Tangier

Is Tangier safe?

Yes, for most visitors. Morocco recorded 1.7 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2023, according to UNODC data published by the World Bank, and the national police (DGSN) say violent crime fell 10% in 2025. Tangier, a port city of about 1.3 million people (2024 census) facing Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar, has no history of terrorist attacks that we could find.

The risks are the ones you meet across Morocco. The medina has its hustlers and pickpockets, thieves on motorbikes snatch bags, the roads kill more people every year, and winter storms can flood the city fast. We score Tangier 64, level with Casablanca, a point above Fez (63) and Marrakech (63).

Hustle, theft and the motorbike snatch

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says people posing as official guides commonly harass tourists, and that pickpocketing, bag snatching and drive-by motorbike theft of jewellery and handbags are common in medinas and on beaches. It also warns of card fraud and of goods swapped for cheaper ones after you pay.

The snatch is the crime most likely to hurt you. In early May 2025 a man on a motorbike tore a bag from a German tourist in Tangier, pulling her to the ground and injuring her face. He was caught on surveillance cameras, linked to other thefts and sentenced to 8 years in prison. To lower the risk:

• Carry your bag across your body and on the side away from the road.
• Do not walk along the kerb with your phone in your hand.
• Use cash machines inside banks; Canada says card fraud and theft at ATMs happen often.
• If a robber shows a knife, hand everything over. Canada says armed robberies have caused injuries and some deaths.

In the medina and the kasbah, agree any price before you accept a guided walk, and say no firmly to anyone who insists a street is closed.

Arriving by ferry

Many visitors arrive by boat from Spain. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says Morocco takes a zero-tolerance approach to drugs, including cannabis, with long jail sentences even for people in transit, and advises never accepting items from strangers or leaving bags unattended. If you bring a car, the authorities record its registration on entry and will not let you leave without the same vehicle. The FCDO also notes that accident report forms are sold at insurance booths in Tangier port.

Night and women alone

Gallup's 2025 survey found 68% of Moroccans feel safe walking alone at night. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises avoiding quiet areas, particularly after dark, and its warning about knife robberies covers big cities and beaches. Stick to busy streets in the evening and take a taxi back to your hotel rather than walk through empty lanes. The FCDO says women may receive unwanted attention, especially when alone; loose clothing that covers arms, legs and chest helps, and Canada advises tourist beaches over crowded public ones.

Roads, storms and health

Morocco's road safety agency NARSA counted 4,577 road deaths in 2025, up 25.5% in a year and about 12.7 per 100,000 people. Pedestrians and motorcyclists were 70% of the dead. Cross with care, and if you drive on to Chefchaouen or Tetouan, avoid the mountain roads at night, when the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns of poor lighting and animals on the road.

Tangier's climate is mild: ERA5 data show July highs averaging 30 °C in 2021–2025, and 40 °C was reached on only one day in five years. Winter rain is the real hazard. In February 2021 heavy rain flooded a basement textile workshop and killed at least 24 people. In February 2026 storms flooded homes in Beni Makada and other districts, and four people died in floods in nearby Tetouan. If heavy rain is forecast, stay out of underpasses and away from riverbeds. The 2023 Al Haouz earthquake struck about 570 km to the south.

The only WHO air figure for Tangier, an annual PM10 average of 57 µg/m³, dates from 2013. The FCDO calls public health care limited and private clinics better, so carry insurance. It also reports deaths from methanol in alcoholic drinks; drink only in licensed bars and hotels.

How we scored it

Violent crime (82) is Tangier's strongest factor, on a low national homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary. Traffic safety (48) is the weakest, followed by theft and scams (55), scored the same as Fez and Marrakech for the medina hustle and the motorbike snatchers. Natural hazards (70) reflect winter floods rather than heat. For the rest of the country, see our Morocco page.