Things to do · Larache
South down the Atlantic coast from Tangier, Larache is a faded Spanish-built port with blue-and-white streets, while just across the river the ancient ruins of Lixus climb a quiet hill. Together they make an unhurried, history-rich day far from the tour-bus circuit.
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One of Morocco's oldest settlements, Lixus holds Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman remains spread over a hillside above the Loukkos river — including a theatre, baths and fish-salting tanks, with broad views over the estuary.
Larache's compact whitewashed medina, with its distinctive blue trim and Spanish-influenced layout, runs down toward the old port. The central Place de la Libération and the arched market are its calm, photogenic heart.
The grand circular plaza, laid out in the Spanish colonial era, anchors the town with its arcades and palms. It is the natural place to start a wander, linking the medina, the seafront and the old Spanish quarter.
The 'Stork's Fortress', a 16th-century Spanish-built citadel above the medina, recalls Larache's era as a fortified Iberian outpost. Its ramparts give a vantage over the river mouth and the town below.
The wetlands where the Loukkos river meets the Atlantic are rich in birdlife and lined with traditional salt pans. The estuary separates the town from Lixus and frames the ruins on their hill.
A balcony-walk above the Atlantic and a long beach across the river give Larache an easy, breezy seafront. Fresh fish from the working port is the reward for lunch before the drive back north.
The French writer Jean Genet, who loved Morocco, chose to be buried in the old Spanish cemetery above the sea at Larache. The simple grave on the bluff is a quiet pilgrimage for readers passing through.
Larache is about 90 km south of Tangier down the Atlantic coast, roughly a 75-to-90-minute drive via the motorway. That makes it a comfortable day trip, easily combined with the Lixus ruins just across the river.
Lixus is one of the oldest known settlements in Morocco, with layers of Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman occupation spread across a hill above the Loukkos estuary near Larache. Visitors can see a Roman theatre, baths and the large fish-salting tanks that once produced garum.
Yes, if you like quieter, atmospheric towns off the main tourist trail. Larache offers a Spanish-influenced medina, a grand colonial plaza, an old kasbah and a relaxed Atlantic seafront, paired with the major ancient site of Lixus next door.
Easily. The two sit on opposite banks of the Loukkos river, only a few minutes apart by car, so a single day from Tangier comfortably covers the Lixus ruins in the morning and the Larache medina and seafront in the afternoon.
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