Tangier Travel Forum

Hi guys, I have a friend in Tangier wanting me to visit him, so I am not concerned about when I would be with him and his family, but I keep hearing about the fact that Morocco being a Muslim country is not friendly at all when it comes to women, and I do have to get there myself, and I will have my 6 year old daughter with me, so i am concerned.. any advice? can anyone give me an idea of what to expect, what i should wear or not wear etc?? These are questions I would never think about normally...should I be thinking about covering up??? if so.. not going!

Donīt worry at all!! But as always when travelling as a woman alone - especially in Muslim countries - just do not wear oversexy clothes. You will see there all kinds of dressed women - from covered ones til sexy short skirts. Just dress normal and you will have no problems at all. Silvia

Well covering up does not mean that you wear a Berka [probably wrong spelling]

Think I'm going to meet my boyfriends Granny and Mother and then going to church, cover up.

People will try to sell you stuff on the streets that can be heavy going when alone they will persist and they could be a few of them.

Many western people including women visit Morocco especially Tangier so you will be safe.

But do cover up when going to a Mosque like you would going to church on Sunday.

Walking alone on the streets dressed as if your on Venice Beach CA is a bad idea.

Be considerate that you are in a Muslim country but don't worry too much.
Just use common sense.

itīs not dangorous to travel in morocco as a single woman, but it might be a little tiring at times because of all the wanna be casanovas and other hustklers.
best thing ios just to tell them off if they get too much up in your face.
remember that there is nothing guys in macho countries fear more than a woman who can speak up for herself.

i would certainly say go for it.
morocco is a fantasic country.
just prepare yourself for a different culture and you will be fine.

I went to Tangier in January with my boyfriend and I didnt like it at all..in fact I didnt really like anywhere we went as I was normally the only woman waling on the street amidst hundreds of Moroccan men. It was very bizarre...I guess all the women were at home cooking..I dont know! I loved the towns we went to Asilah and Chefchouene but not Tangier....I dont think anything bad will come to a female traveller who knows how to look after herself and doesnt do anything silly, bt it was just the feeling of being the only woman around that was odd. I found people to be friendly in the two smaller towns that we went to and of course, if you speak French or Spanish which we did that helps a great deal too. And as long as youre not wearing strappy tops and showing lots fo flesh, Im sure you wont feel uncomfortable being there.

You've already got some reasonable advice but in the end it comes down to common sense and sensitivity.

I live in Casablanca (over 10 years now) and come through Tangiers roughly once a month. I've done most of the routes and made ALL the mistakes. If you need any advice on how NOT to do things, I'm definitely your man! :o)

tangier in general is the biggest hustler place in morocco, but itīs only in the old part of town (the kasbah).

in the new part of town youīll see plenty of young gorls walking around and hustling is not bad.
the problem is of course that the kasbah is the most interesting and exotic part of town, so of course you wannna see that.
if you are in town for more than a few days you will quickly stay clear of the kasbah though and find your favorite haunts in the new part of town.
i once spend a couple of weeks in tangier writing an article and found a couple of nice tea houses in the new part of town where i sat a few hours a day.
i was never hustled once there.
one boy made an attempt to beg money from me once but was chased away by the owner of the teahouse.

Thank you to all of you who have replied, you have put my mind alot more at ease. :-) I guess I was panicked as i have not gonne to a Muslim country before..I definitely would not walk around in short skirts and singlets anyway, so I think I will be fine. :-)

Hi, i like Catchaseiros reference to the place being quite okay to travel around independently and on your own as a female but the place is full of wannabe casanovas and hustlers - its pretty full on! and i reckon especially us Aussies and Kiwis can be pretty naive and gullible - because we are too generally nice and honest! and they can read that so it takes being firm with boundaries set and just politely ignore them.
the hustlers everywhere do become quite exhausting but just bear in the mind the potentials of finding casanova approaches quite tempting as they can seem to be very realistic without the obvious smarmy greasy charming that we usually can read and run from, they learn from an early age to charm and manipulate and with the whole romantic atmosphere of such a country with such diversity, adventure and colour which seem to pull at our heart strings we can get put in vulnerable positions that we wouldnt normally dream of being bothered by in other places.
safety wise its one of the safest and liberal islamic countries but still be careful of course, there are still reports of crime, pickpocketing and violent attacks but not so often. most of the crime is really in the rip off prices that the merchants try to rip tourists off with. money on legs rather than respected visitors and customers. they will start with triple the price and then you are expected to have some clout and haggle, if you are happy to pay their price easily then i guess you are regarded as silly enough to deserve to be ripped off. and nationalities tend to be put on some pecking order ie japanese or americans first and so on.
Aussies are very well regarded as great partner potential as they come from a well regarded prospective country to move to - so mind that you have good passport value!!
and thats the sum of it, Moroccans as nice as they are, as hospitable and kind and honourable many are, there are many who just see people as whatever they can get out of them, will happily rip tourists off with exhorbitant prices and crap product or service quality, or worse charm women for money, ego/prestige and then lucky jackpot a passport out of the country that for many of the population is very very difficult to get out of or ahead in.

I was there last week with my 2 daughters 12, 9 and my son 11. Admittedly my husband was with us but we did a lot of wandering round on our own as he was working and I found people more freindly than you ever find in the UK. Yes Ok you get hassled by vendors a bit but get away from the main drag in the medina and its fine. Kids loved it
Just have respect for their culture with clothes. No boob tubes and mini skirts. Tangier is very internatioanl but wearing skimpy clothes not a good idea.
Enjoy it, we did

Thank you, I feel alot more comfortable now. :) I'm really looking forward to it. :)

Hi,
I just came back from Morocco from the completely 'female' journey. We were 3 girls travelling without male company and it wasn't a problem at all. I understand your concerns, I felt the same. But now after coming back I can assure you that it isn't as dangerous and risky as it seems to. of course you must be careful and reasonable but that's a rule that should be obeyed everywhere, not only in Morocco.
btw it's an amazing country! have a nice stay:-)

If you go, do not take your daughter. Moroccans will not accept you and your daughter. You are not a virgin and his family will not accept you. He is giving you hipe. Don't go. Make him come to you.

A little harsh of a response wasnt that?....and about 8 months too late for advice!!

he's just a sexually frustrated loser who can't find a girl and then turns his anger on other people.

he acts just like the little man he is.

Hi guys, thank you all for all your advise...well..except for one. I did go,
and i did take my daughter, and had a great time. I met up with my friend and loved Tangier, (and no i did not meet his family - but i was not there to meet them anyway - it was a platonic situation - was not trying to marry him) travelled by train to Marrakesh..that was the only tiring thing I would not recommend. The trains are not comfortable, and it's a long journey. Having said that, it was a cheap way to do it. My daughter enjoyed it too, only it did get a bit too hot some days for her, no so much by the sea, but inland definitely. She found the 'driving' in Morocco very amusing, and even today if you ask her what she remembers about Morocco, her reply will be "there are crazy drivers everywhere!" I felt safe all the time, and like some of you said, they are all friendly, and will generally leave you alone, you just have to stand your ground. I spent just over a week altogether in Morroco, and did feel that was enough. As for not being a Virgin, well funny enough, no one ever came up to me and accused me of anything of the sort (amazing isn't it) no cafe or restaurant denied me entry, all men smiled, all women were pleasant..If i took advise like that, i would not leave my home now would I???????