Destination

Larache tours take you to the quietest good thing on the Atlantic coast: a Spanish colonial fishing town at the mouth of the Loukkos river, and above it the Phoenician and Roman city of Lixus, which you will very likely have to yourself. Larache is about ninety kilometres south of Tangier, an hour on the motorway, and it receives a tiny fraction of the visitors that Chefchaouen or Asilah do.

All our Larache tours start at your door in Tangier — a hotel, a riad, the cruise terminal or Ibn Battouta Airport — in an air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver. Take the dedicated day trip, or add the ruins and the harbour to a private transfer south to Rabat.

Larache tours we run from Tangier

There are three ways to see the town and its ruins with us, and each one includes fuel, motorway tolls, parking and insurance in the quoted price.

• Larache & Lixus Day Trip from Tangier — seven to eight hours with a licensed guide at the archaeological site, a walk through the colonial quarter and time for a harbour lunch.
• Tangier to Rabat Transfer — add a Larache and Lixus stop of about ninety minutes to the drive south, for a small supplement.
• asilah-day-trip-from-tangier — combine the two Atlantic towns, forty minutes apart, on separate days or with an early start.

Every one of our Larache tours runs privately for your group alone, or in a small group of eight at most. There is no coach, no fixed departure time and no shopping stop you did not ask for.

Things to do in Larache: 6 places that repay the drive

The list of things to do in Larache is short, and almost all of it sits within sight of the estuary. These six are the ones worth planning around.

• Lixus archaeological site — a Phoenician trading post from around the seventh century BC that became a Roman city, climbing a hillside in three levels from the industrial terraces to the amphitheatre.
• The Roman garum factories — dozens of stone tanks where fish was salted and fermented into the sauce Romans shipped across the empire, among the clearest industrial remains of the classical world.
• Plaza de la Liberación — a circular Andalusian square opening onto the medina, with Spanish colonial balconies and shopfronts whose lettering is still legible.
• The old town and market — narrow lanes behind the square, with blue and white doors, a daily produce market and almost no souvenir shops.
• The fishing harbour — where the boats come in through the morning and the harbour restaurants grill whatever landed, at a fraction of Tangier prices.
• The Spanish cemetery — a quiet clifftop cemetery above the sea, where the writer Jean Genet is buried at his own request.

Most things to do in Larache are close together, so you can see the old town and the harbour in a couple of hours and give the rest of the day to the ruins. A licensed guide matters at Lixus, where almost nothing is signposted and the best mosaics lie under cut grass.

Larache from Tangier: how to get there

Reaching Larache from Tangier takes about an hour on the A1 motorway, around ninety kilometres south. The route passes Asilah after forty minutes, and the town sits just off the motorway on the estuary of the Loukkos.

There are three realistic options. The train stops at a station outside town and leaves little flexibility. A shared grand taxi leaves when it is full and drops you in the centre. A private vehicle takes you to the ruins first, which are ten minutes from Larache, and then to the harbour for lunch, with the driver waiting throughout.

The site is open ground on a hillside with no shade, so wear real shoes and bring a hat and water in summer. Spring is the best season: the hill is green, the estuary fills with birds, and the late light on the stone is worth planning around. There is no visitor centre or café at the ruins, only Larache ten minutes away.

Prices for Larache tours

Private prices for larger groups are listed on each tour page. All Larache tours include pickup and drop-off at your door; the Lixus entrance fee, the harbour lunch and gratuities are paid locally.

When to go to Larache and what to know

The best time for Larache tours is spring, when the hill is green and the light is soft, followed by autumn. Summer is hot on the exposed ruins, so go early, and winter is quiet and often windy, which suits the Atlantic but not a picnic. The site works in any dry weather.

Wear closed shoes with grip and carry a little cash for the entrance fee and the harbour grills, since few places take cards. The fish is best at lunchtime, when the morning catch has just been grilled.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best Larache tours from Tangier?

The dedicated Larache and Lixus day trip for the ruins and the harbour, or a Larache and Lixus stop added to a private transfer to Rabat if you are heading south anyway.

What are the top things to do in Larache?

The Lixus ruins and their Roman garum factories, Plaza de la Liberación, the old town, the fishing harbour and a fish lunch by the water.

How long does it take to reach Larache from Tangier?

Larache from Tangier is about an hour by car on the A1 motorway, around ninety kilometres. The ruins are ten minutes beyond the town.

Is Lixus better than Volubilis?

Volubilis is larger and has finer mosaics. Lixus is older, more dramatic in its setting and almost always empty, which is the point.

Is Larache worth visiting?

For the colonial architecture, the fish and the absence of tour groups, yes. It is not a polished destination, and that is the appeal.

Can I combine Larache with Asilah?

Easily. Asilah is directly on the route, forty minutes from Tangier, and makes a good stop on the way out or the way back.

Whichever you choose, our Larache tours are the answer for travellers who have seen the blue city and want something their fellow passengers will not have done. Start with the Larache and Lixus day trip, add the ruins to the Tangier to Rabat transfer, or read our guide to Asilah before you go. The site is described on Wikipedia, and the region by the Moroccan National Tourist Office.

Photos: Ideophagous / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dans / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0