Tangier Essential: Medina, Kasbah, the Grand Socco and Cap Spartel
Tangier guards the gateway between Africa and Europe, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. The ancient medina winds up to the Kasbah citadel with views over the Strait of Gibraltar. The Grand Socco is the beating heart of the old city. At Cap Spartel lighthouse, two seas and two continents meet at a single dramatic point.
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Grand Socco
The large square at the entrance to the medina, framed by Moorish archways and the minaret of the Sidi Bou Abid mosque. The weekly Berber market fills it with mountain farmers selling produce and crafts.
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Tangier Medina
The ancient walled city is a labyrinth of whitewashed lanes, blue-shuttered houses, fondouks and artisan workshops. Navigation is deliberate: getting lost here is part of the experience.
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Kasbah and Museum
The citadel atop the medina contains the Sultan's Palace, now the excellent Museum of Moroccan Arts and Antiquities. The Kasbah square is lined with cafes and offers panoramic views across the strait.
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Petit Socco
The small square deep in the medina was the social center of the International Zone era, frequented by writers, spies and adventurers. Its cafes still carry the atmosphere of those storied years.
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Cap Spartel Lighthouse
At the northwestern tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Mediterranean officially meet, this French-built lighthouse stands on a rocky headland above crashing waves. The drive through the forest of Rmilat is beautiful.
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Caves of Hercules
Limestone sea caves at the base of Cap Spartel cliff, where the Atlantic crashes into chambers carved by sea and man over millennia. The seaward opening, shaped like Africa on a map, is a classic photograph.