10 Best Things to Do in Tetouan (2026 Travel Guide)

Tetouan sits in northern Morocco, about 60 km east of Tangier and 40 km south of the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Rif mountains drop toward the Mediterranean. Its medina was rebuilt in the late 15th century by Andalusian refugees expelled from Granada, and UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage List in 1997 as one of the smallest but most complete of Morocco's historic medinas. From 1913 to 1956 the city was the capital of the Spanish Protectorate, which left behind a whole Art Deco and Neo-Mauresque new town beside the walled Arab city. This guide covers the 10 best things to do in Tetouan, from the UNESCO medina to the Roman ruins at Tamuda and the beaches along the coast.

1. Walk the UNESCO-listed medina

The Medina of Tetouan is the reason the city is on the World Heritage List. UNESCO describes it as one of the smallest Moroccan medinas but "indisputably the most complete," largely untouched by later outside influence. A historic wall roughly 5 km long rings it, pierced by seven gates, and the layout still separates residential lanes from the artisan and commercial quarters. Because it grew on the steep slopes of Jebel Dersa, you are almost always walking up or down.

2. Stand on Place Hassan II and see the Royal Palace

Place Hassan II, traditionally known as the Feddan, is the great open square where the medina meets the new town. The Royal Palace anchors it: the oldest building in the compound dates from around 1740, when it served as the local government palace, and the khalifa's palace was remodelled in 1947 to a design by the Spanish painter Mariano Bertuchi. The square itself was remodelled in 1988, when a wall and monumental gate were added. Note that the palace interior is not open to the public — this is a place to look, photograph and sit at a café.

3. Visit Dar Sanaa, the School of Arts and Crafts

Dar Sanaa was founded in 1919, during the Spanish Protectorate, by the painter Mariano Bertuchi together with the Moroccan nationalist Abdessalam Bennouna. Morocco's Ministry of Culture lists workshops in pottery, wrought iron, embroidery, inlaid and carved wood, and embroidered leather, and the complex includes a library and exhibition galleries. It stands directly opposite Bab Okla, one of the medina's seven historic gates. The school's stand won the Grand Prize at the Ibero-American Exposition in Seville in 1929, and visitors can go inside.

4. See the Ethnographic Museum at Bab Okla

The Ethnographic Museum began life in 1928 inside a medina house and moved in 1948 into a bastion of Tetouan's fortifications at Bab el Oqla — a structure built under Sultan Moulay Abderrahmane and dating to 1830–31. It reopened on 28 January 2022 after renovation, with a permanent exhibition titled "Tétouan: l'Homme et son milieu" covering the city's history since its 15th-century reconstruction, the urban organisation of the medina, and the arts and crafts of the old city. It faces Dar Sanaa across the gate, so the two pair naturally in one visit.

5. Study the mosaics at the Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum of Tetouan was built in 1939 and inaugurated on 19 July 1940. It covers northern Morocco from prehistory to the Islamic period, and holds pottery, jewellery, coins, stone engravings and Roman mosaics. Much of the collection comes from two excavations: Tamuda, dug from 1921, and Lixus, dug from 1923. The museum is currently open and sits under Morocco's Fondation Nationale des Musées.

6. Cross into the Ensanche and Place Moulay El Mehdi

The Spanish administration built an entire new town — the Ensanche — outside the medina walls during the Protectorate, and it is one of the best-preserved ensembles of its kind in Morocco. Place Moulay El Mehdi, formerly Plaza Primo de Rivera, is its circular centrepiece. On it stands the church of Nuestra Señora de las Victorias, dedicated in 1925, designed by the municipal architect Carlos Ovilo Castelo in neomudéjar style, with three naves. The surrounding façades mix Neo-Mauresque and Art Deco, and the whole quarter is best seen on foot in the early evening.

7. Explore the Roman ruins at Tamuda

Tamuda was founded in the 3rd century BC by Mauretanian Berbers, a few kilometres west of present-day Tetouan. Around 42 AD Roman garrisons levelled the city during an insurrection and built a fortified camp in its place; the site went on to develop under the emperors Trajan and Septimius Severus as part of the province of Mauretania Tingitana. It was rediscovered in 1921 by the Spanish researcher César Luis de Montalbán, whose finds fill much of the Archaeological Museum in town. Visiting the museum and the site together makes far more sense than doing either alone.

8. Climb toward Jebel Dersa and the kasbah

Tetouan is flanked by two mountains, Dersa and Ghorghiz, and the medina climbs the steep slopes of Jebel Dersa — the setting UNESCO singles out in its description of the site. The kasbah sits at the top of Mount Dersa, and the walk up through the upper medina delivers the widest views over the white city and out toward the coast. Near the upper medina you will also pass the Musée Marocain de la Kasbah, set in an old kasbah-era building beside the former city walls.

