Tangier Beach Guide: The Best Beaches Near Tangier

Tangier's city beach, the Plage Municipale, runs along the bay below the new town, from the port and the marina towards Malabata. It is wide, sandy and well kept, and the Corniche above it has palm trees, playgrounds, cafés and glass lifts down to the sand.

It is the place for a walk and for the lively atmosphere of Tangier's evenings, when families come out to enjoy the promenade. Many locals prefer to swim further out, at Malabata or on the Atlantic, and tourists looking for a quiet sunbed usually do the same.

Malabata Beach is the eastern end of the bay, about two kilometres of sand running towards the Cap Malabata headland. It offers the calmest water around Tangier, and the depth increases gently, which makes it the family choice for a swim.

Hotels and cafés line the road behind it, and it is a short taxi ride from the centre. During summer weekends it fills up by late morning, so go early.

Merkala Beach sits west of the medina, below the Marshan cliffs on the Strait of Gibraltar. It is a small beach where locals come more than visitors: fishermen on the rocks, families on a picnic, and football on the sand in the cooler months.

It faces north-west, with views across the Strait, so it is a good spot to enjoy the sunset, and it is about half an hour on foot from the medina along the coast road, or a short taxi ride.

Achakkar is the long Atlantic beach between Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules, 20 to 25 minutes by car from the city. Golden sand runs below the cliffs, with a big dune to climb, and it is one of the most beautiful stretches of the Moroccan coastline, known for its sunsets.

This is where the camel rides wait, and in summer a beach club and snack bars open. The Atlantic here has strong waves and rip currents, so swim only when the lifeguards are on duty, from June, and stay close to their post.

Just north of Achakkar, towards Cap Spartel, the sand breaks into two smaller beaches. Sol Beach has the most facilities on this coast: a café-restaurant, toilets, sunbeds and umbrellas to rent, and a small shop across the road. Young locals and tourists head here, and it is a popular spot on calm summer days.

Ba Kacem, next door, is a different experience every visit: empty one day and lively the next, with a beach club open in summer. Both face the open Atlantic, with the same strong currents as Achakkar.

At its southern end, Achakkar runs up against the rocks below the Caves of Hercules. The shore here is rockier, with pebbles between the sand, and the cliffs still carry the round marks left by the old millstone quarries.

In spring a shallow natural pool forms at the far end, a safer place to paddle before it dries up in early summer. Most visitors see the caves first, with their Africa-shaped opening onto the sea, then walk down to the water.

Past the Caves of Hercules, the coast opens onto Sidi Kacem, a flat and very wide beach of golden sand about 18 kilometres from Tangier. It is a different experience from the busy beaches of the Cap Spartel area: quiet, with fishermen, and a few restaurants on the coast road.

The waves are too big for a safe swim, but the shallows are fine for a paddle, and the long, empty sand is the best on this coast for a walk.

Playa Blanca, signposted Plage des Amiraux, is a small bay of white sand on the Strait of Gibraltar, east of the city, 20 to 30 minutes away by car. Its sand is paler than the golden beaches around it, and the water is clear and usually calm.

Tucked between two hills, it stays sheltered when the east wind blows across the other beaches, which is when locals come here. Facilities are few: a beach restaurant, no public toilets and no free umbrellas, so bring your own, and a steep road down, so leave the car in the upper car park. The water gets deep a few metres out, so keep an eye on children.

Dalia Beach offers the view that looks most like a postcard: a curve of golden sand about a kilometre long on the Strait, east of the city beyond Ksar Sghir. Spain is only about 14 kilometres across the water, and on a clear day the Rock of Gibraltar is in view.

The water is clean and clear, and cold even in summer. In season there are showers, toilets, umbrellas and lifeguards; on July and August weekends it is busy, so a weekday is the better time to visit. Allow about an hour by car each way.