Tétouan
Tétouan is a city in Mediterranean Morocco. Tétouan's Medina has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Understand
The city is an important transportation hub in the north. Many travelers only see the bus station en route from Ceuta or Tangier to Chefchaouen, but it is well worth a longer visit.
Climate
Tétouan enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters. The average summer temperature is 35°C, while the average winter temperature is a wholly comfortable 22°C.
The city boasts an amazing amount of sunshine.
Get in
By plane
Ryanair flies to several European destinations: Belgium (Brussels Charleroi), France (Marseille), Spain (Alicante, Madrid, Malaga, Seville). Royal Air Maroc offers a couple of domestic flights to Al Hoceima, Casablanca.
1 Sania Ramel Airport (TTU IATA) (6 km NW from Gare routière de Tétouan). A small airport built by the Spanish colonial administration to serve Ceuta. Not much to do inside: there is only one small coffee shop and intermittently working WiFi. 
Getting there/away: the only viable option is taxi. The Grand taxi stand is in front of the airport, they are willing to go anywhere in Morocco, prices are rather elevated, e.g. 10-min trip to Tetouan bus station costs 100 dirham. To cut down the costs walk another 200 m further off the airport to the busy road nearby, where petit taxis will charge only 20-25 dirham (as of Dec 2022) using taximeter for the ride to the bus station or city center.
There are more international connections to the airports of Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and also Fez. From Rabat and Casablanca you can go via Tangier with high-speed train. From Tangier and Fez there are intercity buses to Tétouan.
By bus
Tétouan is on the Tangier - Fes/Meknes road thus it has the best connection with these cities. Some of those buses make a stopover in Chefchaouen. Besides long-distance buses are available from other major Moroccan cities but are less frequent.
Supratours offers combined tickets comprising a bus to Tangier's train station followed by a train to anywhere else in Morocco.
There are local city buses going to nearby destinations like the beach towns of Fnideq (70 min), Martil (25 min), M'Diq (1 hour); the easiest place to board them is perhaps at the main road - Ave Hassan II (CTM bus station is located on this avenue).
When heading to Ceuta, you can take bus number 35 from just outside the CTM terminal, takes about an hour and drops you in Fnideq. You can walk from there to the border (~30 min). After the border there are buses to the city center (€0.85).
Get around
The CTM bus station and the non-CTM bus station are in the center, though the walk from the CTM station to the center is a hike up a rather steep hill.
The city center is quite small and most tourist attractions and hotels are there, so there really is no need to use petite taxis. But if you choose to stay at one of the hotels on the way to Martil (Champs or Dreams) petite taxis and grand taxis are always available.
Petite taxis are very cheap, though the fare increases if you have luggage.
Though there is a decent-sized public bus system, the buses are notorious for running late and being filthy.
To get to nearby beaches, like Martil, Cabo Negro, Rincon, Marina Smir, and Kabila, grand taxis are easily found at a bottom of Rue Moulay Abbas (the road running along the park, beautiful views of the Rif Mountains). The fare for a single passenger to Martil is 5 dirham, but if you want a little more room, you should purchase two seats. For less popular destinations, like Marina Smir, or for a more direct route to beaches like Cabo Negro and Kabila which require two different grand taxi rides; you can bargain with the driver to purchase the whole taxi. This is often more expensive, but well worth it considering the time saved and the increased comfort. Drivers are often very happy to arrange to pick you up after their day at the beach, saving you time and hassle.
Local buses are an adventure but obvioiusly is cheaper than a taxi.
See
Medina
Unlike any other Moroccan Medina, Tétouan's 1 Medina 
(UNESCO World Heritage Site) offers a unique perspective on the multicultural history of northern Morocco and, because of its relatively small size, it offers visitors a chance to explore without getting hopelessly lost. There are three distinct sections of the Medina, the Andalusian, the Jewish, and the Berber sections, though the untrained eye might have trouble distinguishing between the three. Be sure to hire a guide and you'll enjoy the medina that much more. There were seven historic gates (bab in Arabic) of Tetouan:
- 2 Bab El Okla, 68, Rue Skala, ☏ +212 5 39 99 31 21. W-M 10:00-18:00. Houses Ethnographic Museum (also known as Bab El Okla Museum). A nice, small museum, with dresses, artefacts, furniture, guns, history of Tétouan. The guides show you around in exchange for a tip. 20 dirham.
