Things to do in Tangier

The Caves of Hercules, 18 km south-west of Tangier near the village of Cap Spartel, are a major Atlantic sea-cave complex whose inner chamber was used from the Neolithic period through the Phoenician era as a place of worship and later as a millstone-cutting site. The cave's opening to the Atlantic is shaped in outline like the continent of Africa viewed upside-down — one of the more striking geographical coincidences in the region. Mythology attributed the caves to Hercules, who is said to have rested here before completing one of his labours by separating Africa from Europe.

Cap Spartel itself — the north-westernmost point of Africa — is 5 km further along the same road. A 19th-century lighthouse marks the cape, and the view from the headland takes in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean simultaneously on a clear day. The drive from Tangier follows a wooded corniche along the Atlantic cliffs before reaching the cape.

Tangier's status as an International Zone between 1923 and 1956 — administered by eight European powers and the United States, outside Moroccan or French colonial authority — made it a byword for permissiveness, intrigue and creative freedom. The American novelist Paul Bowles lived in Tangier from 1947 until his death in 1999, drawing a procession of Beat writers and artists: William Burroughs wrote parts of Naked Lunch in the city; Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams all passed through. The painter Francis Bacon visited repeatedly. Henri Matisse produced some of his most important work during two visits in 1912 and 1913.

The American Legation museum documents part of this history. The Café Hafa — a legendary terraced café clinging to the Atlantic cliffs above the Strait — has been open since 1921 and is where Bowles, the Rolling Stones and countless others have sat with tea looking towards Spain. The Librairie des Colonnes on Boulevard Pasteur was the bookshop where Bowles, Choukri and Mrabet were published; it still operates and is worth visiting.

Asilah — 46 km south of Tangier on the Atlantic coast — is a beautifully maintained fortified town with 15th-century Portuguese walls, white-washed medina streets painted with murals during its annual art festival (August) and an excellent fish restaurant scene on the ramparts. It makes a very easy half-day trip by grand taxi or private car. The drive down the Atlantic coast road is pleasant.

Chefchaouen is 2–2.5 hours by private car through the Rif Mountains from Tangier — the most common approach to the blue city from the north. Tetouan, a UNESCO-listed medina city about 60 km by road east of Tangier, is less visited than the imperial cities but has a Hispano-Moorish character unlike anywhere else in Morocco and is rewarding for half a day.

• Asilah — 46 km south; Portuguese walled town; Atlantic ramparts; excellent seafood.
• Chefchaouen — 2.5–3 hrs by car through the Rif; the standard approach from Tangier.
• Tetouan — 40 km east; UNESCO medina; Hispano-Moorish architecture; half-day trip.
• Hercules Caves and Cap Spartel — 18 km west; Atlantic cliffs; accessible by taxi or private car in a morning.

The Al Boraq high-speed train from Casablanca (2 hours) and Rabat (under 2 hours) is the most comfortable overland route, with Tangier Ville station a 10-minute taxi ride from the medina. The Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG) has direct connections to European cities (Ryanair, EasyJet, Royal Air Maroc) and domestic connections to Casablanca. The Tangier Ville ferry terminal handles crossings to Tarifa and Algeciras in Spain (35 minutes by fast ferry); the Tangier Med port, 40 km east of the city, handles cargo and some passenger ferries — check which terminal your ferry uses.