Petit Socco cafés
Tea and street life.
Rachidourkia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Akuppa John Wigham — CC BY 2.0 · Travel4Brews — CC BY 2.0 · logopop — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kwikkode — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nicolas Vigier — CC0 · Hedwig Storch — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chris Yunker from Portland, United States — CC BY-SA 2.0
Tangier's old walled town, its white lanes tumbling from the kasbah above towards the port, bearing the marks of the city's many-layered past as a Moroccan city and an international zone between 1923 and 1956, home to merchants, diplomats, writers and artists from around the world. At its heart is the Petit Socco, the small square ringed by old cafés with terraces where writers and artists gathered in the mid-twentieth century, still a place for mint tea and watching the city go by. From it, souk lanes branch towards the Grand Mosque and the jewellers', spice and leather shops. You walk between white houses with blue and green doors, zellij fountains, small mosques and European-style buildings from the international-zone era, and climb stairs that suddenly open onto views of the sea and port. Wandering is free, and the medina is smaller and easier than those of Fes and Marrakech. Unofficial guides may offer to show you around; decline politely if you do not need them, or hire a licensed guide.
Tea and street life.
Blue and green doors.
From the stairways.
Between the Grand Socco and the kasbah, Tangier
Tangier American LegationA historic building in Tangier's medina that housed the American diplomatic miss2 minutes walk
Grand Socco and Mendoubia GardensThe large square that separates Tangier's old medina from the newer town, offici3 minutes walk
Kasbah of Tangier and Kasbah MuseumTangier's historic citadel on the highest point of the old town, looking out ove4 minutes walkNo, it is fairly small and slopes towards the port, so it is easy to orient yourself, uphill to the kasbah or downhill to the sea.