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Cruise port guide · Terminal, ships and time ashore

Tangier Cruise Port Guide

The Tangier cruise port is located in the city itself, right below the medina and the Kasbah. Here is where your ship docks, how to get from the cruise terminal into town, what fits in your hours ashore, and every ship due in port this season.

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  • Written by licensed Tangier guides
  • 85 Google reviews, rated 4.9
  • Updated September 2026

Arrivals

Tangier City Port

The next cruise ships due in Tangier, with the date, the time in port and the cruise line
Ship Date In port Line
Celebrity Xcel Tue 29 Sep 08:00 to 18:00 Celebrity Cruises
Mein Schiff 2 Wed 30 Sep 07:00 to 20:00 TUI Cruises
Spirit Of Adventure Tue 6 Oct 08:00 to 17:00 Saga Cruises
Artania Wed 7 Oct 08:00 to 18:00 Phoenix Reisen
Celebrity Equinox Thu 8 Oct 07:00 to 17:00 Celebrity Cruises
Crystal Serenity Fri 9 Oct 10:00 to 19:00 Crystal Cruises

The next ships due, from the published port schedule. See every month; your cruise line's times are the ones that count.

  • In the cityTangier City Port
  • 10 to 20 minon foot to the medina
  • 3 cruise berthsup to 360 m long
  • 40 km eastTanger Med, the other port
  • GMT+1check your ship's time
  • Dirhamcash for the medina

The short answer

Where do cruise ships dock in Tangier?

Cruise ships calling at Tangier, Morocco, dock at Tangier City Port (Port Tanger Ville), the port in the heart of the city, right below the medina and the Kasbah. The port authority lists three berths built for the world's largest cruise ships, of 360, 300 and 290 metres, and services in the cruise terminal include a first aid station. From the gangway the old town is 10 to 20 minutes on foot, depending on your berth.

Some ships call at Tanger Med instead: the large cargo and ferry port about 40 km east of the city, around 45 minutes by road. Your cruise line's itinerary names the port. From Tanger Med you need transport into Tangier: the cruise line's shuttle, a taxi or a guide with a car.

Tour Guide Tangier meets ships at every terminal, with official port access, and private tours are available from each one: your guide waits inside the terminal holding your name, and brings you back at least an hour before all-aboard.

Tangier port map

A map from the ship to the sights

Tangier has been a port since the Phoenicians and the Romans, on the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean, with Europe in sight across the water. The cruise terminal is located at the foot of the old town.

Atlantic OceanStrait of GibraltarTangier BayTangierTo Tanger Med, 40 km →1234567
Schematic map, not to scale. Tanger Med is off the map, about 40 km east.

  1. The cruise terminal

    Tangier City Port

    Where the ships berth. Your guide waits inside the terminal; taxis wait at the port gate.

  2. The medina and the Kasbah

    10 to 20 minutes on foot

    Narrow streets and the Petit Socco, then, at the top, the Kasbah Museum of Mediterranean Cultures with its view over the Strait.

  3. The American Legation Museum

    In the lower medina, on foot

    The first American public property abroad and the only US National Historic Landmark outside the United States.

  4. The Grand Socco

    Through the medina, uphill

    The square where the new town meets the old and a good place to start a walk, beside the Mendoubia Gardens, with the covered market a few steps away.

  5. The beach promenade

    East of the port, on foot

    The long city beach and the corniche along Tangier Bay, a flat walk from the port area.

  6. Cap Spartel

    About 30 minutes by car

    The lighthouse on Africa's north-west tip, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean.

  7. The Caves of Hercules

    A few minutes past Cap Spartel

    The sea cave whose opening is shaped like Africa, above Achakkar Beach.

Tangier port or Tanger Med

Which port is your ship calling at?

Tangier has two ports that cruise ships use. The one in your itinerary decides how the day starts.

Tangier City PortTanger Med
WhereIn the city, below the old townAbout 40 km east of Tangier
Also calledPort Tanger Ville, the Tangier City cruise portTanger Med Passengers
Who uses itCruise ships, and the fast ferries from TarifaCargo ships, car ferries from Algeciras and some cruise ships
Travel time to the medina10 to 20 minutes on footAbout 45 minutes by road
ServicesA first aid station in the terminal, taxis at the gateA passenger terminal built for the ferries
Into townOn foot, a petit taxi or your guideThe ship's shuttle, a taxi or your guide with a car

Step by step

From the gangway to the medina

Getting from the Tangier cruise terminal into the old town, on your own or with a guide.

  1. Leave the ship

    Take what your cruise line asks you to carry ashore, usually your ship card and your passport or a copy. If you booked a guide, they wait inside the terminal with your name.

  2. Walk to the port gate

    The cruise berths are inside the port area, so the walk to the gate is flat and takes a few minutes; some cruise lines run a shuttle bus into town. Now and then a ship tenders passengers ashore instead.

  3. Up into the medina

    The best way into the medina is on foot: from the gate, the lanes climb to the Petit Socco and on to the Kasbah, steep and cobbled, so wear comfortable shoes. Or take a petit taxi from the gate, for up to three passengers: ask for the meter, or agree on the fare, before you set off.

