Gran Café de Paris

A five-minute walk from the Gran Café de Paris — made famous by the American writer and composer Paul Bowles and the American writer and artist William Burroughs, who frequented it in the 1940s and ’50s — leads to the Rue Khalid Ibn El Oualid (a.k.a. Calle Velázquez), a street in the heart of the old Spanish quarter, where young Tanjawis are slowly reviving the neighborhood. Here, you’ll find Le Kiosk, a bookstore and print shop run by Hicham Bouzid, a founder of the cultural organization Think Tanger, as well as contemporary galleries such as Zawia, opened by Najoua Elhitmi, who last year launched a cultural space called Factory that hosts occasional jazz concerts, speakers and exhibitions. Below, four insiders — including both expats who’ve made Tangier their home for decades and Moroccan-born entrepreneurs and designers — share their favorite spots.

This fabled café has been gracing a corner of the buzzy Place de France since 1927, and its brown leather seats, wood paneling, and mirrors galore will make you feel like you're back in the 1950s with William Burroughs (he wrote here) or in The Bourne Ultimatum (a scene was filmed here). The terrace is the perfect place to watch the world go by over an orange juice or café au lait.

This cafe is the perfect representation of past meets present. You walk in and you directly are drawn to the burgundy leather chairs, the professional waiter, and the wooden walls. You can sit indoors for the 1920s experience, or outdoors to watch youngsters strolling through la Vila Nouvelle, the new city of Tangier.

Café Colon – Located just outside of the medina and adjacent to the Grand Socco (or Zoco) on Rue de la Kasbah, across from the movie theater Cinema Alcazar, this café may be best known for its fifteen minutes of fame in Bernado Bertolucci’s adaptation of The Sheltering Sky. This café has remained largely unchanged in the past forty years. Like most cafés in Morocco, the clientele is largely male, but it’s a nice place to recharge after a few hours in the medina on your way uphill to the Kasbah.

Gran Cafe de Paris is one of the oldest cafes in Tangier and is part of Tangier’s bohemian history. The cafe opened in 1927 and was a place of inspiration for many known artists and writers like Jack Kerouac, William Burrough, Paul Bowles and Tennessee Williams – just to name a few – to gather here, have a coffee, smoke a cigarette and discuss life and literature. Part of the movie The Bourne Ultimatum was filmed in and around Tangier and this cafe has also a moment of fame in the movie.

Tangier is famous for its hundreds of cafés, where many an evening has been spent sipping sweet mint tea or milky coffee and watching the night unfold. The city is also well known for its vibrant ex-pat community of artists and writers, and the Café de Paris was a favorite of Paul Bowles, an American writer who spend over 50 years in Tangier. The large café, situated on one of the busiest intersections in the city, is the perfect place to relax and soak up the true Tanjawi culture.

Stepping inside the Gran Café de Paris transports you to Tangier’s bohemian past, when artists and authors congregated for inspiration over coffee and cigarettes. This famous café, which opened in 1927, has played an important part in Tangier’s cultural scene. Many well-known personalities, including Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Paul Bowles, and Tennessee Williams, would gather here to talk literature over a cup of coffee.

Sip coffee in Gran Café de Paris on Place de France, where Jean Genet and Tennessee Williams once sat. Peruse arty bookshops such as Les Insolites (28 Khalid Ibn El Oualid) and Librairie des Colonnes (54 Boulevard Pasteur). And join Tangier’s fashionable set at the just-opened Alma Kitchen & Coffee on Place des Nations for soulful fusion dishes such as pumpkin risotto and almond orange cake, cooked with local ingredients.

Okay, everyone talks about visiting the Grand Cafe de Paris when in Tangier. Personally, I didn’t find this place all that impressive. Yes, it’s cool that this cafe was featured in The Bourne Ultimatum and that it was a super Bohemian spot where writers like Jack Kerouac, William Burrough, Paul Bowles, and Tennessee Williams used to gather over cups of coffee.

This café has apparently been on the Tangier scene since opening in 1927. (How’s that for longevity?) The Gran Café de Paris is one of the oldest cafes in Tangier and part of the now iconically bohemian history of the city. It is another one for retro-ambience (authentically complete with the leather seats and cigar-smoky indoor atmosphere).

The Gran Cafe De Paris is a historic café nestled in the heart of Tangier. It holds a prominent place in the city’s cultural heritage and has been a beloved meeting spot for artists, writers, and intellectuals for decades. This iconic café exudes an old-world charm, with its elegant architecture, classic décor, and a welcoming atmosphere.

Located opposite the French Consulate, this is also where the writers who made Café Hafa famous (Paul and Jane Bowles, Genet, Capote, Tennessee Williams, Burroughs…), as well as World War II spies, used to meet. Built in 1920, this place, where time seems to have stood still, is the ideal place for a light drink.

In an article published today, the newspaper noted that no other Moroccan city can quite compare to Tangier’s “historic cafe culture,” which was frequented by expat writers and artists such as American writer and composer Paul Bowles and Moroccan author Mohamed Choukri, among other literary figures.

Immerse yourself in Tangier's renowned cafe culture at this iconic establishment. Established in the 1920s, this historic cafe has been a favorite meeting spot for locals and famous visitors alike, including writer Paul Bowles and painter Henri Matisse, embodying Tangier's cosmopolitan spirit.

I start the day at Gran Cafe de Paris, the grande dame of Tangier coffeehouses, situated at the top of the Boulevard Pasteur (or simply “le boulevard”) just as it slopes down toward the beach.

In the mid afternoon, take a break and experience Tangier’s cafe scene at the Cafe de Paris, a popular meeting place for Tangier residents, expats, and a former favorite of Paul Bowles.

Gran Café de Paris may be the most famous coffee shop in Tangier. It was recently featured in a Bourne Ultimatum movie but has been a long time hotspot for literary greats in Tangier.

Another legendary place in Tangier is the Café de Paris, which is located in France Square. The legend recognizes the site as the meeting point for spies during the World War II.

If you've read Junky and Naked Lunch, you're probably hell bent on visiting this place. If you haven't, then there are more interesting cafes in Tangier to spend your day.

Café de Paris: This historic café in the heart of the city serves a range of coffee, tea, and pastries, including traditional Moroccan sweets like baklava and ghriba.

Do not be discouraged by the exterior, the real gem will be found inside. You can taste lots of nostalgia there along the sipping your afternoon drink.

Another beloved neighborhood is the French Quarter where you can see French Gran Café de Paris and the French Consulate.