9. Spend an afternoon at Martil and Cabo Negro

Martil is effectively Tetouan's beach, roughly 10 km from the city centre. It was the port of Tetouan until the river between the two silted up, and its name comes from "Río Martín", the Spanish-era designation. The sand runs north until it meets the headland at Cabo Negro, the most developed of the resorts on this stretch of coast, where a golf course opened in 1978 with nine holes and has since grown to a full 18-hole course. Both fill with Moroccan families in July and August and are notably quiet in spring.

10. Dive or take a boat out from M'diq

M'diq — المضيق, "the strait" — is a working fishing port and resort town north of Tetouan. Its harbour is split in two, one half for tourism and one for fishing, and it hosts SNIM, the annual sailing week run by the local Royal Yachting Club. It is also the best base on this coast for getting on or under the water: book Diving in M'diq for a guided dive with a certified instructor, or Boat Rental in M'diq to take the coastline at your own pace.

How to plan your Tetouan trip

Two full days covers the medina, Place Hassan II, both museums, Dar Sanaa and the Ensanche on foot — the historic core is compact and almost entirely walkable. Add a third day for Tamuda plus an afternoon at Martil or M'diq. If you want a quieter stretch of coast, Oued Laou lies about 40 km southeast along the N16 coast road, where the Laou river reaches the sea after running 65 km down from the western Rif near Chefchaouen.

Getting here is straightforward. Tetouan has no passenger railway station, so most visitors arrive by road from Tangier, roughly 60 km away, or fly into Sania Ramel Airport (TTU) about 6 km east of the city. CTM and ONCF's Supratours both run buses to Tetouan. Coming from Spain, ferries cross from Algeciras to Tanger Med in about 1 hour 30 minutes, or Tarifa to Tangier Ville in about an hour. Activities booked through MaJourneys are pay-on-arrival — reserve online, pay the provider directly on the day.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tetouan worth visiting?

Yes. Tetouan's medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1997, and UNESCO calls it the most complete of Morocco's historic medinas. The city also preserves a full Spanish Protectorate new town from its years as the Protectorate capital between 1913 and 1956, which no other Moroccan city has in the same condition. Two days is enough for the historic core.

How many days do you need in Tetouan?

Two days covers the UNESCO medina, Place Hassan II, the Archaeological and Ethnographic museums, Dar Sanaa and the Spanish-built Ensanche quarter. A third day allows the Roman site at Tamuda and an afternoon on the coast at Martil, Cabo Negro or M'diq. Tetouan also works well as a two-night stop between Tangier and Chefchaouen.

What is Tetouan famous for?

Tetouan is famous for its UNESCO-listed medina, rebuilt in the late 15th century by Andalusian refugees expelled from Granada, which gives the city its distinctly Andalusian art and architecture. It was the capital of the Spanish Protectorate in Morocco from 1913 to 1956. It is also a craft city — a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Crafts and Folk Art since 2017 — known for zellige tilework, embroidery, pottery and silver-wire inlay, and home to Dar Sanaa (1919) and Morocco's first fine arts school, founded in 1945.

How do you get to Tetouan?

Tetouan has no passenger railway station. Most visitors travel by road from Tangier, about 60 km to the west, on the N2. Sania Ramel Airport (TTU) lies about 6 km east of the city and is served by Royal Air Maroc, Ryanair and Air Arabia. CTM and ONCF's Supratours operate buses to Tetouan. From Spain, ferries run Algeciras to Tanger Med in around 1 hour 30 minutes and Tarifa to Tangier Ville in around an hour, with onward road connections.

Is Tetouan safe?

Yes, Tetouan is broadly safe for visitors, and the usual precautions for any city apply. The medina lanes are busy during the day and quiet after dark, while Place Hassan II and the Ensanche around Place Moulay El Mehdi stay lively into the evening. As in any Moroccan medina, expect offers of unofficial guiding and decline politely if you would rather walk alone.

What is the best time to visit Tetouan?

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable. Tetouan has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wetter winters, and the city sits between the Rif mountains and the sea, so it is cooler than inland Morocco. July and August bring Moroccan holidaymakers to Martil, Cabo Negro and M'diq, which is lively but crowded; April to June and September to October are quieter for sightseeing.

Ready to plan? Browse all Tetouan experiences on MaJourneys and book your favourite — confirmation is by WhatsApp and you pay on arrival.