Three Days in Tangier — The City, the Coast and a Day Trip

Two days shows you Tangier itself — the medina and kasbah on day one, the western headland at Cap Spartel on day two. The third day is where the north opens up. Within an easy radius sit two of Morocco's most photogenic small towns: Asilah, a whitewashed walled port strung with murals, 46 km south; and Chefchaouen, the blue-painted mountain town, about 110 km southeast. A third day turns a good city break into a proper taste of the northern coast and Rif.

The plan keeps you in one Tangier riad for all three nights. Day one is on foot; day two uses a half-day grand taxi to the cape; day three is a full return day trip by train, bus, chartered taxi or organised tour. Nothing about the first two days changes from the two-day version, so this page focuses on making day three count and choosing the right destination for your pace.

The choice comes down to ambition. Asilah is short, gentle and coastal — you can be there in under an hour, wander the ramparts and galleries, have a long lunch and still be back for a Tangier sunset. Chefchaouen is a bigger commitment: two hours each way and a full day on your feet, spectacular but tiring as a day trip, which is why many travellers who want it properly stay overnight instead.

The first two days are the same core as our two-day plan: a walking day through the medina, kasbah and the twin soccos, capped by mint tea at Café Hafa, then a coast day out to Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules. The condensed schedule below keeps you oriented; the standalone 2 days in Tangier itinerary has the full hour-by-hour detail for both.

Day three is a full day out. The two front-runners are Asilah and Chefchaouen, with Tetouan a strong third if you prefer another walled medina to a mountain town. The table sets out the practicalities so you can pick by distance, effort and mood before you leave.

Asilah is the low-effort, high-reward choice. Trains from Tangier Ville reach it in about 45 minutes, dropping you a short walk from the walls. Inside, the compact medina is scrubbed white and blue, its lanes hung each summer with new murals from the Asilah Cultural Moussem, and the ramparts look straight out to the Atlantic. Add Paradise Beach a few kilometres south, a grilled-fish lunch by the walls, and you have a full, unhurried day. Our things to do in Asilah guide ranks the sights, and the Asilah arts festival guide covers the mural season if your dates line up.

Chefchaouen is the showstopper but the harder day. The blue-washed mountain medina, its Plaza Uta el-Hammam, the Spanish Mosque sunset viewpoint and the Ras El Maa cascade are genuinely worth the trip — but at two hours each way, you will spend roughly four hours in transit for perhaps five in the town. A CTM bus or a chartered grand taxi both work; a small-group organised tour removes the logistics for around 350–500 MAD. Go early, keep the itinerary tight, and accept that this is a taster rather than a full acquaintance. If you fall for it, come back and stay.

Tetouan is the underrated middle option: an hour by grand taxi to a UNESCO-listed medina with a strong Andalusian and Spanish heritage, the Royal Artisan School and an ethnographic museum, and far fewer tour groups than Chefchaouen. It suits travellers who loved the Tangier medina and want more of the same rather than a mountain detour. From Tetouan you can also drop down to the Mediterranean resorts of M'diq and Martil for an afternoon on calmer, warmer water than the Atlantic side gives you, which makes it a flexible day for mixed groups.

Tangier and its day-trip towns are inexpensive to sightsee — the spend is transport and food rather than tickets. These are 2026 guide figures; confirm on the day, as some sights close one day a week and hours shorten out of season.

This covers entries, six to seven meals, the day-two Cap Spartel taxi, the day-three trip and city taxis over three full days, per person, excluding your room. The day-three destination is the swing factor: an Asilah train day keeps costs low, while a Chefchaouen tour lifts the total. See our Tangier prices and costs guide for a fuller breakdown of riads and transport.

Keep the same Tangier base for all three nights — both day trips return to the city, so moving riads only wastes time. Arrive by train into central Tangier Ville, not the distant Tanger Med ferry port 40 km east. Book the day-two grand taxi and any day-three tour through your riad the evening before, and for Asilah buy train tickets at the station rather than relying on grand taxis, which are slower and only marginally cheaper.

Spring and autumn are the sweet spots for all three days: warm and clear on the coast, comfortable for walking Chefchaouen's hills. Summer is hot and busy, and the Rif can be cooler and wetter than the coast, so pack a layer for a mountain day trip in any season. If you have a fourth day, the north keeps giving — Tetouan and the Mediterranean beaches of M'diq and Martil are all within reach.

Above all, match day three to your energy. After two active Tangier days, many travellers find Asilah's gentle rhythm the better close; save Chefchaouen for a trip where you can give the blue city the overnight it deserves rather than a rushed return dash.