  4. Back before all-aboard

    Be back at the terminal at least an hour before all-aboard. It is the rule our guides work to, and the queue at the gangway can be long.

Things to do from the cruise port

What fits in your hours ashore

Take the time between the gangway and all-aboard, then leave an hour spare. First time in Tangier? Start with the medina and the Kasbah.

  1. Four hours or less

    Walk the medina and the Kasbah straight from the port: on your own, or on the 3-hour walking tour, from $30 per person.

    See the Medina and Kasbah walk

  2. Four to six hours

    Tangier Highlights, a four-hour tour by car: Cap Spartel, the Caves of Hercules, the Kasbah and the medina, from $55 per person.

    See Tangier Highlights

  3. Six to eight hours

    The full-day tour: the medina, the Kasbah, the Atlantic coast and lunch, with a camel ride at Achakkar Beach if you want one, from $75 per person.

    See the full-day excursion

  4. A long day in port

    Cook a Moroccan lunch with a Berber chef in a family home, or travel through the old town with a camera and a guide who knows where the light falls.

    See the cooking class

Tangier cruise ship schedule

Cruise ships in Tangier, month by month

Every ship due at the Tangier cruise port in the published schedule, with its time in port. Find your date, then see which excursions fit your hours.

Pick a month

September 2026 2 ships

DateShipCruise lineIn port
Celebrity XcelCelebrity Cruises08:00 to 18:00 10 h
Mein Schiff 2TUI Cruises07:00 to 20:00 13 h
Find the excursions that fit your ship

Ship times from the published Tangier port schedule (cruisetimetables.com), refreshed every few months. Schedules change: your cruise line's times are the ones that count, and we confirm yours when you book.

Before you go ashore

Tips for a day at the Tangier cruise port

  • Time

    Ship time or local?

    Morocco keeps GMT+1, and GMT during Ramadan. Your ship may keep its own time: go by the all-aboard time the ship announces, and set your watch to local time only if the ship does.

  • Currency

    Moroccan dirham

    Credit cards work in hotels, restaurants and larger shops; in the medina, cash is easier. Dirhams cannot leave Morocco, so change only what you will spend.

  • Papers

    What the ship says

    Carry what your cruise line asks you to take ashore, and keep the port agent's number from your daily programme.

  • What to wear

    What you wear at home

    Comfortable clothes and shoes for the old town's cobbled slopes. Otherwise, dress as you would at home.

  • Phone

    Check roaming

    Morocco is outside EU roaming. Turn off data roaming unless your plan covers Morocco.

  • Guides

    Look for the badge

    Unofficial guides near the port gate offer tours. A licensed guide carries an official badge from the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism; ask to see it.

Only a few hours in port?

Why meet a licensed guide at the terminal

  • Inside the terminal

    Official port access at every Tangier terminal: your guide waits inside with your name, so you are on your way in minutes.

  • Back an hour early

    We track your ship's real-time arrival and bring you back at least an hour before all-aboard. Thousands of cruise passengers have toured Tangier with us, and none has missed the ship.

  • Your group only

    A private tour with no coach and no strangers: the old town, the Kasbah, the coast or a cooking class, at your pace, with a local guide who knows its history and culture.

  • Pay on the day

    Cash in US dollars, euros, pounds or dirhams, PayPal or bank transfer, and no deposit for most bookings. Port call cancelled? A new date or a full refund.

Good to know

Tangier Cruise Port: Your Questions

What cruise passengers ask before a day in Tangier.

Ship calling soon?Send us your ship and your date on WhatsApp. We reply within 12 hours.
Where do cruise ships dock in Tangier?

At Tangier City Port (Port Tanger Ville), in the city below the old town and the Kasbah. Some ships call at Tanger Med instead, about 40 km east of the city. Your itinerary names the port, and we meet ships at both.

How far is the Tangier cruise port from the medina?

About 800 metres from the city centre. On foot, the medina is 10 to 20 minutes from the ship, depending on your berth; by petit taxi, a few minutes.

Can you walk from the cruise port to the medina?

Yes. The walk to the port gate is flat, then the medina's lanes climb to the Petit Socco and the Kasbah. Wear comfortable shoes: the streets are steep and cobbled.

Is there a shuttle from the Tangier cruise port?

Some cruise lines run a shuttle bus into town; the daily programme on board will say. Petit taxis also wait near the port gate, and from Tanger Med you need a shuttle, a taxi or a guide with a car.

Is Tangier safe for cruise passengers?

Yes. Tangier is a busy port city and a cruise destination all year. Keep an eye on your bag in crowded lanes, and say a polite no to the unofficial guides near the port gate.

Do I need dirhams in Tangier?

For the medina, cash in dirhams is easiest, and cash machines are easy to find in the city. Cards work in hotels, restaurants and larger shops. Our excursions can be paid in US dollars, euros, pounds or dirhams.

Tangier shore excursions

Shore excursions from the Tangier cruise port

Ready when your ship is

Tell us your ship and your date

Send us the ship, the date and who is coming, and you will have a plan timed to your hours in port, with an exact price, within 12 hours.

See the shore excursions
  • No deposit for most bookings
  • Free cancellation 48h before
  • Back an hour before all-aboard