Tangier walking tour + Villa Mabrouka

When Brad and I are freestyling in a city, one of the first things we do is go on a walking tour. Tangier was no different. We met our guide, Rabal, at one of the old Medina gates at 10 am and began exploring the city’s fascinating history.

We learned its walls were built in the 900s. The Portuguese invaded in 1471 and stayed for two centuries. It’s a very white city, with most of the buildings painted with limestone. Our guide said Tangier is often called “Bride of the north” because it’s white. It was a diplomatic centre as well as an artistic centre attracting artists, musicians, and writers. Henri Matisse lived here for a year.

Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress, bought multiple adjoining properties here and turned them into a mansion estate. Immediately across from her mansion is Café Baba where celebrities such as The Rolling Stones and Anthony Bourdain were known to frequent. We had hoped to go there, but it was closed.

Instead, after our tour, we had a rest at Café Tingis, featured in Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown as a spot for mint tea and people-watching. Loved it.

We did some more walking and then headed to our late lunch/early dinner reservation at Villa Mabrouka, Yves Saint Laurent‘s former home, now a five star hotel with wonderful restaurants. It is one of those discreet properties with no signage. If you know, you know.😉 Everything about it was exceptional.

Tangier feels different from other Moroccan cities. So glad that our friend Kate Marshall suggested we added it to our itinerary. It feels more multicultural. Its topography is hilly and it’s a beautiful port.Read more