrounded by thick walls that conceal sumptuous views of the Strait and the Spanish coastline, sublimated in the distance by a white sun. You can't drive very far along the Old Mountain road, as you soon come to a dead end. From this cul-de-sac, walkers can reach Cap Spartel, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea, in just two hours along an ancient Roman road.
Cape Spartel. Located 12 kilometers west of Tangier's medina, the Cap Spartel nature reserve offers a breath of fresh air, much appreciated by Tangier residents at weekends. The Rmilat park, served by bus and cab, is a delight for families and couples in love. It is home to the astonishing Château Perdicaris, the former home of a wealthy American diplomat and now a museum. Further on, the rocky promontory of the Cap Spartel lighthouse is battered by the tumultuous waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Continuing southwards, we reach the Grotte d'Hercule, a major tourist attraction in the greater Tangier area. To the west of the city, the Cap Spartel lighthouse, built in 1854, guides ships through the Strait of Gibraltar. It's also a popular spot for Tangier locals, who come here to sip a cup of tea as the sun sets.
