Things to do in Tetouan
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Medina
Surrounded by three mosques and four modern minarets, not to mention the Royal Palace, Place Hassan II links the medina to the ville nouvelle. The square forms the heart of the old town and has traditionally served as a meeting place. It is ringed with small cafés that are prime spots for people-watching. The main entrance to the medina is Bab er-Rouah (Gate of the Winds), which leads off from the square's southeast corner.
The medina is an industrious, bustling place; it's quite unlike the great medinas further south, as the Spaniards had a hand in some of the building in the 19th century, and most of its inhabitants, from the 16th century on, were refugees from what…
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Musée Marocain
This ethnographic museum off Calle Garnata is worth a visit, if only for a peek inside the bastion in the town wall, where it is housed. Cannons are still in place in the garden, and the terrace is sometimes open, offering incredible views of the Rif Mountains. Unfortunately, the museum is frequently closed outside the summer months.
The museum contains the requisite collection of traditional clothing, musical instruments, antique jewellery, carpets, arms and household implements. Keep an eye out for the gold embroidered Jewish wedding robes with gold thread, and the highly elaborate iron doorknockers and keyhole covers. All of the captions are in French and Arabic.
To…
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Artisanal School
Just outside Bab el-Okla is the Artisanal School - the best artisan centre in northern Morocco. This is a fascinating opportunity to see masters teaching apprentices traditional arts, including ornamental woodwork, silk costumes, carved plaster, intricate mosaics and decorative rifles. A fantastic central treasury holds the best of the best – don’t miss the ceiling. Staff will open it upon request. The building itself is of interest, set around a large courtyard, with fine doors upstairs.
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Riad Saada
This is a classic Moroccan experience, from the endless plates of food (soup, couscous, tajines, salads, kebabs, grilled cakes) to the entertainment (belly dancing, traditional musicians) to the superb setting, including a spectacular open ceiling with an enormous pendulum lamp, two golden throne chairs for weddings and beautiful carved plaster walls. Enter via Bab el-Okla, turn right immediately, take second left at Optique Seffar, and you will see the entrance, a very long tiled corridor.
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Medina craft shops and showrooms
Tetouan's medina has the usual mix of craft shops and showrooms for the souvenir hunter. Wood and leatherwork are the local specialities. Unique to the Rif are the eye-catching mendeels (hand-woven, brightly coloured striped cloths), worn by farmers. The best place to buy them is from the women on the tiny square to the northeast of Bab er-Rouah. The tannery is the best place to browse for leatherwork.
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Palace Bouhlal
A sumptuous palace with plush couches, wall rugs, intimate dining spaces (especially upstairs), gurgling fountains and a grand Moorish arch complementing the usual four-course meal. Follow the lane north around the Grande Mosquée and look for signs directing you down a tiny alley. Be sure to duck into Les Secrets des Plantes first, on the right just before the entrance, where 670 spices line the walls.
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Snack Taouss
Known for its burgers and chips, this little snack bar also does decent, inexpensive pizzas, salads, harira (lentil soup), tajines and more. There’s a small seating area upstairs (handy if you’re waiting for a pizza), or you can eat on the move. If it’s full, there’s a similar place, 10 Mai, next door.
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Archaeology Museum
A few blocks from the Place al-Jala there is an Archaeology Museum with an excellent collection of artefacts from the Roman ruins at Lixus. However, during research the published hours were not being adhered to; the museum had been closed for a week, and it was not clear when it would reopen.
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Ethnographic Museum
Just inside the Bab el-Okla, this museum is worth a visit for the terrace views of the Rif (ask the caretaker to open it for you, if necessary), its pleasant garden with old cannons and the display of silk wedding gowns. Otherwise, you’ll see some of the same decorative features in the palace restaurants.
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Pâtisserie Rahmouni
Ask a local where to get the best pastries in Tetouan, and they'll probably send you here. The Rahmouni family has a high reputation for its sticky delights, which have the punters queuing deep at breakfast time. Get a juice or coffee to go with your croissant at the stand-up bar at the back.
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Salon de Thé Panorama Vista
Tetouan's trendiest café, this hotel café has quite glorious views over the Rif Mountains. It's always busy but, even if you don't manage to grab a window seat, the salon is a lovely place wherever you sit. Waiters work hard, and you'll need to do the same to grab their attention.
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Pizzeria Roma
This pizzeria has a bright fast-food style interior, with the scooter outside services the home-delivery business. The food is good with several vegetarian options to satisfy the stomach, while the wood oven gives the place a pleasing aroma (the false fireplace is fooling no one!).
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Café Pâtisserie SMIR
On a corner in the heart of the pedestrian way, SMIR is a popular place for a coffee or pastry. There are two options: the tables strung along the pavement to watch the world go by, or the quiet seating area upstairs, which is notable for the groups of women it often attracts.
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Dar Lebadi
The shopping palace of the medina, this 200-year-old building, a former governor’s house, has been meticulously restored, and is now a clearinghouse for Berber artisans, with friendly staff. Worth a stop just to see the building, but be careful: you may be there for hours.
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Restaurant Restinga
The open-air courtyard covered by a canopy of eucalyptus is this charming restaurant’s primary attraction – along with the rare alcohol license. It’s a great place to duck out of the crowded boulevard for a rest and a beer, as well as some seafood from the coast.
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Restaurant Saigon
Grilled fish, plus a few Moroccan standards, rather than anything Vietnamese, is the order of the day at Saigon. The food is excellent, and it can get crowded at lunch time, so make sure you head upstairs to grab a table away from the throng.
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Jenin
This sparkling, modern café is the trendiest in town. The 10 blends of different fruit juices are the highlight, along with the presence of courting couples and groups of young women. A world away from the smoky male cafés on the same block.
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Dallas
Yes, named after the TV show, but otherwise the name has no bearing on this place, a patisserie stacked to the rafters with plates of pastries. This is where local families come to load up on sweets. One block off Ave Mohammed V.
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La Isla Boccadillos
One of the cheapest places in town to sate your appetite is this snack bar just outside the bus station offering a variety of sandwiches, kofta (mincemeat and spices grilled on a skewer) and salads with rice.
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Snack Yousfi
Fill up on a sandwich here for lunch and you might not be hungry again until breakfast. Baguettes are stuffed to overflowing with various fillings, topped out with salad and a handful of chips. Great value.
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Bars along Rue 10 Mai
Be warned that Tetuouan's drinking establishments, as is the Moroccan norm, are firmly in the male sphere. These various bars tend to be dark and smoky but will give you access to a drop of the hard stuff.
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Heladería Atlas
This place is great for a refreshing vitamin C fix, squeezing and mixing up a great selection of juices and smoothies. There is no seating area: slug it back and keep moving.
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Ensemble Artisanal
This government-sponsored emporium is a hive of activity, with carpet weavers, leatherworkers, jewellers and woodworkers all plying their trades. Prices are fixed.
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Tannery
Leatherwork is one of the local specialities. You can go straight to the source of it at the small tannery in the north of the medina.
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Le Printemps Salon du Thé
A good breakfast option, Le Printemps has a large interior, with a slightly upscale feel, seemingly designed for losing hours over the newspapers.
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