Tangier

From Phoenician trading post to the mid-20th-century International Zone governed jointly by several powers, Tangier has long been a place apart. That cosmopolitan, anything-goes era gave it a mythic literary and artistic reputation that still colours the city's cafés and legends.

Reunited with Morocco in 1956 and long overlooked, Tangier has enjoyed a major revival this century, with heavy investment in its port, waterfront and old town restoring some of its former glamour.

Tangier feels Mediterranean and outward-looking, with a strong Spanish influence and a relaxed café culture. The medina is smaller and less overwhelming than Fès or Marrakech, and the light, that famous Tangier light, is reason enough to linger on a terrace at sunset.