Private full-day trip · From $230 per person
Roman Lixus & Larache Day Trip from Tangier
About 85 km south of Tangier, on a green hill above the Loukkos river, stand the Roman and Phoenician ruins of Lixus — and below them, the faded Spanish-colonial port of Larache. Spend a private full day among the ruins and the old town, with your own driver and a local guide, and be back in Tangier by evening.
Yes — you can take a Roman Lixus & Larache day trip from Tangier, and it's the north's best heritage day out. The two sit about 85 km south on the Atlantic coast, a little over an hour to roughly an hour and a half each way, so a full day covers the hilltop Roman and Phoenician ruins of Lixus, the Spanish-colonial old town of Larache and a seafood lunch by the river mouth. Our private trip — vehicle, driver, local guide and hotel pickup — starts from $230 per person, and has you back in Tangier by evening.
What's included in the day trip
The private day takes the friction out of the coast road south — the driving, the parking, the language, and finding the Lixus turn-off and the right path up the hill — and hands you two thousand years of history with a local guide who can read the ruins and the colonial streets for you.
- Private vehicle with driver and fuel
- Local guide at Lixus and Larache
- Lixus site entrance
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Tangier
- Bottled water
Not included: lunch in Larache and tips for your driver and guide — so you pick your own seafood spot by the Loukkos river mouth. For background before you go, read our guide to a day trip to Larache and Lixus.
The tour this day is built on
Lixus and Larache, privately
This is the real, bookable tour behind the page. Tap through for the full itinerary, the route map and live private departures.
Full dayRoman Lixus & Larache
A full day down the Atlantic coast to the hilltop Roman ruins of Lixus and the old Spanish-Moroccan port of Larache at the mouth of the Loukkos river.
- Roman and Phoenician ruins at Lixus
- Hilltop theatre, baths and garum (fish-sauce) works
- Larache's Spanish-colonial old town
- The Loukkos river mouth and harbour
A day on the Roman coast, hour by hour
A typical private day — we reshape the timing around your hotel, your pace and whether you want longer among the ruins, in Larache's old town or over a slow seafood lunch by the water.
- 09:00
Drive south
Tangier → Lixus
Pickup in Tangier and the coastal drive south past Asilah toward Larache.
- 10:45
Roman Lixus
Lixus
Guided walk through the hilltop ruins — theatre, baths and the ancient salt-fish works.
- 12:30
Larache old town
Larache
Explore the Spanish-era streets and the Place de la Libération, then lunch by the harbour.
- 16:30
Return to Tangier
Tangier
Drive back up the coast to Tangier.
Why Lixus and Larache make a great day
Ancient ruins almost to yourself
Lixus is one of the oldest cities in Morocco, with Phoenician roots and substantial Roman remains spread across a green hill above the Loukkos river — a theatre-amphitheatre, bath complex, temple foundations and the large salt-fish works that produced garum. It sees a fraction of the visitors of Volubilis, so you often have the hillside and its river-and-sea views nearly to yourself.
A faded Spanish-colonial port
Below the ruins, Larache still wears its Spanish past — blue-and-white architecture, the circular Plaza de España, now the Place de la Libération, and a working harbour at the river mouth. It is an atmospheric, uncrowded town to walk, very different in feel from the medinas inland, and a reminder of the years when the north was under Spanish administration.
An easy full day down the Atlantic coast
At roughly an hour and a half each way, Lixus and Larache make a comfortable full day from Tangier with your own driver and guide — no mountain passes, just the coast road south past Asilah. There is time for the ruins, the old town and a fresh-off-the-boat seafood lunch by the harbour before the easy drive back.
The same coast, the next town north
Pair it with whitewashed Asilah
Larache sits just down the coast from Asilah, the whitewashed art town with its Portuguese ramparts and painted medina. Many guests do Asilah on its own afternoon, or we combine the two for a longer coastal day — it's a real, bookable tour too.
Half dayAsilah Ramparts & Art Walls
A half-day south to Asilah — the small, whitewashed Atlantic town with Portuguese ramparts, a blue-and-white medina and the murals painted each summer for its arts festival.
