Destination

Tetouan tours take you to the most Andalusian city in Morocco — a UNESCO-listed medina fifty minutes from Tangier that most visitors to the north drive straight past. The old town was rebuilt at the end of the fifteenth century by Muslim and Jewish families expelled from Granada, and it still looks, sounds and eats like southern Spain.

All our Tetouan tours start from your door in Tangier — a hotel, a riad, the cruise terminal or Ibn Battouta Airport — in an air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver. Choose a guided day in the medina, pair the city with Chefchaouen, or book a straight transfer to Tetouan and the Mediterranean beaches beyond it.

Tetouan tours we run from Tangier

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

• Tetouan day trip from Tangier — six to seven hours with a licensed guide in the medina and an optional afternoon at Martil beach.
• Chefchaouen and Tetouan day trip — ten hours, with the blue city in the morning, Tetouan on the way home, and licensed guides in both towns.
• Tangier to Tetouan transfer — a one-way or return private car to the city, Martil, M'diq, Cabo Negro or Marina Smir.

Every one of our Tetouan tours runs either 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 Tetouan

The list of things to do in Tetouan is shorter than in Fes or Marrakech, and that is part of its appeal: you can see the essentials properly in a single day without rushing from one to the next.

• The medina — inscribed by UNESCO in 1997 as one of the most complete old towns in the Maghreb, with covered souks that still sell to local households rather than to visitors.
• Place Hassan II and the Royal Palace — the vast tiled square at the edge of the old town, entered through the Bab er-Rouah gate.
• Dar Sanaa — the school of traditional arts and crafts founded in 1919, where students still learn zellij mosaic, woodcarving and embroidery by hand.
• The Archaeological Museum — opened in 1939, with finds from the Roman city of Lixus and the ancient site of Tamuda just outside town.
• The Ethnographic Museum — set in an old bastion beside Bab el-Okla, with traditional costume, instruments and household crafts.
• The Ensanche — the white Spanish colonial quarter built when Tetouan was capital of the Spanish Protectorate, from 1913 to 1956.

Most things to do in Tetouan sit within a twenty-minute walk of each other. On our Tetouan tours a licensed guide makes the difference between finding them and losing an hour in the lanes between them.

Visiting Tetouan from Tangier

Reaching Tetouan from Tangier takes about fifty minutes on the coastal motorway: sixty-five kilometres east past Ksar Sghir, then inland into the Martil valley. It is the shortest intercity journey we operate, which is why so many visitors add it to a stay without giving up a night.

There are four realistic ways to travel. The CTM bus is cheap and reliable but runs on a fixed timetable from the bus station. A shared grand taxi is fast once six passengers have gathered. A private transfer takes you door to door at the hour you choose. A guided day trip adds a licensed guide and brings you back the same evening.

For a first visit to Tetouan from Tangier, the guided day is the better choice, because the medina is genuinely maze-like and almost nothing inside it is signposted. For a second visit, or a stay on the coast, the transfer is simpler and cheaper.

Prices for Tetouan tours

Private prices for larger groups are listed on each tour page. All Tetouan tours include pickup and drop-off in Tangier; lunch and museum entrances are paid locally.

When to go and what to know

Spring and autumn are the best seasons: mild, green and quiet. In July and August the coast road fills with Moroccan families heading for the beaches, and the drive to Tetouan from Tangier can stretch to ninety minutes, so we start Tetouan tours earlier in summer.

Friday is the quietest day in the medina, with many shops closed around midday prayers; Monday to Thursday gives you the souks at full pace. Tetouan sees fewer visitors than Tangier, so dress a little more conservatively and carry cash in dirhams, because small shops and cafés rarely take cards.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best Tetouan tours from Tangier?

For a first visit, the guided Tetouan day trip. If you have one free day and want two towns, the Chefchaouen and Tetouan day trip is the strongest full day in the north.

What are the top things to do in Tetouan?

The UNESCO medina and its souks, Place Hassan II, the Dar Sanaa craft school, the Archaeological Museum and the Spanish Ensanche. Most visitors add an hour at Martil beach.

How long does it take to reach Tetouan from Tangier?

About fifty minutes by car on the motorway, and up to ninety minutes in August. The bus takes a little over an hour.

Is Tetouan worth visiting?

Yes, if you want an old town that still works for its own residents. It receives a fraction of the visitors that Chefchaouen and Fes do, which is much of its appeal.

Is one day enough in Tetouan?

For the main things to do in Tetouan, yes. Stay longer only if you want the beaches at Martil, M'diq and Cabo Negro, or a slower pace.

Do I need a guide in the Tetouan medina?

We recommend one. The lanes are confusing, signage is minimal, and in Morocco only licensed guides may work at monuments.

Whichever you choose, our Tetouan tours are the easiest way to see a city that most itineraries leave out. Start with the Tetouan day trip from Tangier, combine it with the blue city on the Chefchaouen and Tetouan day trip, or travel on your own terms with the Tangier to Tetouan transfer. Read our guides to Tangier and Chefchaouen to plan the rest of your stay. The medina's World Heritage listing is published by UNESCO, and the city's history is summarised on Wikipedia.