Medina & Metropolis

It may not be at the top of any tourist’s bucket list. Nevertheless, its cosmopolitan, multicultural vibe makes for a unique travel experience: Tangier, the major port city on Morocco’s northern coast.

The city has long been a haven for nonconformist Westerners. This was in the days of personalities such as William S. Burroughs, Tennessee Williams, and the Rolling Stones. One of the most eccentric figures was said to be the Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton. At her legendary 1968 Tangier ball, she hired the Moroccan army to act as her personal guard and arrived at the party on a gilded throne.

The city’s unusual diversity is tied to its location to the entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar. Its geography has placed it at the crossroads of various civilizations from North Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean. Their cultural influences can still be felt all over the city today.

In recent decades, Tangier has experienced a massive influx of people from more rural areas of northern Morocco. Consequently, the city has transformed into a metropolis of over a million people. Its days of its existence as a relatively compact port town that once was characterized by a certain urban refinement were numbered.

Today, the typical visitor is someone taking a day trip from a beach vacation on Spain’s south coast. From Tarifa in Spain, Tangier is only an hour away by ferry.