Things to do
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American Legation
Morocco gave this house to the United States in 1821, and it remains the only American national historic landmark outside the country. Inside, a warren of rooms holds paintings of Tangier, period maps and a wing given over to the writer Paul Bowles. The entrance is a plain door on a lane at the southern edge of the medina, easy to miss.
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Cape Spartel
Africa's northwestern corner is marked by a lighthouse on a wooded headland where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. On clear days the Spanish coast is visible across the strait. The road from the city climbs through villas and pine forest. Sunset brings the most cars, and a petit taxi does not run this far, so a grand taxi or a hired driver is needed.
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Caves of Hercules
Sea caves cut into the cliffs south of Cape Spartel open onto the Atlantic through a gap whose outline resembles a map of Africa. Millstones were once quarried from the walls, and the cut marks are still visible. Entry is ticketed. Mornings are quieter, and the long beach of Achakar stretches south from the car park.
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El Minzah Hotel
Tiled arches and a fountain fill the Moorish courtyard at the centre of this grand hotel on the edge of the medina, in business since 1930. Gardens and a pool step down the slope toward the port and the strait. Rooms facing the sea are worth requesting when booking.
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Grand Socco
Traffic, taxis and fountains meet on the big square where the new town ends and the medina begins, once the city's main market ground. Bab Fahs, the arched gate on its eastern side, leads into the old lanes. The Mendoubia gardens and their old banyan tree sit behind the square, and the cinema on the corner still screens films.
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Kasbah Museum
Former sultan's palace at the top of the kasbah, now a museum of Mediterranean cultures arranged around tiled courtyards and an Andalusian garden. Rooms trace the region from prehistory to the Islamic period through mosaics, ceramics and maps. Entry is ticketed, and the climb from the Grand Socco takes about 15 minutes through steep lanes. A terrace beside the museum looks straight over the strait.
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Perdicaris Park
Eucalyptus, pine and cork oak cover the slopes of Rmilat, a protected forest on the road toward Cape Spartel. Paths lead down to the cliff edge and to the shell of Villa Perdicaris, a hillside mansion facing the strait. Weekends bring picnicking families from town, and weekdays are almost empty. There is no shop, so water and food come along.
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Petit Socco
Cafe terraces crowd a small sloping plaza in the heart of the medina, the meeting point of the lanes from the port, the kasbah and the Grand Socco. Hotels and banks from the international zone years still frame it. A mint tea at a terrace table gives a view of the passing traffic of porters, families and touts. Unofficial guides wait here, and a firm no is enough.
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St Andrew's Church
Built in the Moorish style, this Anglican church carries the Lord's Prayer in Arabic over the altar and a square tower shaped like a minaret. Graves in the shaded churchyard include the journalist Walter Harris and several British residents of the old city. A caretaker opens the gate and shows the interior outside service times; a small donation is customary.