Other tours from Tangier
Prefer the blue city, the white medina or the whole north?
If the Romans aren't quite your day, these are other real, private trips from Tangier — including a multi-day northern circuit. Tap any tour for its full itinerary and live departures.
Full dayChefchaouen Blue City Day Trip
A full day from Tangier into the Rif mountains to Chefchaouen — the blue-painted medina, the Plaza Uta el-Hammam, the kasbah and the Spanish Mosque viewpoint.
Full dayAndalusian Tetouan & Martil Coast
A full day east to Tetouan — the Andalusian 'white dove' whose medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — and the Mediterranean beach town of Martil.
5 daysThe Blue North — Five Days
Five private days across the north: two in Tangier and the Strait, a night in blue Chefchaouen, the Atlantic ramparts of Asilah and the Andalusian medina of Tetouan.
Practical: planning the day
- Take the guide at the ruins. Lixus is unfenced and lightly signed, so a local guide turns scattered stone into a theatre, baths and garum works — it's where the day comes alive.
- Wear sturdy shoes. The Lixus site climbs a grassy, uneven hillside with loose stone underfoot — comfortable, grippy footwear makes the walk up much easier.
- Come hungry for the harbour. Larache lands its own catch at the Loukkos river mouth, so lunch is fresh Atlantic seafood — bring a sun hat and water for the open hillside beforehand.
- Tell us your arrival point. Hotel, Tangier Ville port or Tanger Med — we build the full day around your timing and send a written quote within 24 hours.
Frequently asked
Can you visit Roman Lixus and Larache as a day trip from Tangier?
Yes — Lixus and Larache make a relaxed full-day trip from Tangier. They sit about 85 km south down the Atlantic coast, a little over an hour to roughly an hour and a half each way, so a full day comfortably covers the hilltop Roman and Phoenician ruins of Lixus, the Spanish-colonial old town of Larache and a seafood lunch by the Loukkos river mouth — and has you back in Tangier by evening. Our private trip starts from $230 per person, with hotel pickup, a private vehicle and a local guide.
What is Lixus and what will I see at the ruins?
Lixus is an ancient city on a hill above the Loukkos river near Larache, with Phoenician origins and substantial Roman remains. With a local guide you walk the theatre-amphitheatre, the bath complex, temple foundations and the large salt-fish works that once produced garum (Roman fish sauce). It is one of the oldest sites in Morocco and far quieter than Volubilis, so you often have the hillside nearly to yourself.
How far is Larache from Tangier?
About 85 km, a little over an hour by road down the Atlantic coast — though we hedge toward an hour and a half to allow for traffic and the turn-off to the Lixus hill. Combined with the ruins it makes a comfortable full-day outing rather than a rushed half-day, with time to walk Larache's old town and eat by the harbour.
What's included in the private Lixus and Larache day trip?
A private air-conditioned vehicle with driver and fuel, hotel pickup and drop-off in Tangier, a local guide at Lixus and Larache, the Lixus site entrance, and bottled water on board. Lunch in Larache and tips for your driver and guide are not included, so you choose your own seafood spot by the river mouth.
Is Lixus worth visiting if I've already seen Volubilis?
They complement each other rather than compete. Volubilis, near Meknes, is the grander and more excavated Roman site; Lixus is older, wilder and almost empty, spread across a green hill above the river with sweeping views and few other visitors. For travellers based in the north, Lixus offers genuine Roman and Phoenician ruins without the long drive south — and pairs with a faded colonial port town that Volubilis can't.
Is the trip private, and can it start from a cruise ship or Tanger Med?
Yes — it's entirely private, for one to six travellers, with the vehicle and driver-guide yours alone. We can begin and end at your Tangier hotel, the Tangier Ville port or the Tanger Med ferry port, so ferry arrivals from Spain and cruise passengers can fit the day in too. Tell us your arrival point and timing when you book and we build the day around your return.
Private · From $230 per person · 1–6 travellers
Spend a day among the Romans of the Atlantic coast.
Send your dates and we'll build a private Lixus & Larache day around your party — with your driver, local guide and a written quote within 24 hours.
Plan my Lixus & Larache day