- Bab Sebta.
- 3 Bab Jiaf.
- 4 Bab Mkaber.
- 5 Bab Saida.
- 2 Bab El Okla, 68, Rue Skala, ☏ +212 5 39 99 31 21. W-M 10:00-18:00. Houses Ethnographic Museum (also known as Bab El Okla Museum). A nice, small museum, with dresses, artefacts, furniture, guns, history of Tétouan. The guides show you around in exchange for a tip. 20 dirham.
- 6 Museum of religious heritage (Musée du patrimoine religieux). It's on the premises of the former Mosque of Laouk. It displays Muslim religious artefacts.
- 7 Dar El Oddi Museum, 5, Derb Oddi, ☏ +212 539 72 16 71. Tu-Su 10:00 – 18:30. El Oddi family built their house in 1920-th, which later fell into a state of complete disrepair and has been restored in 2018. It now houses permanent exhibition "Visions of Tetouan" displaying a collection of pictures of Tetouan's places, landscapes and urban spaces. 25 dirham.
- 8 Tannery (small door on the left hand site of the Bab Mkabar gate). This is the first tannery constructed in Tetouan and it dates back to the end of 15th - beginning of 16th centuries. It's much smaller and less colourful than the ones in Fes, but still it showcases the whole process of leather processing.
- 9 Royal Palace, Place El Mechouar. Palace is used by King Mohammed VI during his summer visits to Tetoan. It was built in 1988 in what was once Feddan Park. It is off-limits to the public' as is the most part of adjacent Place El Mechouar square..
- 10 Kasbah. A dilapidated fortified castle on top of the hill overlooking the city with good views of the mountains. You can only circle around it as it's under construction.
Modern part of the city
- 11 Mohammed V Ave. A pedestrian-only road in the center. Filled with people in the evenings, after the day's heat has passed. Mohammed V is filled with dozens of cafes, teleboutiques, restaurants, tourist shops, and street vendors. Further down the street you'll find used book sellers, offering books in a wide variety of languages, and then the king's palace.
- 12 Archaeological Museum of Tetouan. W-M 10:00–17:30. Among other things, it displays items found at the excavations of Tamuda, Lixus and the Yebala region. 10 dirham.
- 13 Museum of Modern Art (Centre d'Art Moderne), Avenue Al Massira (walk to the lowest part of the park south of the medina (sometimes called 'Lovers Park') and you are at a big crossroads, the museum is clearly visible at the other side), ☏ +212-666 04 60 81, camt@minculture.gov.ma. Tu-Sa 09:30–13:00 and 14:00–17:00. This museum displays mostly current Moroccan artists, and also Andalusian ones. It is in the nicely renovated old train station of Tétouan and is worth a visit; it especially showcases the reciprocal influcences of Morocco and Spain and started as a cooperation between Andalusia and Morocco. Free admission.
Arts galleries:
- 14 École des arts et métiers de Tétouan (opposite Bab Okla, at the intersection of Avenue Mohamed Ameziane and Avenue Lamfadal Afilal; if you stand in front of Bab Okla and look into Avenue Lamfadal Afilal straight ahead, it's the building at the right hand corner of the two streets), ☏ +212-539-97 27 21. M-Th 08:30-16:30, F 08:30-11:30 and 15:00-18:00. This is a school teaching classical arts and crafts which can be visited by the public and which is in a nicely decorated, interesting building with a nice garden. 10 or 15 dirham.
- 15 Saida Art Contemporain Tetouan, 9 Wazir Mohamed Seffar (coming out of the medina at gate Bab Okla, turn left into the street (Avenue Mohamed Ameziane); when the Avenue takes it first sharper turn left, don't follow it, but go in in the small road on the other side of the street, the gallery is on the left side after about 50 m), ☏ +212 539 716565, info@saidaartcontemporain.com. A privately-run gallery displaying and selling modern art (current exhibitions can be found on website), and has a café/restaurant called Club de Tapas.
