Tangier: A Feast For (And Assault To) The Senses

plane shadow over tangier morocco

“This is our language,” my taxi driver said after honking his horn for about the fifth time as he weaved between lanes of traffic, whisking me to the airport to pick up my luggage (which finally arrived from Barcelona). He explained how dangerous it is for foreigners to drive in Morocco; something I picked up on mere minutes after arriving in Tangier.

My first 24 hours in Morocco were a whirlwind experience, and honestly one that almost put me off Morocco entirely.

At first, I couldn’t get enough–it was like a feast for the senses. Everything looked almost exactly as I’d dreamed it up.

old men in tangier morocco
Then, just hours later, those things that initially excited me had overwhelmed me. Being in the medina was, instead, an assault to the senses. People were rude, the streets were dirty and covered with litter, two kids that I thought were being kind and helping me out turned out to be money-hungry twerps who shouted “fuck you” at me when they felt they weren’t offered enough compensation for their troubles.

When I arrived back at my hotel, I felt uneasy. Maybe Morocco wasn’t for me after all. Maybe I’d made a huge mistake in always wanting to visit and finally planning two weeks here. Could I handle another 13 days of this?

guitar player in tangier morocco
After enjoying a low-key–and might I mention dirt cheap–meal complete with chicken tagine, a fruit dish, and mint tea, I was ready to retire to bed and see what the next day held.

Unfortunately, the next day just saw even more chaos. After retrieving my now-found bag (which was a hassle in itself), I headed to the bus station to take my $6 bus to Chefchaouen. But, it wasn’t going at the same time as its originally scheduled departure–it was two hours later. So, I sat. And tried to observe.

doors doorways in tangier morocco
Instead, I became a target and was relentlessly accosted and begged for about an hour, at which point I felt a panic attack coming on. I quickly popped half a Xanax and told myself I’d be on the bus soon to a smaller town–one that would hopefully be better.

Tangier is a difficult city to encapsulate. It’s a cacophony of sounds: horns, whistles, yelling, construction; it’s a sea of colors: traditional scarves, fruits and vegetables, mint leaves in tea; it smells of spices, cat urine, and citrus. It’s a city that I have no interest in ever visiting again (which is an absolute first for me); a city that I’ll never truly understand; and a city that almost ruined Morocco for me entirely.

tangier morocco souq souk marketplace market in medina

Author: Megan

Megan is an ordinary girl who outgrew her small town and decided to try the world on for size. She's on a mission to travel, photograph, and write about the world.

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  • Oh, what a shame that your first experience of Morocco wasn’t a positive one. However it was in Tangier so I’m not surprised! I’ve been there a few times (for work, I’d never choose to go there) and it’s so rough and unpleasant – thankfully once you leave Tangier you generally leave that side of Morocco. Happy travels!
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    • Thanks, Caitlyn! After leaving Tangier, the rest of my trip to Morocco was pretty amazing. I don’t know if it was just the shock of being in Morocco or if Tangier really is as horrible as I remember/experienced, but I don’t think I’ll be heading back there.

  • WOW, this post makes me glad I skipped Tangier on both of my Morocco trips. Marrakech can be a little overwhelming as well but I didn’t think it was that bad. I hope your trip to Morocco got better as you went – my favorite parts were definitely Marrakech and visiting the Atlas Mountains. I didn’t make it to Chefchaouen but friends that have been said it’s the complete opposite of Tangier.
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    • Yeah, I looooved Chefchaouen. And I also really enjoyed Marrakech. It was a bit crazy and hectic, but I kind of enjoyed that about it. It was less in-your-face than Tangier was.

  • I hitched a Ferry ride from Spain and landed in Tangier in the evening and Ramadan had just begun. It was like i arrived on another planet! The port is alongside the medina so as soon as I stepped off the boat the festivities, and maze of narrow corridors overtook me. One girl was sitting on some steps offering candy to everyone who passed. It was wonderful.

  • I was in Tangier a couple years ago and also had a dodgy experience. A man we met on the street told us he would show us around and it ended up being a tour of the city infused with stops at his friends businesses so they could try and sell us things. By the end of the day we were happy to be back at our hotel, safe and un-mugged haha. Scariest experience in my travels thus far but one great story. We ended up heading down to El Jadida on the coast which was a pleasant change.

    • I think this is pretty common, Chris. Sadly. I booked a tour of Fes through my Riad and it was the same deal–we stopped into all of these shops and were almost expected to buy things. I saw more of the insides of the shops than I did of the medina like I’d hoped. I was hoping to get a bearing of the city before going out on my own the following day, but oh well. You’re right–at least it makes for some good stories. :)

  • Thanks for your candour Megan, when planning travel I know not everywhere is going to be wonderful, so its helpful to have a perspective that gives a realistic idea of what to expect. Expectation can kill a destination.

    • I agree, Rosa! Expectation can certainly kill a destination. I like to know what I’m getting into, and I didn’t read too much about Tangier before going, which could’ve been the reason for my shock there. I know not everyone’s experience will be quite like mine, but I thought I’d share the things I dealt with there. :)