The coast and countryside around Tangier reward a day out. Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules are the classic half-day drive west, easily combined into a single afternoon.
Further afield, Asilah is the easiest full-day escape: a small fortified Atlantic town 45 km south, its whitewashed medina ringed by Portuguese ramparts and covered each August with festival murals. Trains from Tangier Ville take about 35 minutes.
For something more ambitious, the blue-washed mountain town of Chefchaouen sits 2,000 metres up in the Rif, two hours south by car or grand taxi. A day trip is feasible, but the town rewards an overnight stay if your schedule allows. The ancient Roman ruins at Lixus, near Larache, are also worth the drive south.
