Explora Journeys in Tangier

Tangier sits where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic at the Strait of Gibraltar, a Moroccan port city with a walled medina, a hilltop kasbah, and a long history as an international crossroads. It earns the day because the old town and kasbah are walkable from the cruise terminal, packed into a compact loop you can do on foot.

What to do on a day in Tangier

• The medina, the walled old town reached on foot from the port, a maze of lanes climbing uphill with shops for spices, leather, and textiles
• The Kasbah, the walled citadel at the medina's highest point, with views over the strait
• Kasbah Museum (Dar el Makhzen), the former sultan's palace holding archaeology collections and a courtyard garden
• Grand Socco, the palm-ringed square with the art-deco Cinema Rif marking the main medina entrance
• Petit Socco, the small cafe-lined square deep in the medina where writers once gathered
• American Legation Museum, the first United States diplomatic property abroad, tucked inside the medina

Getting ashore

Ships dock at Tanger Ville, the city-center terminal by the marina; the medina gates are about 1 to 1.5 km away, a flat 15 to 20-minute waterfront walk, then uphill inside. One day is plenty for the medina, kasbah, lunch, and shopping; a small petit taxi up to the kasbah and a walk back down saves the climb.

When to book the ship's excursion vs your own →

Weather and when to visit

• April to June (spring calls). Comfortable and mostly dry, daytime highs from the high 60s into the high 70s Fahrenheit, with rain tapering off through the period. Good walking weather for the medina climb.
• July to August (summer calls). Warm to hot and dry, daytime highs in the low to high 80s Fahrenheit, tempered by sea breeze off the strait. Very little rain; sun cover helps in the open squares.
• September to November (autumn calls). Warm and easing, highs from the low 80s in September down toward the high 60s by November. Rainfall climbs through autumn and peaks around November, so carry a shell late in the season.