Not every excursion out of Tangier heads for a medina. This one goes back further — three thousand years further — to Lixus, an ancient port city on the Atlantic coast that passed from Phoenician hands to Carthaginian to Roman, and is still only partly dug out of the hillside.
Highlights
- Private, licensed English-speaking guide for the full day
- A quick first look at Tangier’s Medina and the Tangier American Legation Museum
- The Atlantic coast at Asilah on the way to Larache
- The ancient ruins of Lixus — acropolis, amphitheatre, mosaics, and a Roman-era necropolis
- Tea at the historic Hotel El Minzah on the way back
Your Day from Tangier
You’re met at the Port of Tangier and helped through customs, then it’s a short private drive into the city for a quick look at the Medina — the Grand Socco, the Mendoubia Gardens, the Sidi Bounabid Mosque, Kasbah Square, and the Tangier American Legation Museum, the first property the U.S. government ever owned abroad.
From there you head down the Atlantic coast to Asilah, cutting slightly inland to reach Lixus, a site most visitors to Morocco never hear about. Phoenician traders founded it in the 11th century B.C. as a staging post on their route down the African coast; Carthage took it over after that, and Rome after Carthage, with the city reaching its peak under the emperor Claudius in the first century A.D. Excavations here have turned up a 60-metre Neptune mosaic, a necropolis of some 40 tombs dating back to the 6th century B.C. — the oldest and largest burial site of its kind found in Morocco — and the only Roman amphitheatre on the Moroccan coast. There are the remains of temples, thermal baths, a Christian basilica, and the vats once used to make garum, the fermented fish sauce Romans couldn’t get enough of.
Look closely at the lower walls and you’ll notice something odd: three distinct layers of construction, Roman over Carthaginian over a much older, unexplained megalithic style whose polygonal stonework has puzzled archaeologists for decades. Your guide will walk you through the site’s layers and its legends — this is one of several places said to be the setting for Hercules’ eleventh labour, stealing the golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides.
On the way back into Tangier, there’s a stop for refreshments at the Hotel El Minzah, with time to explore the Medina on foot before returning to your ship.
What’s Included
- Private round-trip transport in an air-conditioned vehicle from the port
- Medical and accident insurance
- Guided sightseeing with entrance fees as listed
- An English-speaking licensed national guide
- Light refreshments and bottled water
Not Included
- Gratuities
- Personal expenses
What to Bring
- A day pack
- Hygienic wipes
- Trainers or sandals
- Camera, with a Ziploc bag to protect the lens
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
Book This Excursion
Send us your ship and port call time and we’ll confirm your private Lixus excursion. Reach us on WhatsApp, give us a call, or fill out the quick form below and a local Morocco specialist will get back to you with a quote.