Taza travel guide

Taza, Morocco

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Taza

Introduction

Taza sits in northern Morocco, occupying the corridor between the Rif mountains and the Middle Atlas. It lies roughly 120 km east of Fez and 150 km south of Al Hoceima, and serves as the capital of Taza Province.

Before you go

Taza sits on the historic passage between the Rif and the Middle Atlas, a position that has shaped its role as a crossroads for centuries. The city has two distinct halves: the Medina, or Taza-Haut, built up on a plateau, and the Ville Nouvelle, or Taza-Bas, laid out by the French in the valley after 1914. Plan your days around this split — the sights you'll most want to see, including the Great Mosque, the Medersa Bou Abul Hassan, the Andalusian Mosque and the souks around the Jemaa es-Souk, are up in the Medina, while the Ville Nouvelle is where you'll find the Place de l'Indépendance and the main shopping streets, Avenue Mohammed V and Rue Allal Ben Abdullah.

It helps to know a little about local rhythms before you arrive. The Ville Nouvelle's cafés are mostly the preserve of men, though you can find places where a woman can feel comfortable. Tazi women tend to be out shopping and running errands in the morning and at noon, and in the early evening the streets fill with both men and women before thinning out to men later on. Younger residents gather at the cinema or in the internet-cafés, which are opening in growing numbers, mainly in the Ville Nouvelle. Taza's history as a capital, a garrison town and a provincial seat is written into its mosques, medersas and fortifications, so a bit of background reading will make what you see far more legible.

Getting there

To reach Taza by rail, use the trains run by the Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF); the train station, Gare de Taza, sits in the north of the Ville Nouvelle (Taza-Bas) on Avenue de la Gare. Buses are another option, and the Compagnie de Transport au Maroc (CTM) is among the more reliable and comfortable operators, stopping at the Place de l'Indépendance, though services sometimes run late. For nearby towns such as Fez and Oujda, grands taxis are faster and cheaper than buses or trains. They are usually shared with other passengers, or you can negotiate with the driver for sole use if you are willing to spend a little more. Note that grands taxis often lack seat-belts, which is worth considering if you are travelling with children. They arrive and depart near the train station in the Ville Nouvelle.

Getting around

Taza's two-part layout shapes how you move around it. The old town, Taza Haut, is walled and sits higher on its terrace, while the Ville Nouvelle, Taza-Bas, occupies the plain below. Getting around therefore often means travelling between the upper medina and the lower new town, and because the old town sits at a higher elevation, moving between the two involves a climb or a descent. The city's shape has been described as a "T", with its root in the high town stretching north toward the Oued Larbaâ and growth spreading east and west along the N6 between Fez and Oujda. The historic quarters are best explored on foot: the old town's main thoroughfare runs past the Grain Market and the souks, where wickerwork, tapestries and jewellery are sold, before ending at a square that doubles as a parade ground and is home to the Al-Andalous Mosque. Bab el-Qebbour Street crosses the Kissaria and leads to the Market Mosque, where it meets Bab Jamaa gate, the main point of entry to Taza, and further south, across from Bab el-Rih, a 16th-century bastion closes the ring around the kasbah.

For longer trips, the train station, Gare de Taza, sits a few kilometres below the centre, in the north of the Ville Nouvelle on Avenue de la Gare, and arriving by rail is described as easy and comfortable; the network is run by ONCF, which publishes timetables and fares online in French and Arabic. Several bus companies serve the city, with CTM singled out as possibly the most reliable and comfortable option, stopping at the Place de l'Indépendance. For nearby towns such as Fez and Oujda, grands taxis are an option described as faster and cheaper than buses or trains; they are usually shared, though you can negotiate with the driver to take one by yourself, and they arrive and depart near the train station in the Ville Nouvelle. Note that grands taxis often lack seat-belts, and that buses sometimes arrive late. Taza also has its own airport, but ground-transport links from it into the city are not described, so confirm your onward options before arrival and consider arranging a taxi or checking with your accommodation. As a general orientation, the main transport hubs — the train station and the grands taxi stands — are both in the Ville Nouvelle, which is also where CTM buses stop.

Where to stay

Most of Taza's places to stay cluster in the Ville Nouvelle, within easy reach of the CTM bus stop and the central squares. The Grand Hôtel Du Dauphiné sits on Avenue Prince Héritier Sidi Mohammed beside the Place de l'Indépendance, an Art-déco building with clean en-suite rooms at a low price and friendly, obliging service; note that there is no heating in winter. The Hotel Guillaume Tell, also by the Place de l'Indépendance on Rue Allal Ben Abdallah, offers big rooms with sinks, but the shared facilities are not always inviting and the fittings are basic.

Between Taza-Bas and Taza-Haut, in Quartier El-Messaoudia near the Boulevard Bel Hassan al Ouazzani and the Boulevard de 3 Mars, the Hotel Friouato provides clean rooms with private bathrooms, hot showers and televisions in a slightly old-fashioned style, with heating in winter and friendly service. A Hotel Boujida is also listed among the city's options.

Food & drink

Eating options in Taza are limited, so plan around a handful of reliable spots. Les Deux Rives is a renovated, clean little restaurant in Mediterranean style with prettily decorated tables, serving salads, tajines, pastilla, pizza and soups. The Grand Hôtel Du Dauphiné also has a decent restaurant if you want a more substantial meal. For something cheap, Snack Chez Amigos is one of a couple of chicken or sandwich options in town. Patisserie Al-Ahram covers sweets, with ice cream and a good choice of pastries, plus WiFi access. For breakfast or a drink, Café Picasso on Avenue Mohammed V is a good choice if you want to eat outside your hotel. Unlike most other cafés, it is not exclusively frequented by men, so you can feel very comfortable as a woman, and the service is very good.

What to see and do

Walk the circuit around the Medina walls, which makes for a fine promenade with viewpoints over the surrounding valleys. Much of the fortification was built in medieval times under the Almohades, with later additions and reinforcements by the Merinides and Saadites; parts have crumbled, and reconstruction proceeds slowly for lack of funds. On the western stretch you pass the Tour Es-Sarragine, the so-called Saracen tower, square at its base and round at the top, with a view towards the Middle Atlas and adjacent Almohade-era fortifications.

When to go

Taza has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, with cool winters and hot summer days, and it can receive up to 900 mm of rain a year. Because the city sits along the Atlas Mountains, winter is the cool season: days are mild rather than freezing, but this is when the year's rain is most likely to fall, so expect wet spells and grey skies if you visit then.

Three days in Taza

Day one: Start in the Medina, the old heart of Taza, and let the lanes pull you between the Bas and the Haut. Seek out the Great Mosque and the Medersa Bou Abul Hassan, then the Andalusian Mosque, and take your time around the Jemaa and the Souk. Come back through Place Indépendance and follow Avenue Mohammed and Rue Allal Ben Abdullah, where the day's business spills into the street.

Day two: Cross into the Ville Nouvelle, the French-built quarter laid out on its own Plan, and notice how the pace changes from the Medina. Walk the Avenue and the Ville Nouvelle's grid, then make your way to the Gare and the Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF) if you are planning to move on. Buses run by Compagnie de Transport au Maroc (CTM) are the other way out, toward Fez or Al Hoceima.

Day three: Give the day to Taza Province and the country around the city, where the Rif meets the Middle Atlas. Tazi and the Younger are the names you will hear for the two halves of the Medina, so use them to orient yourself before you leave. If you have time before your bus or train, return to the Souk and Place Indépendance for a last look at the Medina.

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