Larache has two distinct faces. The old medina is compact and navigable — a tight grid of whitewashed lanes with a central souk, a few mosques, and the usual mixture of butchers, bakers, and hardware shops serving the local population rather than tourists. It is worth an hour on foot, especially the market area near the central square.
Adjacent to the medina is the new town built during the Spanish protectorate (1912–1956). The Spanish left behind wide avenues, arcaded ground floors, and buildings in white and blue with wrought-iron balconies. The main plaza, with its fountain and café terraces, has the feel of a small Spanish town dropped on the Moroccan coast. This colonial legacy gives Larache a character distinct from Arab-Berber cities further south — more relaxed, more café culture, more of a place where people sit and watch the world go by.
The archaeological museum, housed in an old Spanish citadel near the main square, holds finds from Lixus including pottery, coins, and inscriptions. It is small but well worth the modest admission fee.