Grand Socco and the Ville Nouvelle

What it is and what you see

The Grand Socco is the square that separates the Tangier medina from the new town, and the best point to start understanding it. Its official name is the Place du 9 Avril 1947, and "socco", in the Spanish form, recalls that it was an open-air market: until the mid-1950s, the central market occupied the square beneath large trees, which were then felled. The square was redone in 2005 and today has in the centre a large marble fountain surrounded by tall palms, flowerbeds and a dozen benches.

Around it there is a mosque, shops, banks, a pharmacy, cafés and simple restaurants with covered terraces, and the Cinéma Rif. One arch leads to the Mendoubia gardens; another, to Rue de la Kasbah or Rue d'Italie, which climbs through the medina towards the kasbah.

The Mendoubia and the 1947 speech

The date in the square's name comes from what happened next door. In the Mendoubia gardens, the former residence of the sultan's representative in the Tangier International Zone (1924–1956), the sultan Mohammed V delivered on 9 April 1947 the Tangier speech on Moroccan sovereignty. Today the building houses the commercial court and a museum devoted to the resistance and independence, and the gardens are a public park, with a large banyan that is said to be eight hundred years old and a monument with the full text of the speech.

From the square to the Ville Nouvelle

From the Grand Socco, the new town begins straight away. Continue to Place de France and the Gran Café de Paris, one of Tangier's historic cafés, opposite the French consulate, which was a meeting point for writers and spies in the years of the International Zone. Order a coffee or a tea on the terrace.

When and price

The square is always open and costs nothing. Allow about two hours for the square, the gardens and the walk to Place de France.

Getting there

On foot from the Tangier Ville port, where the Tarifa ferries arrive: the medina is about ten minutes' walk. If you arrive by train at Tangier Ville or from outside the centre, a petit taxi drops you at the square.

Practical tips

It is the natural gateway to the medina: from here Rue de la Kasbah climbs. With children, the fountain and benches of the square and the Mendoubia gardens serve as a rest between slope and slope. When you get off the ferry, do not accept the first person who offers a hotel or a guide: they usually charge commission. To end the day, the Café Hafa has terraces over the Strait.