Tangier Beaches

Tangier is one of the world's most storied port cities, sitting at the very tip of Africa where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea meet through the 14-kilometre-wide Strait of Gibraltar. The Spanish coastline is clearly visible from the beaches on a clear day — an extraordinary setting for swimming. This convergence of two great seas creates distinct water conditions: rougher Atlantic swells to the west, and calmer, warmer Mediterranean character to the east of Cap Spartel headland.

The city's beaches range from the legendary Achakkar cove near the Caves of Hercules — where mythology says the sea first broke through to create the Atlantic — to the quieter Plage de Merkala within the city suburbs, and the family-friendly Playa Blanca stretching north of the old kasbah. Together they give this ancient crossroads city a surprisingly good range of beach options alongside its internationally renowned arts-and-culture heritage and medina.