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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
  • 86 Google reviews, rated 4.9
  • Updated October 2026

Arrivals

Port of Tangier

The next cruise ships due in Tangier, with the date, the time in port and the cruise line
Ship Date In port Line
Emerald Sakara Mon 12 Oct Times to come Emerald Cruises
Royal Clipper Mon 12 Oct Times to come Star Clippers
Mein Schiff 7 Mon 12 Oct 07:00 to 20:00 TUI Cruises
Azura Tue 13 Oct Times to come P&O Cruises
Viking Saturn Tue 13 Oct Times to come Viking
Norwegian Star Thu 15 Oct 08:00 to 19:00 Norwegian Cruise Line

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
  • GMTcheck 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.

MSC Sinfonia cruise ship moored at the Tanger Ville cruise quay, with the medina and hills of Tangier behind
A cruise ship at the quay of Tangier City Port, with the city behind it (MSC Sinfonia, January 2020)

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. Norwegian Epic cruise ship alongside the quay in Tangier, under a blue sky with white clouds
    The Norwegian Epic alongside in Tangier, 2015

    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. Lalla Abla Mosque and its minaret at the entrance of Tanger Ville port, with the Bay of Tangier behind
    The Lalla Abla Mosque, known as the Port Mosque, at the entrance of the port

    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. Old stone walls and a round bastion of the medina above the roads of the Tanger Ville port zone
    The medina walls above the port of Tanger Ville

    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. White houses of the Tangier medina rising above the harbour, with boats below and a minaret on the skyline
    The old town of Tangier seen from the harbour

    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.

Your day in port

Plan your day at the Tangier cruise port

Pick your ship from the schedule, or type its times, and see the whole day: when you are off the ship, how long you have ashore, which shore excursions fit and when to be back at the terminal.

I know my all-aboard time

Without it, we count all-aboard 30 minutes before the ship sails. Your ship's daily programme gives the exact time.

Times are in Tangier time (GMT), as the schedules publish them; the times your cruise line gives are the ones that count.

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

Ships due at the port

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

October 2026 17 ships

DateShipCruise lineIn port
Emerald SakaraEmerald CruisesTimes to come
Royal ClipperStar ClippersTimes to come
Mein Schiff 7TUI Cruises07:00 to 20:00 13 h
AzuraP&O CruisesTimes to come
Viking SaturnVikingTimes to come
Norwegian StarNorwegian Cruise Line08:00 to 19:00 11 h
Mein Schiff FlowTUI Cruises07:00 to 19:00 12 h
Le LaperousePonant Cruises06:00 to 17:00 11 h
SeaDream IISeaDream Yacht ClubTimes to come
Celebrity XcelCelebrity Cruises08:00 to 18:00 10 h
Europa 2Hapag-Lloyd Cruises08:00 to 18:00 10 h
RenaissanceAmbassador Cruise Line08:00 to 20:00 12 h
BoletteFred. Olsen Cruise LinesTimes to come
Emerald SakaraEmerald CruisesTimes to come
Ritz-Carlton IlmaRitz-Carlton Yacht Collection08:00 to 19:00 11 h
Explora IExplora Journeys09:00 to 19:00 10 h
Ritz-Carlton EvrimaRitz-Carlton Yacht Collection08:00 to 19:00 11 h
Find the excursions that fit your ship

Ship times from three public Tangier cruise schedules (CruiseTimetables, CruiseMapper and CruiseDig), refreshed every few months. Schedules change: your cruise line's times are the ones that count, and we confirm yours when you book. Every ship of 2026 and 2027, the busiest days and the cruise lines: the Tangier cruise port schedule.

Before you go ashore

Tips for a day at the Tangier cruise port

  • Time

    Ship time or local?

    Morocco keeps GMT all year (since 20 September 2026). 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. Travelling alone? You join a tour already planned on your date, or we agree a date when one runs.

  • 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

Photos: MSC Sinfonia at the cruise quay and the medina walls (Jobt1962, CC BY-SA 4.0), the Port Mosque (Fatima ezzahra el bouabi, CC BY 4.0), the Norwegian Epic and the old town from the harbour (Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0), all via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.