Asilah Travel Guide: Ramparts, Murals and a Fish Lunch

This Asilah travel guide covers a small fortified town that is one of the easiest and most photogenic day trips in northern Morocco. The best things to do in Asilah are simple: walk the old walls above the Atlantic, follow the painted lanes of the medina, drink mint tea in the sun and eat fish by the sea. Asilah is about 45 minutes south of Tangier by road.

In this Asilah travel guide you will find ten things to do, a short history, notes on the murals and the summer arts festival, the best beaches nearby and a plan for a day trip from Tangier. If you are building a longer trip, read it with our guides to places to visit near Tangier and a northern Morocco itinerary.

Asilah travel guide at a glance

Asilah Morocco is compact, so you can see the essentials in a few hours. This table shows how long each activity takes.

You can read more about the town on Wikipedia, and the official tourism site is Visit Morocco.

Asilah travel guide: walk the ramparts and gates

The area has been settled since Phoenician times, at the nearby site of Zilil, but the walls you see today date almost entirely from the Portuguese, who captured the town in 1471 and rebuilt its defences to resist artillery. Spain held it for a time, and Morocco regained it in 1692. From 1912 to 1956 it was part of Spanish Morocco, and that history is still visible in the language and the food.

The gates and the Red Tower

There are two main gates, Bab Homar in the south and Bab al-Qasaba in the east, where the kasbah once stood. Nearby is a rectangular tower in Portuguese style, known as Borj al-Hamra, the Red Tower, which overlooks a quiet square.

The sunset bastion

At the western end of the medina, a Portuguese bastion extends into the sea. It is the favourite sunset spot of local people, with a small cemetery and the shrine of Sidi Mansour beside it.

Asilah murals and the summer arts festival

The Asilah murals are the reason many people come. Every summer, artists from Morocco and abroad paint new works on the walls of the medina during the International Cultural Moussem, an arts festival held in August since 1978. The festival helped to restore the old town, and it still features music, exhibitions and workshops.

The murals change from year to year, so every visit is different. Look for painted houses, mosaics and ceramic details on doors and corners. You are free to walk and take photographs, but be respectful of residents and ask before photographing people.

The Asilah medina: lanes, windows and the Raisuli Palace

The Asilah medina is small, calm and painted white, with touches of blue and green. It has the maze-like layout of any old Moroccan town, but it is easy to navigate because it is so small. Many houses have mashrabiya windows, which are wooden bay windows with carved screens.

Do not miss the restored Raisuli Palace, built in 1909 by a local strongman who declared himself pasha, and the Grand Mosque with its octagonal minaret, which is a northern Moroccan feature. The mosque is open to Muslims only, but you can admire it from outside. For more on local customs, read our guide to Moroccan culture and etiquette.

Asilah travel guide: beaches and Paradise Beach

The coast near Asilah has long beaches and sheltered bays. The Atlantic is cool and the waves can be strong, so choose a beach with a calm sea and swim where others swim. Our Paradise Beach day trip is a favourite in summer, with a long lunch of fish and salad on the sand.

Asilah travel guide: where to eat, seafood with a Spanish accent

Because of its closeness to Spain and its Spanish past, the cuisine in Asilah is often described as Ibero-Moroccan: grilled fish, anchovies, rice dishes in the style of paella and plenty of seafood. Order the catch of the day and agree on the price first. For more ideas, read our guide on what to eat in Tangier.

Asilah travel guide: a one-day plan

Use this Asilah travel guide as a base, and keep a gap in the plan for tea and for a long look at the sea. These are the best things to do in Asilah in one day.

Asilah travel guide: how to visit from Tangier

Asilah Morocco is about 45 minutes south of Tangier by road, so it is an easy day trip. You can go by train and taxi, by shared taxi, by rental car or with a private driver. A private driver lets you combine Asilah with other stops, and it is the best choice if you are short of time.

In summer, book in advance, because August is the busiest month and the festival fills the town. The page about Asilah tours lists all our trips.

Asilah travel guide for children and photographers

• With children: the beach, the ramparts and an ice cream in the lanes keep everyone happy.
• For photographers: the light is best in the morning on the white walls and in the late afternoon on the sea wall.
• For a quiet visit: go on a weekday outside August.

If you want to continue south, Larache is about an hour away, and our Larache and Lixus day trip combines the town with the Roman ruins of Lixus.

Tips from our Asilah travel guide

• Go early on weekends and in August to avoid the crowds.
• Wear comfortable shoes for the cobbles and the ramparts.
• Bring a hat and a bottle of water in summer.
• Carry small change for coffee and for tips.
• Check the dates of the arts festival if you want to see the artists at work.

Frequently asked questions about this Asilah travel guide

The best of any Asilah travel guide is the slow things: a walk on the walls at the end of the day, a painted door in a quiet lane and a fish lunch with the sea in view. Give the town half a day, and it will give you a postcard.