Tangier Things to Do

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Tangiers is an eclectic blend of architectural styles, from colonial British outside the center to crammed homes inside the casbah (walled city). Our tour took us past one of the King's palaces and into the old heart of the city, allowing us to really see the contrast between how the rich and poor in Tangiers live.

I think I had watched one too many films set in Egypt when I imagined the type of shopping I would do on my trip to Tangiers. Our tour visited only one store- a "co-operative" staffed by hard sellers pushing carpets and homewares. Prices seemed to be negotiable, but we had some Arabic people on our tour who told us the carpets were quite low quality. There was some decent jewelry and some uncomfortable-looking leather shoes, but nothing that I couldn't find back home (in North America and / or Europe) for the same price.

As part of our poorly organized tour we visited an herb shop clearly designed to rip off tourists. Nevertheless I purchased three packets of spices that I still haven't used (even with three tablespoons in my couscous I can't taste a thing!) and some peppermint tea that I still haven't used either. There was a lot of pressurized selling but I felt the multi-colored jars made for a good photo opportunity. I noticed some smaller herbalists along the streets of the casbah that looked a lot more promising- worth checking out if you are a solo traveler.

We were staying in Marbella, Spain and our hotel organized a one-day trip to Tangiers with Andalucia Tours, a company for whom I cannot find contact information. Personally, I would not recommend this particular company because the bus was forty-five minutes late picking us up at the hotel (a big thing when your scheduled pickup time is 6.30 am), there was a lot of pressure to give the employees tips, we only spent about four hours in the city of Tangiers and we had to leave at 2.45 pm instead of making full use of the day. However, I got a general overview of the city while I was there, and I can recommend some things to do. The total cost for this particular trip was €60 per person, and the company required that a minimum of three people per hotel participated if you wanted hotel pick-up.

Travel time to and from Marbella, Spain was about three hours each way.

After driving through a maze of mono-cultural neighbourhoods (The British Quarter, the American Quarter, the French Quarter, etc...) our tour bus made its first stop at the top of a hill, where visitors had the choice of riding a camel, taking a photo, or feeling sorry for the poor animals and listening to them make horrible sad noises. I chose the latter. The cost of a camel ride was €1 and the duration was about thirty seconds in a circle around a parking lot.

This big square can get pretty busy and it is a good spot to stop and just watch around (if they let you without trying to get you into conversation!)

At your right coming from the little zoco you will see the Sidi Bou Abid Mosque. Just in front following the road you can find the Hotel Minzah (you have to go there for dinner one night!! but we will talk about it at another tip).

At your left a street takes you down to another market

At your right just parallel to the same street that we have taken to go up, it takes you down to the kasbah (ok you can get as well walking around the medina, but you will get lost for sure)

The fortification area called now Kashbar is a quarter of winding streets, alleys, arcades.

People there are very nice and willing to stop to chat, on the kashbar square you can go to the view point to the ocean and also lots of groups of tourists in day excursions watching the snakes dancing ;-)

This museum sited at kashbar square used to be the palace of the sultan, but now offers to the people that find it and want to pay the 1 euros (10 dirhans) lots of ancients discoveries since the Neolithic times of Morocco.

It deserves not only because of that, also it is nice to see the carved ceilings and the gardens.