The Perfect Day in Tetouan: Your Travel Guide to Pajama City

Why Tetouan Deserves a Spot on Your Morocco Itinerary

I have a very strong opinion on what a perfect day in Tetouan looks like. Personally, it is one of my favourite cities in Morocco, and one of the most underestimated stops on any northern Morocco itinerary. Tetouan is officially nicknamed the White Dove, but I know it as Pajama City, for its uncanny selection of pyjama shops and its fierce devotion to Spanish merienda culture, the beloved tradition of naptime and afternoon snacks that survived long after the Spanish protectorate ended. This Tetouan Morocco travel guide covers everything you need for one unforgettable day in the city.

Most travellers passing through northern Morocco make a beeline for Chefchaouen and skip Tetouan entirely. That is a mistake. Tetouan sits just 40 kilometres from Tangier and about the same distance from Chefchaouen, making it the perfect addition to any northern Morocco trip without adding significant travel time.

What makes Tetouan different from every other Moroccan medina city is the Spanish layer baked into its identity. Decades of Spanish protectorate rule left behind a bilingual population, a passion for afternoon sweets, and an entire neighbourhood built in colonial Spanish style; all sitting shoulder to shoulder with a UNESCO-listed Andalusian medina dating back to the 15th century.

We are not going to the nearby beaches today. Instead, we are going to appreciate this city for its historic charm and its remarkable mix of Spanish culture and traditional Moroccan medina life. One day in Tetouan is enough to feel it properly, if you know where to go.

Morning: Breakfast at Riad Darna and the Tetouan Medina

The day has to start at Riad Darna, specifically on their rooftop terrace for breakfast. The view is breathtaking! One thing you will learn quickly if you stay here is that each morning the breakfast gets bigger and better: fresh msemen, honey, argan oil, and whatever fruit is in season. It sets the tone for the entire day.

Once you are fuelled up, it is time for my favourite mid-morning activity: pyjama shopping in the old medina. If you are not staying at Riad Darna, I recommend entering through Baab Okla, my favourite arched entryway in all of Tetouan, sitting directly across from the historic school of craftsmanship. Tetouan’s medina is wonderfully manageable compared to the overwhelming scale of Fes el-Bali or the tourist pressure of Marrakech‘s Jemaa el-Fna. You can explore on your own for a couple of hours without the high-pressure unofficial guides that follow you through bigger medinas.

Inside, you will discover shops overflowing with Moroccan argan oils and natural cosmetics, a whole street dedicated to live birds and hand-pulled taffy (a strange and colourful combination), and courtyards full of handmade linens and embroidery. And yes, get yourself some new pajamas.

Mid-Morning: The Gold Souk, Wedding Dresses, and the Royal Palace Plaza

Eventually, you will find a covered pathway with an intricate wooden canopy stretching above you. Follow that canopy. It will lead you through the street of gold jewellery and wedding dress shops, eventually depositing you in Michouar Square, where the Royal Palace stands.

The transition from the tight, sensory medina into that grand palace plaza is one of the best architectural contrasts in all of Morocco. One moment you are squeezed between shoppers and tight medina paths; the next, you are standing in a vast open square facing a palace.

By this point you have earned a refreshment. On the far right side of the plaza, look for the massive palm trees with ivy climbing up the trunks. Take a seat at one of the cafes there and order a café au lait or an atay chamali: mint tea served in a tall glass, the Tetouan way. Settle in for a game of backgammon or parcheesi.

Afternoon: Spanish Merienda and the Best Snack in Morocco

In the afternoon, the city transitions into merienda time, the Spanish custom of afternoon sweets and coffee that Tetouan has absorbed completely into its identity. While there are plenty of places serving flan and pastries, you have to go to Cafeteria Sidi Khay for the one thing I have not found anywhere else in Morocco: a batbout, a soft bread roll filled with fried liver and green olives.

I know exactly how that sounds. Trust me anyway. It is one of the most satisfying savoury snacks in the entire country, and the fact that it exists only in Tetouan makes it worth the trip on its own. Pair it with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice and eat it standing at the counter like a local.

Before dinner, walk through Mercado Central, a genuinely strange and enjoyable little market housed inside a beautifully preserved historic building that most visitors walk straight past. If you have any interest in contemporary Moroccan art, make time for the Tetouan Modern Art Center as well. Morocco is globally recognised for its craftsmanship and decorative arts, but painting and sculpture rarely get the attention they deserve. Stopping here is a worthwhile show of support for the Moroccan artists who are pushing that conversation forward.

Evening: Dinner Tetouan-Style and Gelato on the Promenade

For dinner, head to Novadoss. They serve the most popular Moroccan taco in town, a local institution, and their chicken tender box. Order your food ‘a emporté’, which means to-go, and carry it down the street to Feddan Park.

Unless it is raining heavily, you do not eat inside in Tetouan in the evening. You eat in the park’s open plaza, which fills up with families, teenagers, and groups of friends from around 7pm onwards. It is the local hotspot for exactly the kind of unhurried evening that every Tetouan resident considers completely normal and every visitor finds unexpectedly moving.

To finish the night, walk to the main street again to Heladería Pastelería La Glacial for gelato. It is some of the best I have ever eaten, and I have eaten a considerable amount of gelato across Italy. Enjoy your scoop as you stroll down the Spanish promenade just as the street lights come on. There are no bars or pubs in this part of town. Tetouan is about the strolls, the people-watching, and the plazas. It always has been. It is a perfect day.