Getting around Tangier

1. Getting around the city

**On foot.** The medina, with its narrow lanes, is walked: cars do not pass everywhere there. The centre, around the Grand Socco, the Place de France, and the corniche along the bay, is also walked, from one site to the next.

**Petit taxis.** These are small blue cars, running within the city limits. They run on the meter and carry at most three passengers. They are hailed in the street. Ask for the meter to be switched on when boarding.

**Grand taxis.** These are larger cars, serving shared trips to the suburbs and nearby towns, or private hires. For a private hire, the price is agreed before departure. They leave from fixed stands, notably near the bus stations and the main squares.

**City buses.** Buses serve most districts, the centre, and the area around Tanger-Ville station. The main interchange points are the Place de France and the Grand Socco. Stops display the routes, and tickets are bought on boarding, from the driver.

**What does not exist.** Tangier has no tram and no metro. For trips outside the centre, count on the bus, the taxi, or the car.

2. Getting to and from the city

**By air.** Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG) lies southwest of the city centre. There is no railway station at the airport: to reach the city, take a city bus or a taxi, which wait outside the terminal. Flights link Tangier to several cities in Morocco and abroad.

**By train.** Tanger-Ville station, in town, is the northern terminus of the Al Boraq high-speed line, run by ONCF, to Kenitra, Rabat, and Casablanca. Conventional trains also link Tangier to other major cities, such as Fes and Marrakech. Tickets are bought at the station or on the ONCF website.

**By coach.** Intercity coaches leave from the Tangier bus station. CTM has its own station; other companies use the main bus station. Coaches link Tangier to Tetouan, Chefchaouen, Fes, Rabat, Casablanca, and other cities.

**By ferry: two ports, not to be confused.** Port Tanger-Ville, in the city centre, receives the fast ferries from Tarifa, in Spain. Tanger Med port, east of the city, receives ferries from Algeciras and other more distant ports; it is reached by the A4 motorway, by shuttle bus, or by taxi. There is no direct ferry between the two ports of Tangier: the road must be used to go from one to the other.

**By road.** Tangier is linked to the rest of Morocco by motorway and road, towards Tetouan, towards the south, and towards Tanger Med port. A hire car is an option for trips outside the city, but it is of little use in the medina, where the streets are narrow and parking is scarce.

3. Commuting in general terms

The simplest trip in Tangier combines walking with another mode. Walk in the medina and the centre, take a petit taxi or a bus to the outer districts, and keep the train or the coach for nearby towns.

Residents who work in the centre and live on the outskirts take the bus or the shared taxi. Trips to Tanger Med or to the airport need an early start, because they leave the city and use the motorway or the coastal road.

At busy hours, traffic slows buses and taxis on the main roads, while walking stays the most direct way in the medina and the centre.

4. What a newcomer needs to know first

This page gives general information. It sells and verifies no ticket, no carrier, and no trip.

• **Walk in the medina, ride outside it.** On foot in the lanes, by taxi or bus once out of the centre.
• **Ask for the meter.** In a petit taxi, the meter must be running on boarding; otherwise, agree the price before leaving.
• **Agree the price for a private grand taxi.** For a private hire, the price is fixed before departure, never after arrival.
• **Do not confuse the two ports.** Tarifa arrives at Port Tanger-Ville, in the centre; Algeciras and other distant ports arrive at Tanger Med, in the east. Check the arrival port before booking a taxi or a bus.
• **Do not look for a station at the airport.** Reach the city first, then take the train at Tanger-Ville.
• **Check the day's timetables and fares.** This page gives no fare and no timetable, because the sources consulted do not agree. For a departure, check with ONCF for the train, with the coach company for the coach, and with the ferry company for the crossing.