Everywhere Em: Tetouan, Morocco
My first time on the continent of Africa! Here's what I did in Tetouan.
Tetouan (also spelled Tetuan in Spanish), is located on the Northeast coast of Morocco. Conveniently only an hour and half flight from my local Alicante airport in Spain, Tetuan is an easy entry point for Spaniards visiting their Southern neighbors. I wouldn’t call the coastal city of Tetuan a touristy place in brisk December, but there must be a considerable amount of Spanish tourists there at other times of year as I saw that - aside from Arabic of course - Spanish was the common language there. For this reason, I had an interesting time visiting as an American living in Spain. Even the “touristy” restaurants felt novel to me, as their “international” breakfasts catered to the Spanish palette, not an American one, and I primarily spoke Spanish with waiters and shopkeepers.
Tetuan is a charming city with white buildings adorned in green-painted details and lush grass and palm trees, all set in the foreground of sprawling mountains. I landed on visiting Tetuan simply out of convenience, since I could book a short, cheap, direct flight. Regardless, I felt like I had a true Moroccan experience here. One of my primary takeaways from Tetuan was the friendliness. Between the visiting stray cats that will join you for breakfast, or the locals selling homemade pastries who are proud to share their culture with you, Tetuan was the perfect primary destination for my first time in the country.
The Medina
Medinas in Morocco refer to the historic center of the city. So while Tetuan is not unique in having a medina as far as Morocco goes, it’s medina was particularly spectacular to me. Maze-like with narrow, dark walkways, the medina is comes alive with vendors sometime after 9am.
We left our hotel around 8am on a Saturday morning, hoping to get some exploring in before our travel to the next city later that day, but we found that Tetuan can be quite sleepy in the mornings. It was peaceful, really. After a few hours, the medina slowly stirred with life. Small, discreet doors open that you hadn’t noticed before. The walkways become even more narrow as vendors lay their goods on the ground atop tarps. Small trailers pulled by motorcycles carry crates of chickens. A butcher shop opens, slightly gruesome as someone hacks away at a cow carcass.
At one moment in the medina you will encounter dirty streets, urine and blood and feathers. And in the next you will purchase the most perfectly buttery pastry, filled with dates and peanuts and— ooh, is that rosewater? People will pass you and weave in and out — carting their own purchases, perhaps visiting a mosque. They will speak a language you don’t understand, shouting back and forth. And next they will speak to you in Spanish and welcome you: Bienvenidos a Marruecos!
Riad Darna Hostel
Located in the labyrinth that is the medina of Tetuan, the Riad Darna offers a clean, comfortable, affordable, and quaint stay for travelers. The hostel has two rooftops, where you can enjoy a complimentary Moroccan mint tea as you watch the sun rise (or for sunset, whatever suits you).
We were kindly greeted at the incense-filled lobby and checked in. We only stayed one night, but I slept soooo well there. In Morocco, the sun sets early and folks seem to go to bed quite early as well. There’s no drinking or fiestas. This was a relaxing and welcomed change in pace from Spain, where bedtimes are somewhere around 11pm or midnight and I have learned to fall asleep to the sound of reggaeton and fireworks.
Tanneries
My friend had recommended checking out the tannery after she had toured one before in another city of Morocco. Tetuan, not exactly accustomed to having tourists, didn’t have any real tannery tours. We were quite free-flowing in our trip planning anyway, so we simply stumbled upon the tannery while walking through the medina. We were greeted by a man working there who invited us to come walk through it at our leisure.
At the tanneries you’ll find huge vats of dye embedded in rock on the floor of the open-air space. Additionally, you’ll see hide after hide of animal along with dark, unidentified liquids that you can’t differentiate between dye and blood. I found some of the sights a bit intense for me, but overall it gave me an appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into leathermaking. After checking out the tannery, you can shop around that area of the medina and purchase leather goods made in that very place.
The Royal Palace of Tetouan
After exiting the old-world medina and entering into the modern city center of Tetuan, you will stumble upon the main plaza of the city which houses the Royal Palace of Tetuan. It’s a functioning palace where royalty lives, so you can’t get close or go inside. However, the intricate gold and green detailing and it’s sprawling size are beautiful to take in, even from behind a barricade.
El Feddan Park
El Feddan Park is a large plaza just outside the medina and beyond the Royal Palace. Here you can take in the beautiful Moroccan architecture of the public square. In the center, you’ll find a covered fountain with water. Additionally, you’ll encounter plenty of friendly street cats ready to photobomb your snapshots :)
