The Kasbah and Kasbah Museum

The lanes and the terraces

The Kasbah is the high, walled corner of Tangier’s old city, and it is the part most worth your time. Where the lower medina is a crush of stalls and noise, the Kasbah is quieter and calmer — a tight maze of whitewashed lanes, studded doorways and small squares that suddenly open onto terraces with the whole Strait of Gibraltar laid out below. On a clear day you can see across to Spain. Getting pleasantly lost here is half the experience, and wandering the lanes costs nothing; you can do it alone by day, though a local guide will add history and steer you to the best viewpoints if you’d rather not navigate the maze yourself. As anywhere in a Moroccan old town, expect the odd offer of guiding and keep your wits about your belongings in the busier passages.

The palace museum

At the top sits the Dar el-Makhzen, the former sultan’s palace, now the Kasbah Museum. The building itself — courtyards, carved cedar, zellij tilework — is reason enough to step inside, and within it are Roman mosaics brought from Volubilis along with objects tracing Tangier’s long history as a crossroads port. Entry is a token amount, around 20 MAD (about £1.60), which makes it one of the best-value sights in the city; the museum usually shuts one day a week, so check the official site for current hours.

Put it together and the Kasbah is comfortably the best half-day in Tangier: an hour or two drifting through the lanes and pausing on the terraces, then an hour in the cool of the palace museum. Go in the morning for softer light and fewer people, carry small dirhams for the entry, and let yourself wander rather than rushing for a checklist.