Morocco Guide
Northwest Morocco
The northwest can be an intense introduction to Morocco, encompassing the two Moroccan cities – Tangier and Tetouan – that are most notorious as blackspots for hustlers and unofficial guides preying on first-time travellers, along with long stretches of coast on both Atlantic and Mediterranean. Tangier, hybridized and slightly seedy from its long European contact, has a culture distinct from any other Moroccan city, a setting and skyline the equal of any Mediterranean resort, and an age-old role as meeting point of Europe and Africa. In recent years the town's reputation has improved as the majority of hustlers and con artists have been cleared out and various renovation projects begun. Tangier has an international airport at Ibn Batouta (previously known as Boukhalef), and ferry connections with Algeciras, Gibraltar, Tarifa, the French port of Sète and the Italian port of Genoa. Unless you are bringing a car over from Spain, it's a better point of arrival than Ceuta: both for the town's own attractions, and for the convenience of moving straight on into Morocco.
Highlights
1 Tangier's Petit Socco Watch the low-life from the very cafés where Burroughs and Bowles looked out.
2 Café Halfa Sip a mint tea at this clifftop café while gazing at Europe across the Straits of Gibraltar.