Day trip to Tangier

Last May we used Aziz Benami who was listed in the 2016 RS Spain guidebook. We made the arrangements via email but he does have a US toll-free phone number. We picked up the ferry tix in Tarifa, his guide (not Benami himself) met us in Tangier and spent the day with just the two of us. It was very good and we recommend him. Have a great trip.

Thank you.

My son and I took the boat from Spain to Tangier for the day in Feb 2017. Tickets are cheaper if you get a guide with the tickets than if you don't (we got them on the internet). There's a quick car tour, but the idea is to get you into carpet and antique shops where they'll pester you for hours to buy. Make it a point to politely but firmly walk to the exit even while they're talking, because they never stop even as you're walking away down the street. Don't waste their time or yours by hearing the whole, endless sales talk. Classy/ more expensive shops and restaurants know English tourists very well. The price of the carpet dropped from $2,000 to $300 by the time we hit the street. (I couldn't get the antique store to drop that much.) The dark seedy back alleys of the souk/ market are for locals, and guides don't want you to go there. But we liked wandering there because it's a taste of "normal" life. People either obligingly ignored us or were very friendly. We stocked up on street bread and lots of kinds of wonderfully seasoned olives. Always wear your money belt. We wanted to take the train inland but didn't have time. It's a nice addition to Spain because the culture is so Arab/ North African/ third world/ Muslim.

I have been to Morocco twice and Tangier is not very high on my list of cities to visit.

If you do go, and know nothing about oriental carpets, then I suggest reading up on the subject. I lived in the Middle East for five years and was not an expert, but could determine general quality.

First, you want a handmade carpet, not machine made. For novices, it is not always easy to tell. Turn the carpet over and look at the bottom of the carpet. If the lines are somewhat uneven, then you probably have a handmade carpet. The tighter the knots, the more valuable. Also, carpets from Iran are the most valuable. Carpets from India, Pakistan and Turkey are all good, but the next tier.

Ask where the carpet is from and take a magnifying class to the bottom.

When negotiating with carpet dealers, be prepared to walk out of the stop if even mildly unhappy. Don't even think that half the quoted price is good. I recommend checking carpets in you home country, so you have an handle on price. After I left the Middle East, some ten years later, I purchased two nice oriental carpets in Alexandra, VA for close to what I paid for similar carpets in Saudi Arabia.

Remember, negotiate, negotiate and negotiate some more.

I once purchased a small throw carpet for $25 in Jerusalem in 1985. The original asking price was $125. This was a lower quality carpet, but still handmade. Our negotiations took about 45 minutes and two cups of hot tea.