Our Asilah tours begin with a gate in the ramparts: behind it, a small white and blue medina, murals on the walls and the Atlantic breaking at the foot of the bastions. Forty-six kilometres south of Tangier, the town is the exact opposite of the big medinas: flat, compact, tidy and almost free of hassle.
Asilah was the Phoenicians' Zilis and was taken by the Portuguese in 1471. It lived from fishing for a long time, until an arts festival launched in 1978 turned it every summer into an open-air gallery. You can see Asilah in half a day, but it is better savoured slowly, between the beach, the harbour and the terraces, which is why most of our Asilah tours include free time.
Contents
Because it is the most restful medina in northern Morocco. The lanes are wide, paved with pale flagstones and lined with white houses with blue or green shutters, and you stroll without a plan or a guide. Children run freely and pushchairs go almost everywhere.
Asilah tours also show how art saved a town. Since 1978 the cultural Moussem has invited Moroccan and foreign artists every summer to paint the walls of the old town, while concerts, exhibitions and meetings fill the Raisuli Palace and the Hassan II Centre. Many murals are repainted from one year to the next, so two visits are never the same.
Everything is done on foot, in a few hours. Here are the seven stops we recommend on our Asilah tours, in the order of a walk.
This fortified gate cut into the ramparts is where you enter the medina from the new town. It opens straight onto the white lanes.
Every corner of the old town carries the mark of the festival: murals, geometric patterns, portraits and words painted straight onto the lime. The finest are near the ramparts, on the sea side.
Built in the early twentieth century by Moulay Ahmed er-Raisuli, the rebel chief who had kidnapped Ion Perdicaris in Tangier in 1904, this palace facing the ocean now hosts the exhibitions and meetings of the festival.
At the south-western corner of the ramparts, this bastion jutting into the sea is the most famous viewpoint in Asilah. At sunset the locals gather here to watch the sun sink into the Atlantic.
Raised by the Portuguese from 1471, the walls still surround the whole medina. The walk along them on the sea side is flat and step-free, accessible to everyone.
Just north of the medina, the small fishing harbour sees its boats come in every morning. The restaurants nearby grill the fish of the day, served simply with a salad and bread.
The main beach stretches north of the ramparts, a few minutes on foot. Wilder, Paradise Beach lies about five kilometres to the south, reached only by a track or by boat.
What are the best things to do in Asilah in a day? The medina and its murals in the morning, when the light is soft and the lanes are calm, a fish lunch at the harbour, a swim or a nap on the beach, then the walk along the ramparts to the Krikia bastion for the sunset.
With more time, what other things to do in Asilah are worth it? A walk to Paradise Beach, a visit to the art galleries of the medina or an evening in one of the seafront cafés. In summer, during the festival, concerts and painting workshops multiply, and artists sometimes work in front of you.
Reaching Asilah from Tangier is simple: 46 kilometres, about forty minutes by motorway. The regional train also links the two towns, but the station is outside the centre. From Ibn Battouta Airport, Asilah is only twenty-five minutes away.
We offer three Asilah tours:
If you arrive by ferry from Spain, our Tanger Med port transfer also serves Asilah, and the Tangier airport transfer drops you straight in town if you are staying there.
Asilah from Tangier works in every season, but July and August are the busiest months: the festival is in full swing and Moroccan families fill the beaches. For Asilah tours in peace, prefer spring and autumn, when the ramparts are almost deserted and the light is perfect for photographs.
Winter is mild but windy, and the ocean becomes spectacular from the bastions. Many harbour restaurants stay open all year. Bring a light jacket for the evening, even in summer: the Atlantic air cools quickly.
Half a day is enough for the medina and the ramparts. A full day lets you add the beach, the harbour and the sunset on the bastion.
The car-free medina, the beach north of the ramparts and the colourful murals delight children. The town is flat and quiet, ideal for families.
About forty minutes for 46 kilometres by motorway, and only twenty-five minutes from the airport.
The cultural Moussem takes place in summer, between July and August depending on the year. Check the dates before booking if you want to see the artists at work.
Yes, especially from June to September. The Atlantic stays cool and the waves can be strong some days: ask locally before going in.
Small, bright and facing the ocean, Asilah is the town we suggest for a first taste of Morocco, and our Asilah tours are the gentlest way to see it. For the rest of your trip, read our guides to Tangier and Chefchaouen, or Larache for the Roman ruins of Lixus down the coast. The town's history is summarised on Wikipedia, and the Moroccan National Tourist Office presents its festival and the whole Atlantic coast.
| Destination | Asilah |
|---|---|
| Locations | Northern Morocco |
| Tour Duration | 1 Day |
| Attractions | Whitewashed Medina, Murals, Portuguese Ramparts & Beaches |
