The Grand Socco is the starting point for visiting Tangier. The name is a mix of Spanish and French remaining true to the city’s heritage and means large market, however Grand Socco is no longer a marketplace but a gathering point for cafés, restaurants and transport as well as the connecting point between the medina and the new city. Access to the medina is directly through the archway on the northwestern part of the square that marks the start of Rue d’Italie then becoming Rue de la Kasbah further up or through Rue es Siaghin that links Grand Socco with Petit Socco in the heart of the medina. Petit Socco is rather small and lined with small cafés and hotels.
The Kasbah, the fortified citadel within the old town, is situated at the highest point of the medina. An interesting place to visit, there you’ll find the palace Dar el Makhzen that houses the Museum of Moroccan Arts and the Museum of Antiquities.

The Grand Socco

The waterfront and the city beach are a good place for a stroll and to take part in some of the activities on offer such as windsurfing and horse-riding.
Place de France is a very European looking square in the new city where the main attraction are the cafés, particularly in the afternoon when they are frequented by locals and tourists. The terrace on Place de France offers great views over the Gibraltar Strait and the Spanish coast.
In the surrounding areas take time to visit the lighthouse at Cap Spartel, only 14 km from Tangier, where, on a good day, you can see the extraordinary meeting point of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, one dark blue and the other a lighter shade of blue.
The Caves of Hercules situated 16 km from the city have an unusual opening over the ocean which is similar to the shape of Africa, this place surrounded by an aura of mythology is considered a symbol of Tangier. Five minutes away from there, the ruins of Cotta, a small Roman town dating back to II AD, are worth a visit.