| Page Views: 3,706 Last Visit to Tangier: September, 1998 | Better surroundings than the city itself by matcrazy1 - last update: Jun 30, 2005 |
Not my favourite city in Morocco | THE MEDINA - I ON A STREET OFF THE BEATEN PATH |
Tanger was the second place and city I visited in Morocco (after Tetouan) and to be honest it was not my favourite city in Morocco. It seemed to me too dirty, too strange, too unpleasant even dangerous.
Falling in love with Tangier is not easy, I am sure. Although tourist police in Morocco does a lot against unpleasant guiding, hustling, street begging etc. it seems nothing has changed in Tangier. It's said about the strong ties between the police, local authorities and the local mafia. I don't know anything about it but the suspicious atmosphere of Tangier makes it a difficult destination for travellers with no earlier Morocco experience.
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| THE GROUND MOSQUE - THE DOORGATE |
Many faces of Tangier Tangier has many faces. There are busy, lively streets with amazing local architecture - mosques and residences, and empty, dirty, neglected streets out off the beaten paths.
Notice that a city maybe unsafe at night and in the evenings which is different to the rest of Morocco. Even at day walking around I saw two young guys who were seriously fighting which was very unpleasant to see - blood, violence and... no police just people watching around. It never happened to me anywhere else in Morocco.
Shopping, I mean local handicrafts seem to be much more expensive than elsewhere in Morocco. The town beach was polluted and not cleaned at least when I was there. Kids beg for money on every corner, and "official" guides tried to offer me their service (with no succes :-) in many places.
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| TIME TO RELAX AT CAPE SPARTEL |
At least I found lovely surroundings Being tired and unsatisfied about Tangier itself I took very relaxing loop drive outside the city. What a nice surprise, I was very lucky to see Cape Spartel with square lighthouse and amazing views over the Atlantic Ocean and Europe across the Straits of Gibraltar.
Now, I think, that Tangier is an interesting destination first for relaxed visitors and those who had already been around Morocco for a bit.
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| Pros: | "Cape Spartel nearby" | | Cons: | "Too dirty, too strange, too unpleasant even dangerous" | | In A Nutshell: | "Better surroundings than the city itself" |
matcrazy1's Tangier Travel Tips
 matcrazy1's Tangier Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for matcrazy1 about Tangier | | | | |
hunterV Tue Jan 1, 2008 10:51 UTC
Thanks for such a valuable contribution! First-hand info! Happy New Year, dear fellow traveller! | Mikebb Wed Nov 14, 2007 00:55 UTC
Hi Matt, Nice tips, we will be on coach tour, hopefully everything will go well. A little worried whether we might get upset stomach from local food. | barryg23 Thu Mar 1, 2007 23:27 UTC
Great page Matt. I think I had similar feelings about Tangier though you did see a lot more than I did. Now that I know Morocco better i'd like to return and see the city again. | yumyum Tue Feb 6, 2007 19:10 UTC
Thanks for an interesting page! Because I only saw the customs compound in Tangier as we had to stay overnight there with the overland truck group I travelled from Dec 88, apparently a paper was suddenly missing... |
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