Getting Around Tétouan
Tétouan is a compact city, and much of what a visitor wants to see sits in or near the centre. The practical upshot is that you can cover a lot of ground on foot, and fall back on taxis or buses for the rest. Public transport here is functional rather than polished, so a little patience and a sense of humour go a long way.
Walking
The city centre is quite small, and most tourist attractions and hotels are located there. For most visitors, this means there is really no need to use petite taxis for everyday sightseeing — you can simply walk between the sights.
One caveat worth knowing before you set out on foot: the CTM bus station and the non-CTM bus station are both in the centre, but the walk from the CTM station into the centre is a hike up a rather steep hill. If you are arriving with luggage, factor that climb in.
Rail, Metro and Tram
Tétouan has no metro or tram network, and no railway station of its own. Rail travel in the region is something you connect to rather than start from: Supratours offers combined tickets that comprise a bus to Tangier's train station followed by a train to anywhere else in Morocco. If you are arriving from Rabat or Casablanca, the usual route is via Tangier using the high-speed train, then onward to Tétouan by road.
Buses and Other Public Transport
There is a decent-sized public bus system in the city, though the buses are notorious for running late and being filthy. Local buses are an adventure, but they are obviously cheaper than a taxi.
For longer journeys, Tétouan sits on the Tangier–Fes/Meknes road, so it has the best connections with those cities, and some of those buses make a stopover in Chefchaouen. Long-distance buses are also available from other major Moroccan cities, but less frequently.
Two main bus stations serve the city, and both are in the centre:
- Gare routière — serves all bus companies except CTM. The Grand Taxi station is next to it. The station has ticket offices, toilets, an ATM and a large cafe with a terrace.
- CTM bus station — has a big waiting area and toilets, but no cafe. It sits on Avenue Hassan II.
Local city buses also run to nearby destinations such as the beach towns of Fnideq, Martil and M'Diq. The easiest place to board them is perhaps the main road, Avenue Hassan II, where the CTM bus station is located.
If you are heading to Ceuta, take bus number 35 from just outside the CTM terminal. It drops you in Fnideq, from where you can walk to the border; after the border there are buses on to the city centre.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are the workhorse of getting around Tétouan, and they come in two flavours.
Petite taxis handle trips within the city. They are very cheap, though the fare increases if you have luggage. If you are staying out along the road towards Martil — at hotels such as the Champs or Dreams — petite taxis and grand taxis are always available.
Grand taxis are the way to reach the nearby beaches, including Martil, Cabo Negro, Rincon, Marina Smir and Kabila. They are easily found at the bottom of Rue Moulay Abbas, the road running along the park, which has beautiful views of the Rif Mountains. The fare for a single passenger to Martil is 5 dirham, but if you want a little more room you should purchase two seats.
For less popular destinations such as Marina Smir, or for a more direct route to beaches like Cabo Negro and Kabila that would otherwise require two different grand taxi rides, you can bargain with the driver to purchase the whole taxi. This is often more expensive, but well worth it considering the time saved and the increased comfort. Drivers are often very happy to arrange to pick you up after their day at the beach, saving you time and hassle.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Sania Ramel Airport (TTU) is a small airport built by the Spanish colonial administration to serve Ceuta. It is mainly served by Ryanair and Moroccan airlines, offering domestic and international flights. There is not much to do inside: only one small coffee shop and intermittently working WiFi.
For getting to and from the airport, the only viable option is taxi. The Grand taxi stand is in front of the airport; those drivers are willing to go anywhere in Morocco, but prices are rather elevated — a short trip to the Tétouan bus station costs around 100 dirham.
To cut down the cost, walk a further 200 m off the airport to the busy road nearby, where petit taxis will charge only 20–25 dirham using the taximeter for the ride to the bus station or city centre.
If you cannot find a suitable flight into Tétouan, there are more international connections to the airports of Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and also Fez. From Rabat and Casablanca you can travel via Tangier with the high-speed train, and from Tangier and Fez there are intercity buses to Tétouan.