Tangier

Tangier is a coastal city in northern Morocco, positioned at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. The settlement spreads over several hills that descend toward the shore, with a busy port and wide beaches stretching along both sea fronts.

The settlement passed through the hands of Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs and Portuguese over many centuries before becoming part of the Moroccan sultanate. From 1923 to 1956 it functioned as an International Zone under shared administration by several European powers, then rejoined the kingdom after Morocco gained independence.

In the Medina markets, vendors sell fresh mint, spices and handwoven rugs each morning, while restaurants along the Corniche serve grilled fish and Moroccan tea. At the cafés around Place de France, locals meet over coffee and pastries, a habit passed down from the European presence in the previous century.

Ibn Battouta Airport connects the city with several European capitals through daily flights, while ferries cross to southern Spain in under an hour. The old town is easy to walk through, although comfortable shoes help on the steep lanes and cobblestone surfaces.

The Hercules Caves hold an opening toward the Atlantic Ocean shaped like the African continent, formed when the Phoenicians extracted millstones from the rock. Along the coastal road toward Cape Spartel, locals and travelers often spot dolphins swimming in the boundary zone where the two seas meet.