Tangier & Northern Morocco - Accommodation for the independent traveller - REDISCOVER THE WORLD

Tangier & the North of Morocco

The city and 'resort' of Tangier was very popular in the 1980s and has finally seen the revival and renovation that has brought Marrakech and the south such attention and popularity of recent years. We believe, therefore, that Tangier should not be overlooked as it can provide an ideal start or finishing point for tours and self-drive itineraries. There are a few direct flights from the UK, although arriving by ferry from Spain, Gibraltar, France and Italy is also a popular option. Tangier retains its powerful charm to this day… From the previously nefarious alleys in the Petit Socco area to the many café terraces which are more than ever avant-gardist.

Tangier's Medina has always fascinated artists. Eugène Delacroix, Henri Matisse, Paul Bowles, Tennessee Williams, Jean Genet… the list can be continued. All have fallen for the charm of Petit Socco Square and its cafés, especially the famous Tingis, despite the nefarious reputation acquired during the period when casinos and dance halls abounded. The old Mendoub Palace, built in 1929, situated to the North of the medina, is now a mansion for foreign VIPs. The museum of the old American Legation is in the Southern extremity. Paintings are on display and one room is dedicated to the American writer Paul Bowles. You should leave the medina by Grand Socco Square, a lively spot in the evening, and enter the new town.

view from roof terraces over to Tangier beachfront

The new town: You can enjoy a pleasant walk in the Mendoubia Park situated north of Grand Socco Square. A giant banyan tree and a dragon tree, alleged to be 800 years old, highlight the visit. Take rue de la Liberté, a shopping thoroughfare, to the Place de France which is the heart of the modern town. There you will find the celebrated Grand Café de Paris and the El Minzah Hotel which both were haunts of the famous names of arts and literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This spot is still very fashionable. You will have an amazing view of the medina and the port and bay of Tangier from Faro Square with its canons. The mythical Hafa café overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar from the top of the cliff. Plaza Toro no longer holds bull fights but clearly shows the influence of nearby Andalusia.

Tangier - the very name evokes an air of mystery, of one-time shady dealings. This stems from the days when the city was divided between Britain, America, France, and Spain, an International zone within easy reach of Europe. From 1923 - 1956 Tangier was a playground for international jet setters, attracting authors, spies, artists and aristocrats alike.

*Hotels & Riads featured:*
*Hotels & Riads featured:*
El Minzah Hotel	Rembrandt Hotel	Riad Tanja

Historic, charming and centrally located with views over the Straits of Gibraltar.	Our favourite budget hotel, central, large swimming pool and friendly staff.	A traditional riad-style property.

Shining like a beacon between Europe and African, Tangier will always be an open and cosmopolitan town where all civilisations mix.

History: Tangier city has always been of prime importance thanks to its position at the junction of the Atlantic ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines and Muslim Arabs have all settled here and for two hundred years a power struggle existed between the Spanish and Portuguese. Evidence of their occupation can still be seen today. Tangier was even briefly occupied by the British as it was part of the dowry given to Charles II by Catherine de Braganza. Samuel Pepys, the famous diarist and Tangier's treasurer in London, once referred to the city as 'the most considerable place the King of England hath in this world'.

Today as its economic importance has decreased its tourist industry has increased, some say due to its former notoreity. But this is perhaps a little unfair - Tangier has got much to offer the visitor. A broad palm tree lined promenade borders an impressive golden sandy beach. To the East Cap Malabata with its sparse collection of villages and to the West the old town of Tangier , a cluster of little sugar-cube houses, covering every inch of the hillside.

In contrast modern day Tangier boasts wide boulevards crammed with offices and shops, through the Boulevard Mohammed V to Boulevard Pasteur is home to its cafe society, and upwards to the Place de France which is the town's focal point offering breathtaking views towards Spain. Nestled in the corner is the infamous Cafe de Paris, once a popular meeting place for wartime agents.

African Tangier: The town resembles the medina's maze of alleys leading to the kasbah and the old sultans' palace (now transformed into a museum). A fabulous panoramic terrace can be reached from the marketplace in the kasbah. The Petit Socco Square neighbourhood is reminiscent of the eastern paintings of Eugene Delacroix. The Great Mosque is situated close by. After a period when it was a church, it has been a mosque again since 1684. Grand Socco Square holds the busiest market in Tangier. You can catch a glimpse of women from the Rif wearing their fouta, a hat with multi-coloured pompoms. More stalls are set up in the Chejra foundouk, a magnificent caravanserai. St Andrew's church, with its minaret shaped steeple, is a link to the West.

European Tangier: European Tangier starts at the Place de France where you can see the stylish Grand Café de Paris and the Café de France, authentic haunts of all artists. A hotel built in 1870 and situated at the foot of the medina on the port, put up the cream of the jet set in its time. You can continue along the coast to the Marshan quarter and the Mendoub Palace, once owned by the multi-millionaire Malcolm Forbes and where he held lavish parties overlooking the ocean. The terraces of the renowned Hafa café, open since 1921, offer you a magnificent view over the Strait of Gibraltar.

Sightseeing in footsteps of .... Paul Bowles, Mohammed Choukri or Hercules, there is no shortage of legendary spots in Tangier. Paul Bowles, Paul Morand, Jean Genet, Mohammed Choukri, Samuel Beckett, Tennessee Williams, Henri Matisse ... all without exception have sat in the Grand Café de Paris and the Café de France, just opposite. Most, including Rita Hayworth and Winston Churchill, have stayed at the hotel favoured by Paul Bowles even though Edgar Degas and Pierre Loti seem to have preferred another. All crossed the threshold of the Colonnes bookshop on boulevard Pasteur where you can still find all the works of international writers with a Tangier soul. Many ventured to the Tingis café or the Fuentès, meeting-place for intellectuals and journalists at that time, in the Petit Socco. None missed watching the sun set from the terrace of the Hafa café, a spot which continues to be visited by VIPs from the world over, from Sean Connery to the Rolling Stones.

Sightseeing Nearby: There are two headlands in Tangier you should visit to admire magnificent sunrises and sunsets; great occasions for peaceful and romantic walks. Cap Spartel - This spot, about 12km from Tangier, is ideal for admiring the sun setting on the Atlantic Ocean. On the way, you can stop to visit Hercules' Cave. According to legend, this mythical Greek half-god rested here after digging the Strait of Gibraltar. The cave floods at high tide. The entrance has the shape of an upside map of Africa. There is a restored Roman site just 500m away. It is the old town of Cotta where the ruins of its temple and the hot-baths remain. Cap Spartel is covered by cork oak, broom and eucalyptus. There is also a fine lighthouse built in 1865. Cap Malabata - This spot, 10 km from Tangier, is ideal for admiring the sun rising over the Mediterranean. The road leading to Cap Malabata lighthouse is lined with creeks and deserted sandy beaches and has magnificent views of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Spanish coastline. From the lighthouse, you have a splendid view of the town and the bay of Tangier. Further along the same road, you should stop in Ksar Es-Seghir, a small fishing harbour with its colourful and lively Saturday souk. Not far away, a beautiful sandy beach awaits you.

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