Tangers has inspired some of the greats.

Jack Kerouac loved Tangiers

Tangiers multicultural society and large immigrant population has attracted artists like Paul Bowles, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Tennessee Williams, Brion Gysin and the Rolling Stones, who all lived here or visited at some stage.

Mick Jagger a frequent visitor to Tangier

William S. Burroughs wrote Naked Lunch in Tangier in the 1950s and the book's locale of Interzone is an allusion to the city.

After Delacroix spoke of the amazing light and colours he found in Tangiers, it became an obligatory stop off for many other artists wanting to experience it for themselves.

Matisse became very fond of the place. He made numerous tours of Tangiers, always staying in the Hotel Villa de France. He found the landscapes and colours exactly as Delacroix had described. If you come here you can even visit the room where he painted the famous view out of the window.

Another well-known artist heavily influenced by Tangiers and Matisse was Californian Richard Diebenkorn. He found the Matisse's rhythmic patterns and colours haunting.

Mohamed Choukri

The most well known native author from Tangiers is probably Mohamed Choukri. He's widely recognized as one of North Africa's most controversial and popular authors. His autobiography "For Bread Alone" was described by Tennessee Williams as "A true document of human desperation, shattering in its impact."

• Silent Day in Tangiers by Tahar Ben Jelloun.
• Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs - relates some of the author's experiences in Tangier. (See also Naked Lunch (film))
• Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac relates him living with William Burroughs and other Beat writers in Tangier.
• Interzone by Burroughs - It talks about a fictionalized version of Tangier called Interzone.
• Let It Come Down is Paul Bowles's second novel, first published in 1952
• The Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh - a controversial semi-autobiographical novel relating homosexual experiences of the author in the city of Tangier.
• Two Tickets to Tangier by Francis Van Wyck Mason, an American novelist and historian
• Modesty Blaise; a fictional character in a comic strip of the same name and a series of books created by Peter O'Donnell - In 1945 a nameless girl escaped from a displaced person (DP) camp in Karylos, Greece. She took control of a criminal gang in Tangier and expanded it to international status as "The Network". After dissolving The Network and moving to England she maintained a house on a hillside above Tangier and many scenes in the books and comic strips are located here.
• Carpenter's World Travels: From Tangier to Tripoli - a Frank G. Carpenter travel guide (1927)
• The Thief's Journal by Jean Genet - Includes the protagonist's experiments in negative morality in Tangier (1949)
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• The Crossroads of the Medterranean by Henrik de Leeuw- chronicles the author's journey through Morocco and Tunisia in the early 1950's and includes many pages describing Tangier, notably the Petit Socco as a food market with mountain dwellers (the jebli) selling their produce and 'the street of male harlots', where they ply 'their shameful trade'.
• The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers
• The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain includes a mixed bag of comments on his visit to Tangier, ending with: "I would seriously recommend to the Government of the United States that when a man commits a crime so heinous that the law provides no adequate punishment for it, they make him Consul-General to Tangier."
• Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell mentions that Tangier is one of the four corners (borders) of the disputed area in the war between the three superstates. (Part 2, Chapter 9)

During the 1940's and 1950's Tangiers was an international zone. It was a playground for all kinds of eccentric types - artists, writers, millionaires, as well as more sinister crooks, secret agents and gamblers.

La Tangerina Hotel roof terrace overlooking
the straits of Gibraltar and the Medina

La Tangerina - possibly the best little hotel in the heart of Tangiers

Thanks to costasur for the info

Cotta an ancient Roman town that dates back to the 2nd and 3rd century

If you are visiting the Caves of Hercules you should also see the old 2nd and 3rd century Roman ruins of Cotta.

Cotta is only a five minute walk from the caves of Hercules. Head south and you"ll come to a small area of stone ruins just above the beach.




Here you'll see the remains of an ancient Roman town that dates back to the 2nd and 3rd century. After extensive excavation, archaeologists revealed several walled sections along with the layout of the Roman town.

As soon as you arrive, you'll probably be greeted by a local guide. He'll be more than happy to show you around.



Cotta is a mixture between a villa and a Roman industrial complex. There are temples, shrines, Roman baths, oils presses and a courtyard where they used to process oil and other products in large vats.

Like many other ancient Roman sites on the coast of Morocco, Cotta specialized in the manufacture of a pungent anchovy paste called "Garrum". It was made from fish guts, but the Romans loved the stuff.

For more information on interesting things to do and see whilst staying in La Tangerina Hotel please check our web site.




Thanks to Costasur for the info

The caves of Hercules only a short drive from La Tangerina

Located just outside Tangers is the Lighthouse at Cap Spartel which is a favourite stopping point, where you can sometimes see the extraordinary meeting of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; one turquoise and the other one dark blue.

The drive up to it is also stunning. Once you leave Tangiers, you'll find the air is tinged with pine and Eucalyptus scents. The views are like those on the Costa de la Luz with wide, deserted sandy beaches...



The caves of Hercules, located just 14kms west of Tangiers, are a place of stunning natural beauty and great archaeological significance. Apparently, this is where the mythical figure Hercules used to rest after finishing his 12 labours. In a fit of temporary insanity inflicted by the goddess Hera, Hercules killed his own son. As part of his sentence, Hercules had to perform twelve Labors, feats so difficult that they seemed impossible.

He became the embodiment of what the Greeks call "pathos", the experience of virtuous struggle and suffering lead to tremendous popularity, fame, and in his case, immortality.

Here are his 12 tasks:

1. Slay the Nemean Lion and bring back its fur.
2. Slay the Lernaean Hydra.
3. Capture the Ceryneian Hind.
4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
5. Clean the Augean stables.
6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
7. Capture the Cretan Bull.
8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
9. Obtain the Girdle of Hippolyte.
10. Obtain the Cows of Geryon.
11. Steal the Apples of the Hesperides.
12. Capture Cerberus, the guardian dog of Hades.

The mouths of the caves open up onto the Atlantic and are flooded at high tide. When the tide comes in, water gushes up through these massive holes in the ground and hillside. It's very impressive.



The caves are partly man-made and partly natural. It's not exactly sure how the caves were created. It's believed that for some reason, an ancient civilization used to carve millstones out of the solid rock that caused giant caves to form over the years. How these primitive people managed to cut into solid rock with simple and crude tools is still a mystery.

At low tide, the views inside caves looking out over the ocean are stunning, the colours in particular. The blue Atlantic Ocean and sky above resemble a reverse silhouette of Africa.



Swimming here can be quite dangerous. The currents offshore can get very strong. If you're not a strong swimmer, it's best to stick to sunbathing and you should also check out the Roman ruins at Cotta only 500 metres from the caves.


For more information on things you can do and see whilst staying at La Tangerina hotel please check our web site.


Thanks to costasur for the information