Tanger aka: Tangier

We visited in 2005 with no real plan. We met a guy on the ferry, and ended up hanging out with him most of the time. Our trip consisted of wandering about looking at stuff and drinking gallons mint tea.

I really want to go back.

If you go by boat from Spain, I recommend getting out of the port as quickly as you can, and finding a tour guide once outside (or having them find you!). The tour guides are actually pretty friendly, seriously cheap, and they keep everyone away from you… anyone who might try to sell you things or bother you. They take you to the nice places, and, of course, recommend shops where they get a cut from what you buy, but hey, better than having people bugging you during your entire stay!

hehe, another fun place to visit. hotel manager will try to rip you off though. if you can’t speak arabic, then your spanish might come in handy. visitng hercules cave was quite adventurous. also discovering the partition between the atlantic and mediterranean was a moment when time stood still. camel-backriding was fun too :)

Born in the old town of Tangier called medina in 1304(contemporary of Marco-Polo), he left the town at the age of 21 and return back at his 50s.When he came back he didn’t bring gold or precious stones, but a memory of his trip around the world during 3 decades, telling us in his book called (Rihla), (travels) about the religions, customs and mysteries of the territories he visited, which correspond actually to 44 countries and a route of 120000 km. Most of he’s trip was done by feet, from Tangier to China and from the black sea to the Oriental Africa ,back to Tangier did another trip visiting the different towns in the north and south of Morrocco, then he across the Detroit of Gibraltar to visit the Kingdom of Granada in Spain.

In his memory the international airport of Tangier and a boat that links Spain to Tangier took his name. A dome was erected in the same quarter where he was born in the old Medina of Tangier.

I don’t think commenters are giving Tangier enough credit. Elsewhere in Morocco is surely better, but if you only have the option of a daytrip (like I did), this place can be a great experience and a taste of life in North Africa.

I was with a private guide, and other people weren’t too too pushy. Sometimes it actually was kind of entertaining, like when a boy tried to sell me his tiny pet turtle. The kids in the street were very cute and polite (a lot of “hola”s).

I loved wandering in the market area—the whole booths filled with piles and piles of olives were incredible, though I was a bit troubled by goats’ heads sitting unrefrigerated on butchers’ counters… Another commenter said the city smelled horrible, but I have actually never been anywhere better-smelling than the old medina. The whole place was fragrant of all the herbs being sold.

It was also interesting to see the contrast between our guide’s efforts to point out everything cosmopolitan about his city (where foreigners lived, where churches/synagogues were, how many languages kids learned in school) and day-to-day life in a developing country (lonely donkeys chained up in dry fields, half-built structures, public bakeries so that women without ovens could cook their bread).