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Voykit pocket guide · Morocco
Tétouan
تطوان
Give Tétouan 1–2 nights: a compact UNESCO medina you can walk in 3 hours, 25 min from Martil beach and 1 h from Tangier.
Tétouan is the old Spanish-protectorate capital of northern Morocco, 40 km south of Ceuta and about an hour by road from Tangier. Its medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and small enough to cover on foot without a guide, which is rare in Morocco. Most travellers see only the bus station on the way to Chefchaouen; one night here is enough for the medina, the museums and a beach run to Martil, two if you want the Rif foothills.
- Country
- Morocco
- Local name
- تطوان
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (35 °C+ and crowded beaches)Jul–Aug (95 °F+ and crowded beaches)
- 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 250–450 excl. bed · Mid MAD 450–900 excl. bed · High MAD 900+ 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 a mobile 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 in a café | MAD 8–15 |
| Pastry or brownie at a patisserie | MAD 2–8 |
| Za3Za3 (avocado, banana and almond shake) | MAD 15–30 |
| Tagine or grilled fish, mid-range restaurant | MAD 60–120 |
| Petit taxi ride in the centre | MAD 15–30 |
| Grand taxi seat to Martil | MAD 5–10 |
| Museum entry | MAD 10–25 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | MAD 100–200 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- TTU · Sania Ramel Airport
- 6 km northwest of the bus station; mainly Ryanair and Moroccan carriers; taxi is the only practical transfer3.7 mi northwest of the bus station; mainly Ryanair and Moroccan carriers; taxi is the only practical transfer
- TNG · Tangier Ibn Battouta
- About 1 h 15 min by road; more flights and a high-speed rail link onward
Typical fares
- Sania Ramel Airport → centre, petit taxi
- MAD 20–25 from the main road 200 m off the terminal; grand taxis at the door ask about MAD 100
- Grand taxi seat, centre → Martil
- a few dirham per seat; buy two seats for room
- Bus, Tétouan → Tangier
- about 1–1.5 h; CTM and Supratours run the route
Get around
The centre and medina are small and walkable; the climb from the CTM station to the medina is steep. Petit taxis are cheap and metered, with a luggage surcharge. Grand taxis for Martil, Cabo Negro, M'Diq and Marina Smir leave from the bottom of Rue Moulay Abbas; a seat to Martil is a few dirham, and buying the whole car is faster for the further beaches. City buses exist but run late.
See and do
Known for
- UNESCO-listed medina
- Spanish-Moorish architecture
- Bab El Okla ethnographic museum
- Martil and Cabo Negro beaches
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Martil | Grand taxi from the bottom of Rue Moulay Abbas, or city bus | About 30–40 min |
| Chefchaouen | Bus from the Gare routière, roughly hourly in the morning | About 2 h |
| Ceuta | Bus 35 to Fnideq, then walk to the border and take a local bus | About 2 h |
| Tangier | CTM or Supratours bus, or shared grand taxi | About 1–1.5 h |
| Cabo Negro and Marina Smir | Grand taxi, often two legs or a bought-out car | About 45–60 min |
Sleep
- Medina (Place El Ouessaa and Rue Zawiya Kadiria)
- Riads inside the walls; walk to every sight, but cars cannot reach the door.
- Centre / Avenue Mohammed V
- Hotels and cafés on the pedestrian spine; 5–10 min walk to the medina gates.
- Route de Martil (Champs, Dreams)
- Beach-side resort hotels; 10–15 min by petit taxi to the centre, no walkable sights.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Peace be upon you | السلام عليكمas-salaamu alaykum |
| Thank you | شكراshukran |
| How much is it? | بشحال؟bechhal? |
| That is too expensive | غالي بزافghali bezzaf |
| I want to go to Martil | بغيت نمشي لمارتيلbghit nemchi l-Martil |
| Where is the toilet? | فين الطواليت؟fin twalet? |
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
- Bus-station touts: buy only at a counter, never from someone standing nearby who says your bus is full or cancelled.
- The Royal Palace and most of Place El Mechouar are off-limits to the public.
- The Kasbah above the city is fenced for works: you can walk around it, not inside.
- Alcohol is scarce; the Carrefour on Avenue 9 Avril is the main stockist in the area.
- Summer heat: sightsee before 11:00 and after 17:00.
Tétouan is generally calm and the medina is easy to navigate; the real friction is hustling at the bus station and around the medina gates. Buy tickets only at counters, agree taxi fares or insist on the meter, and keep normal big-city precautions after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Tétouan yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- UNESCO-listed medina
- Spanish-Moorish architecture
- Bab El Okla ethnographic museum
- Martil and Cabo Negro beaches
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- ONDA — Tétouan Sania R'mel Airport: www.onda.ma/Nos-A%C3%A9roports/A%C3%A9roport-T%C3%A9touan-Saniat-R'mel
- Fondation Nationale des Musées — Bab El Oqla, Tétouan: fnm.ma/musees-ouverts/musee-bab-el-oqla-tetouan/
- Wikivoyage: Tétouan, revision 5269822 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5269822
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Tétouanتطوان
لهذا العنوان عافاك
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Tétouan; most are in Rabat, with consulates in Casablanca and Tangier (check your own country's list).
Spanish is widely understood here, more than in southern Morocco.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/tetouan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.