The best things to do in Tangier Morocco are walking the medina and kasbah, visiting the American Legation and St Andrew’s Church, and driving out to Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules. This guide covers each stop with sourced facts, so you can plan a day or two in the city where Africa meets Europe. Tangier is the usual northern gateway to Morocco, and it fits into a 7 days in Morocco route.
Tangier at a glance
According to Wikipedia, Tangier is a city in northwestern Morocco on both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, at the southern half of the Strait of Gibraltar. It is Morocco’s second-largest city, with 1,275,428 people in the 2024 census figure. Central Tangier lies about 23 km east of Cape Spartel.
The city is old. Wikipedia describes it as a Phoenician colony, founded possibly as early as the 10th century BCE and almost certainly by the 8th century BCE, which later became the Roman Tingis. The Portuguese took it on 28 August 1471, and it passed to England in 1661 as part of Catherine of Braganza’s dowry. Morocco took it back on 7 February 1684. From 1923 to 1956 it was an International Zone, and Tangier rejoined Morocco with the Tangier Protocol on 29 October 1956, per the same source. That layered history is why one city holds a kasbah, an American diplomatic mission and an Anglican church.
The medina and the kasbah
Start in the old city. Wikipedia says the medina is ringed by more than 1.8 km of stone rampart, mostly from the Portuguese period, and that artisans there work mainly in leather, wood, silver, traditional clothing and shoes. The Petit Socco is the central square of the lower, southern medina, and the Grand Socco is the former marketplace just outside the walls.
The kasbah sits on the western hill, known as La Montagne. Its Kasbah Palace, the former residence of Tangier’s governors, is now the Museum of Mediterranean Cultures, per Wikipedia. Tangier has drawn writers and painters for generations. Wikipedia lists Eugène Delacroix (visited 1832), Henri Matisse, Paul Bowles (lived there for more than half a century) and William S. Burroughs (four years, where he wrote Naked Lunch). Ibn Battuta was born in Tangier in 1304.
The American Legation
The American Legation stands in the southern medina. Wikipedia says Sultan Moulay Suliman gave the building to the United States in 1821, and describes it as the first American public property abroad and the only US National Historic Landmark in a foreign country. It joined the National Register of Historic Places on 8 January 1981 and became a National Historic Landmark on 17 December 1982. A nonprofit, the Tangier American Legation Museum Society, was set up in 1976 to restore it.
Inside, Wikipedia lists paintings by Marguerite McBey and Mohamed Hamri, a research library, and the Paul Bowles Wing, expanded in 2010. The travel writer at Cromwell International also describes a table with original documents from the 1904 Perdicaris affair, and says the building hosts Arabic-language study. For the longer story of Morocco and America, read Morocco and the USA: the first country to recognize America.
St Andrew’s Church
Elsewhere in the city, St Andrew’s Church is an Anglican church in Moorish style. Wikipedia says Sultan Hassan I donated the land to the British community in 1880, a larger building was completed in 1894, and the church was consecrated in 1905. Its belltower is shaped like a minaret and overlooks the cemetery, and Matisse’s 1913 painting Landscape Viewed from a Window shows the church.
The churchyard holds several well-known graves, including the diplomat and author Walter Burton Harris (1866–1933) and Sir Harry MacLean (1848–1920), who commanded the Moroccan Army, per Wikipedia. Inside, horseshoe arches and a carved wooden ceiling give the nave a Moorish feel, and a framed embroidered portrait of Queen Victoria hangs on one wall. For the wider story of the two countries, see Morocco and Britain: from Elizabeth I to Churchill.
Cap Spartel
Drive west and you reach Cape Spartel, the northwestern tip of the African continent. Wikipedia says Sultan Muhammad IV built the lighthouse in 1864, and that its longitude, 5°55′ W, is recognized under international law as the western limit of the Mediterranean Sea. The page gives the distance from Tangier as 12 km in one place and about 14 km in another, so treat it as roughly 12 to 14 km west of the city.
The signpost makes the meeting of the two seas easy to photograph. If you would rather not arrange a taxi, our day trip from Tangier to Cap Spartel and Hercules Cave covers both stops.
The Caves of Hercules
Below the cape, the Caves of Hercules are reached from Robinson Plage, per Wikipedia, which also says they show Neolithic occupation and were partly shaped by historical rock mining. The sea-facing opening is described by the Blue Bay Hotels travel blog as shaped like a reversed map of Africa. That source puts the caves about 20 km from Tangier, roughly 40 minutes away, and lists a 30 dirham entrance fee, so confirm the price on the day.
Local legend says Hercules rested here, and the Blue Bay Hotels guide repeats the story that he split the mountain joining Africa and Europe to make the Strait of Gibraltar. Wikipedia’s Tangier page tells the Hercules legend with a “citation needed” note, so we present it as a legend, not as history. The blog adds that Petit Taxis only serve the city centre, so a Grand Taxi is the usual choice for the trip out. Read the Blue Bay Hotels guide for its details.
Getting to Tangier and where to go next
Wikipedia says the Kenitra to Tangier high-speed line opened in November 2018 and links Tangier with Casablanca in 2 hours 10 minutes, so check current schedules when you plan. For the airport, the train and road options, see airport transfers in Morocco and train vs bus vs rental car in Morocco.
From Tangier you can go in several directions. The blue city of Chefchaouen is one of the most popular, and we run a day trip from Tangier to Chefchaouen. Closer to the coast, see our day trips to Asilah, Tetouan and Larache and Lixus. For a longer route, look at the 3 day tour from Tangier to Casablanca, the 6 day tour from Tangier to Marrakech, the 7 day desert tour from Tangier to Marrakech or the 12 day Morocco tour from Tangier.
Arriving on a ship? Our Semester at Sea Morocco port guide and the 4 day Semester at Sea tour from Tangier start here. Continue to Rabat, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Fes or Volubilis. Plan your meals with the Moroccan food guide, check tipping in Morocco, and if you are coming from the USA read the Morocco visa guide for Americans. Combining Morocco with Europe? See the Spain, Portugal and Morocco itinerary. Not sure where the country sits? Read is Morocco in Africa.
Things to do in Tangier FAQ
What are the best things to do in Tangier?
Walk the medina and kasbah, visit the American Legation and St Andrew’s Church, then head west to Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules.
What is the American Legation in Tangier?
Per Wikipedia, a building given to the United States by Sultan Moulay Suliman in 1821, described as the first American public property abroad and the only US National Historic Landmark in a foreign country. It is now a museum and research library.
Who built St Andrew’s Church in Tangier?
Wikipedia says Hassan I donated the land in 1880 to the British community, a larger church was completed in 1894 and it was consecrated in 1905. It is Anglican and Moorish in style.
How far are the Caves of Hercules from Tangier?
The Blue Bay Hotels guide says about 20 km, roughly 40 minutes, with a Grand Taxi suggested. Cap Spartel is about 12 to 14 km west of the city according to Wikipedia.
How much does it cost to enter the Caves of Hercules?
The Blue Bay Hotels guide lists 30 dirham. We found only one source for this, so confirm the price at the entrance.
How long is the train from Tangier to Casablanca?
Wikipedia says 2 hours 10 minutes on the high-speed line that opened in November 2018. Check current timetables before you travel.
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