Do
Tétouan is surrounded by two mountains: 1 Mount Dersa and 2 Mount Ghorghiz which offer splendid hiking opportunities.
Learn
- 1 Dar Loughat - Cross-Cultural Language Center, Place Moulay Mehdi 8, Rue M'hammed Benaboud, ☏ +212 66 66 8 77 88, info@cclc-morocco.org. Dar Loughat is a professional language center in Morocco providing intensive courses in all levels of Modern Standard Arabic and Colloquial Moroccan Arabic throughout the year. Through various immersion and language exchange activities, Dar Loughat provides its students daily contact with Moroccan life, allowing them to expand their vocabulary, improve their spoken language performance and better understand the local culture.
Buy
You will find some shops in the pedestrian area and around the city center. If you want to experience the local market feeling, go to the 1 central market square or the 2 central market building.
Eat
Budget
- 1 Restinga Restaurant, 21 Av. Mohamed V.
- 2 Dallas, 11 Rue Youssef Ben Tachfine. Small teashop/patisserie with lots of sweets and baked goods on offer. Small, somewhat dark seating area in the back, filled with both women and men. Brownies 5 dirham, croissants 2 dirham, pot of mint tea 8 dirham.
- 3 Restaurant La Union, appt. 8, 2 Av. Mohamed Ben Larbi Torres.
- 4 Cafeteria Pizzeria Lisboa, n°1, Av. Hassan II, Résidence SOLYMAR - Bloc A.
Mid-range
Splurge
Drink
Za3Za3 is one of the most locally famous juices. It's a kind of milk-shake with avocado, banana, apple, some almonds, and some other ingredients.
Sleep
Budget
- 1 Hotel Panorama Vista, Avenue Moulay Abbas, ☏ +212 5399-64968. Breakfast included 300 dirham, breakfast included.
- 2 Pension Iberia, Place Moulay El Mehdi, ☏ +212 5399-63679. Relatively cheap, clean rooms, sink in the room, shared toilet, shower 10 dirham (warm). From 100 dirham.
- 3 Riad Dalia, Place El Ouessaa 25 (in the Medina), ☏ +212 539964318, contactdalia@googlemail.com. Check-in: after 13:00, check-out: before 12:00. Dates from the 19th-century and used to be the house of the Dutch consul during the days of the Spanish protectorate. The rooms range from cheap singles to expensive palatial suites, featuring antique furniture, elegant fabrics and a traditional decor. Wi-Fi available. Beautiful terrace view. Every morning, a continental breakfast is served on site. The restaurant offers traditional dishes and guests can relax in the lounge. From 250 dirham.
Mid-range
- 4 Blanco Riad, 25, Rue Zawiya Kadiria, ☏ +212 539704202. Beautiful hotel in a restored riad with lovely touches, such as stained glass windows on room doors. Friendly staff, nice garden area with a resident turtle, and good restaurant. Free breakfast and Wi-Fi. Small double rooms 600 dirham, larger ones 900-1600 dirham.
- 5 Hotel El Reducto, 38, Essaid Zanqat Zawya Kadiriya, ☏ +212 539968120. From 600 dirham.
Stay safe
Be alert at the bus station here; since many travelers only pass through, this is a popular spot for touts. When attempting to purchase a ticket, only talk with someone behind one of the counters, not with anyone standing anywhere near it. Some even have friends working in the bus station who will back them up in their attempt to divert you into an expensive taxi by agreeing that there are no buses to your destination. Be persistent, and show a willingness to wait as long as it takes.
While some complain this town is filled with hustlers and hasslers, others find it charming and a perfect place to make some Moroccan friends, especially if you speak Spanish.
Go next
- Chefchaouen – A historic city also dubbed the blue city.
- Oued Laou – A coastal town on the way to Chefchaouen.
- Ceuta – Spanish semi-exclave.
- Tangier – Famous port city with ferry connections to Spain.
- Oujda – In the very east of Morocco, near the Algerian border.