Tetouan doesn’t get the attention Chefchaouen does, and that’s exactly why it’s worth a day. This excursion takes you from the Port of Tangier into a city the Spanish once called their Moroccan capital — all Andalusian tile work, quiet courtyards, and a medina UNESCO thought important enough to protect.
Highlights
- Private, licensed English-speaking guide for the full day
- A quick first look at Tangier’s Medina and Grand Socco
- Hassan II Square and the UNESCO World Heritage medina of Tetouan
- Hispano-Mauresque architecture, zellige tilework, and the old Khalifa’s palace
- Lunch included
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 and its 800-year-old trees, the Sidi Bounabid Mosque, Kasbah Square, and the Tangier American Legation Museum — before heading inland.
The road crosses fertile plains and a narrow mountain pass to Tetouan, whose Berber name means “springs.” It’s an old town by any measure — founded in the 3rd century B.C. near the Roman site of Tamuda, rebuilt by a Merinid king in 1305, flattened by Castilian raiders in 1399, then rebuilt again by Andalusian refugees after the fall of Granada in 1492. Spain took the city in 1860 and later made it the capital of its Moroccan protectorate, which is why you’ll still see street signs in Spanish as well as Arabic.
Your guide walks you through what that history left behind: the old Khalifa’s palace, Hispano-Mauresque courtyards that echo Granada’s Alhambra, and the zellige tilework Tetouan is known for across Morocco. You’ll pass through Hassan II Square, where the old and modern town meet, then into the walled medina itself — a UNESCO World Heritage Site of narrow lanes, trade guilds, and workshops largely unchanged in centuries. A stop at the Museum of Moroccan Art (weather and day permitting — it’s closed Tuesdays) and the Handicrafts School rounds out the visit, with a coffee break near Bab el Oukla before heading back to Tangier.
You’re returned to your ship with time to spare before departure.
What’s Included
- Private round-trip transport in an air-conditioned vehicle
- Medical and accident insurance
- Guided sightseeing with entrance fees as listed
- An English-speaking licensed national guide
- Lunch and bottled or gaseous water en route
Not Included
- Gratuities
- Personal expenses
What to Bring
- A day pack
- Good trainers
- Hygienic wipes
- A pullover or light rain jacket (winter season)
- 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 Tetouan 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.