30 March 2025
Before visiting, I research two items: free walking tours and if Hop on Hop Off buses operate within the city. Tanger offers both. Because of time constraints, we chose to avail ourselves of the Hop On bus tours.
Hop On Hop Off Bus
Located across from Dar Al-Baroud Tower is City Tours. They offer two daily tours: Tanger Ville Historical Tour and the Grottes d’Hercule Tour. Both tours can be accomplished on one ticket valid for 48 hours. The audio guide includes several languages; free wifi onboard.
Grottes d’Hercules Tour takes closer to 2 hours. The bus motors through the forested Cap Spartel Park and the cape where the Mediterranean and Atlantic converge before turning south along the coast to the cave.
The Tanger Ville Tour makes 12 stops through the center of the city. It includes not only the historical medina but the port and modern section of Tanger. It takes at least an hour to complete the route, depending on the traffic. More on that nightmare later.
Grottes d’Hercules
First, we depart on the Grottes d’Hercules Tour. The drive is quite nice as it leaves the city. The views are beautiful and the surrounding hills are covered with yellow gorse. Part of the trip is along the Atlantic Coast.
“Nature sure knows how to garnish a ruin to the best effect.”
Mark Twain
Grottes d’Hercules probably never saw Hercules. Located next to the summer palace of the King of Morocco and along Cape Spartel, it is a pretty archaeological formation and home to some great mythology.
The cave features two openings – one facing land and the other the Atlantic. The sea opening, referred to as the “Map of Africa,” is believed to have been shaped by the Phoenicians to resemble the continent when viewed from the water. (How the Phoenicians knew the continent’s shape without a drone is not explained.)
Inside, markings resembling eyes are said to form a map of the local area. A blend of natural formation and human expansion, the cave was enlarged by the Berbers, who carved stone wheels from its walls to craft millstones, significantly increasing its size over time.
Legends of Hercules
The cave has many legends. One says the Barbary macaques (apes) arrived at the Rock of Gibraltar using a long tunnel which ran under the Strait. (Sort of like the Oakland tunnel under San Francisco Bay. I wonder if they kept looking for leaks the entire distance like I do.) Another legend holds that Hercules hung out in the cave for one of his 12 assigned labors. Of course, Greeks and Romans tell different stories.
“A ruin must be rightly situated to be effective.”
Mark Twain
According to Roman sources, Hercules, enroute to the Garden of the Hesperides for apples, split the mountain of Atlas with his strength, forming the Strait of Gibraltar thus connecting the Atlantic with the Mediterranean Sea.
In Greek mythology, Hercules offered to hold up the heavens while Atlas retrieved the golden apples from his daughters’ garden. Suspicious, Heracles pretended to accept Atlas’ offer to switch places permanently but asked him to briefly hold the sky to adjust his cloak.
Once Atlas took back the burden, Heracles grabbed the apples and ran.
Evidently, Herc ran so fast he forgot his other shoe. Thanks ChatGpt.
This location lacks a spot to walk the beach. For that experience, get off the bus at Cape Spartel.
Here, one can climb over the rocks and tidal pools, or watch the young boys jump from the cliffs into the crashing waves below. The cave takes all of a few minutes.
Tanger Ville Tour
Upon return from the caves , we boarded the city tour. This proved a test in patience. The bus maneuvers through narrow streets of the Medina; traffic is dense, parked cars narrow a narrow street even further. We squeeze between cars and pedestrians with maybe an inch to spare. And this is not an exaggeration! Thankfully, there are no monkeys. We are so close to the buildings and rooftops, a furry ape could climb into the bus.
Sites are talked about in the audio but it remains a mystery which building or grassy knoll to which they refer. And after three hours on a bus, I am sick of the same music on endless repeats.
Tanger drivers must represent some of the best in the world. Give an inch, the driver can park miracles. Men in the streets help traffic pass, help people to park, and generally direct chaos.
The modern architecture of the Mohammed V Mosque represents a recent addition to Tanger. Built in 1969, it honors King Mohammed V of Morocco for his key role in the country’s independence from the French. He acted as the last Sultan of Morocco and is entombed in Rabat
The rest of the ride, we enjoyed the views and vibes from an open bus. (Don’t forget a hat and sunscreen.) Other sites included Palais Moulay Hafid, Place Faro.
I would say the City Tour is absolutely worth it just for the ride through these narrow, busy streets. I know from experience, the drivers of these buses have earned their place through the Gates of Paradise as they maneuver the streets with the utmost patience and skill.
Tangier verses Casablanca
When planning or Moroccan adventure, my niece and I decided Tanger offered much more of interest than Casablanca. It is more compact and what I would call “gracious” to the lost tourist. It seems more of a melting pot of cultures.
Tanger’s slower pace makes life more relaxed. The city’s old bohemian past and international history have given it an open-minded and friendly atmosphere. I’m glad we decided to spend our extra day here.
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