Petit Socco and Medina Souks, Tangier

Petit Socco, the small square at the heart of the Tangier medina, and the narrow lanes around it, including Rue es-Siaghin, form the main souk district of old Tangier in northern Morocco. The area once belonged to the international zone era and still carries the feel of a cosmopolitan crossroads, with old cafes around the square that were frequented by writers and travellers. Shops along the lanes leading up towards the Kasbah sell woven textiles and blankets, leather babouches in many colours, spices and dried herbs, brass lamps and trays, ceramics, jewellery and a scattering of antiques and secondhand curios. As in most large Moroccan medinas, the mix leans towards souvenirs, but genuine craft shops and everyday stores for locals sit alongside them, so careful browsing turns up good quality leather goods, textiles and spices at fair prices. Items start from around 20 MAD for small objects and rise into the hundreds or thousands for carpets, brass and antiques. Bargaining is customary: vendors often open at two to three times the price they will accept, and a polite, patient counter-offer around half is a common starting point. Payment is mainly cash in dirhams, although larger carpet and craft shops may accept cards, and the tax-refund scheme for tourists applies only in registered stores with proper invoices. The lanes are crowded and lively, with the busiest hours in the late morning and afternoon, and many shops close for a time around Friday midday prayers. Food is easy to find: tiny stalls sell snacks and cafes around Petit Socco serve mint tea, coffee and pastries, while small restaurants in the surrounding alleys offer tagines and grilled fish. The must-visit corners include the spice stalls, the babouche shops, the antique dealers near the Kasbah and the old cafes on the square itself. Some touts offer unsolicited guiding, and a firm but polite refusal is usually enough.