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Voykit pocket guide · Morocco
Tangier
طنجة
Give Tangier 1–2 nights as a ferry or train gateway: walk the medina and Kasbah in a morning, sleep near the port or the beach road, then move on.
Tangier is Morocco's third city and the shortest hop from Europe: Tarifa ferries land beside the medina, and Al Boraq high-speed trains run to Rabat and Casablanca in about 2 h. The old town is compact and walkable, so most travellers need one full day plus a night rather than a base. It works as an entry point, an exit point, or a stop on the Tangier–Rabat–Casablanca–Marrakech rail line.
- Country
- Morocco
- Local name
- طنجة
- Best months
- Apr–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (rain), Jul–Aug (crowds and ferry chaos)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- MAD
- Money
- Currency is the Moroccan dirham (MAD). Hotels, larger restaurants and chain shops take cards; souks, taxis, small cafés, guides and tips are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget MAD 300–500 excl. bed · Mid MAD 600–1,000 excl. bed · High MAD 1,200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Maroc Telecom, Orange and inwi sell tourist SIMs at airports and shops with a passport; 20–50 GB costs about MAD 100–200.
- Emergency
- Police 19 · Gendarmerie 177 · Ambulance and fire 15 · From mobiles 112
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 220 V · 50 Hz · European round-pin plugs; bring an adapter for UK or US devices.
- Tipping
- Café: Round up or leave MAD 2–5.; Restaurant: 5–10%.; Porter or bag carrier: MAD 10–20.; Guide, full day: MAD 100–200.; Desert camp staff and driver: MAD 100–200 per day shared.
- Water
- Tap water is treated in cities but most visitors drink bottled; carry water in the south.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels and restaurants; squat toilets in older cafés and on the road. Carry tissue and MAD 2–5 for attendants.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Mint tea or coffee in a café | MAD 10–25 |
| Tagine or couscous in a mid-range restaurant | MAD 60–120 |
| Street sandwich or msemen | MAD 15–40 |
| Petit taxi across the centre | MAD 15–25 |
| City bus ride | MAD 3.5–5 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | MAD 100–200 |
| Museum entry (Kasbah) | MAD 20–60 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- TNG · Tangier Ibn Battouta
- About 12 km (7.5 mi) from the centre; Alsa AeroBus to Tanger-Ville station, roughly hourly, about 40 MAD (check)About 7.5 mi (12 km) from the centre; Alsa AeroBus to Tanger-Ville station, roughly hourly, about 40 MAD (check)
Typical fares
- TNG airport → Tanger-Ville station, AeroBus
- about MAD 40, roughly hourly (check)
- Petit taxi medina → Tanger-Ville station
- under MAD 20 (check)
- Grand taxi TNG airport → city centre
- MAD 100 day / 150 night (check)
- Al Boraq Tangier → Casablanca
- about 2 h 10 min (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk in the medina and Kasbah — alleys are foot-only. Turquoise petit taxis are metered and cheap (medina to Tanger-Ville station under 20 MAD); agree the total before you get in if there is no meter. Cream grand taxis run fixed routes and fill up with six passengers. City buses cost a few dirham but some lines run infrequently.
See and do
Known for
- Medina and Kasbah
- Ferry crossing from Spain
- Al Boraq high-speed rail
- Ibn Battuta's birthplace
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Asilah | Train from Tanger-Ville, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Tétouan | Grand taxi or bus, about 1 h | 1–1.5 h |
| Chefchaouen | Bus or shared grand taxi, 2–3 h each way | 2.5–3 h |
| Ceuta (Spanish enclave) | Grand taxi to Fnideq, cross the border, then bus or taxi | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Medina and port
- Walk to the Kasbah, souks and ferry terminal; hostels and small guesthouses, some noise from the port.
- Ville Nouvelle (around Boulevard Pasteur)
- Banks, cafés and mid-range hotels; 10–15 min walk to the medina.
- Beachfront (Boulevard Mohammed VI, to Malabata)
- Sea-facing hotels and restaurants; 20–30 min walk or a short taxi to the old town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | السلام عليكمas-salaam alaykum |
| Thank you | شكراshukran |
| How much is it? | بشحال؟bechhal |
| No, thank you | لا شكراla shukran |
| Where is the medina? | فين المدينة؟fin el medina |
| The total, please | المجموع عافاكel majmou3 afak |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Salam alaykum' and a handshake; hand on heart after; avoid: Offering a hand to a woman first unless she does
- Eating: Right hand, bread as your spoon; avoid: Refusing all food at a home
- Bargaining: Smile, take your time, walk away kindly; avoid: Naming a price you will not pay
- Dress: Shoulders and knees covered in medinas and villages; avoid: Beachwear away from the beach
- Photos: Ask and accept no; avoid: Photographing women or children without consent
- Ramadan: Eat discreetly indoors in daytime; avoid: Snacking on the street
Scams and watch-outs
- At the port and medina, touts and fake guides offer help: refuse politely and keep walking.
- Fix the taxi fare as a total, not per person, before departing.
- Petit taxis cannot leave the city; use a grand taxi for day trips.
- Long passport queues at TNG before Schengen-bound flights: arrive early.
- Winter is wet and cool here — the northwest is Morocco's wettest region.
Tangier is generally safe by day; the real friction is hustling at the port and medina, unmetered taxis and petty theft in crowds. Keep bags zipped, walk confidently, and avoid unlit alleys at night.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Tangier yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Medina and Kasbah
- Ferry crossing from Spain
- Al Boraq high-speed rail
- Ibn Battuta's birthplace
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tangier official city site: tanger.ma/
- ONCF (Moroccan railways): www.oncf-voyages.ma/
- Alsa Morocco — Tangier buses: www.alsa.ma/en/tanger/schedules
- Wikivoyage: Tangier, revision 5317189 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5317189
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Tangierطنجة
لهذا العنوان عافاك
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Several countries keep consulates in Tangier; the US and most others run embassies in Rabat — check before you travel.
Tipping is expected for small services: MAD 10–20 for porters and helpers, 5–10% in restaurants.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/tangier). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.