Search results for

The real foragers aren’t in San Francisco or Copenhagen. They’re tromping through Morocco’s mushroom-gilded forests.

A solo traveler shares why loneliness is an essential part of traveling alone.

A Moroccan artist helps us navigate the inspiring maze of shops, galleries, and restaurants in the heart of Marrakech.

Cookbook author Jeff Koehler shares what it’s like to travel and eat in Morocco.

I looked at shoes at every souk in every medina in every city and town in Morocco, but ... unfortunately, their sizing did not cover my apparently giant feet. Oh well. I still enjoyed the looking!

There are many things to love about staying at La Tangerina, but the panoramic views from the roof terrace are at the top of my list. In this photo, the Strait of Gibraltar is visible under a cloudy sky. Standing at this viewpoint, if you turn a little to the right, you’ll see the busy Port of Tangier and endless beaches. Turn a bit further to the right, and you’ll enjoy a spectacular multilayer vista, with the White City’s historic Kasbah in the forefront, followed by an array of more modern buildings, with the Rif Mountains as a distant backdrop. The hotel is perfectly located at the highest point on the Kasbah and has been beautifully restored and decorated. We enjoyed large breakfasts and a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the medina.

This antiques store, just outside Tangier’s medina, is a treasure trove of Moroccan (intertwined with European) history. You’ll find everything from Roman coins to carved wooden Islamic ornaments—plus more than a few Moroccan rugs thrown in for good measure.

Although medina dwellers tend to favor local markets for their daily shopping, and tourists enjoy strolling them to get a sense of life in the ancient city, the art deco fresh-produce market in the Ville Nouvelle provides a less harried experience. This is where you’ll find premium regionally grown fruits and vegetables, ranging from gorgeous artichokes, peas, and fava beans in the spring; sweetly fragrant peaches, nectarines, and melons in the summer; and earthy sweet potatoes, great bunches of fennel, and Jerusalem artichokes going into the autumn and winter. Haunches of beef and lamb hang from butchers’ hooks, and the catch from Kenitra and Tangier lays glistening on ice-covered wooden slabs. The market is a great place to stock up on dried fruits and nuts, and souvenirs of herbs and spices, handwoven baskets, and Moroccan serving platters. After shopping, stop at one of several cafés on lively Mohammed V Boulevard for freshly squeezed orange juice or a coffee strong enough to make your nerves jangle, and watch the world wander on by.

Tangier is full of history, with every turn holding an ancient secret to the city. The port is a popular place for locals to take in the ocean views, but all the action takes place in the winding streets of the Old Medina. My favorite stop was at the fruit stands. The tangerines are less than fifty cents and the best purchase you can make while in Morocco.

Tangier has a compact medina that’s easy to navigate. From the old port, it inches up an incline through a series of whitewashed alleys. By Moroccan standards it’s a relative youngster (the fortified casbah dates back to the 15th century). Make like a local and head to a café off Petit Socco square, where you can watch street life over a pot of mint tea.

This is a museum where the architecture is as much of a draw as the exhibits. Housed in Dar el-Makhzen, a former sultan’s palace on the edge of the medina, the institution features a traditional courtyard garden and contains exhibits on the history of Tangier, from prehistory to the great Islamic dynasties that forged Morocco. The best part? The spectacular floor mosaics from the Roman city of Volubilis.

Housed in a grand former sultan’s palace on the edge of the medina and featuring a traditional courtyard garden, the Kasbah Museum takes the long view of Tangerine history. Displays span from prehistory to the coming of the great Islamic dynasties that forged Morocco. The amazing floor mosaic from the Roman city of Volubilis is the stand-out attraction.

In this week’s episode of Unpacked by AFAR, three AFAR editors share highlights from this year’s “Where to Go in 2024" list.