Renault Clio Rental in Tangier

The Clio you rent in Tangier is parked in Tangier — not driven up from Casablanca or Rabat. That matters here more than in most Moroccan cities, because Tangier sits at the point where the Strait of Gibraltar narrows to around 13 kilometers, and the city itself splits into two separate ports: Tanger Ville, close to downtown, and Tanger Med, roughly 40 kilometers away near Ksar es-Seghir.

Tangier is also where three road corridors meet. The A5 motorway runs south toward Rabat and Casablanca in about two hours forty-five minutes. The N16 coastal road heads east to Tetouan in roughly an hour and a quarter. And the road into the Rif toward Chefchaouen takes about two hours through hill country. A diesel automatic like the Clio handles any of these without drama.

Inside the city, the Clio's compact size earns its keep. The Kasbah's oldest streets climb the hilltop and are effectively closed to cars — you park below and walk in. Marshan sits on the cliffs above the strait, and Malabata runs along the beach east of the port. A 5-door, 5-seat car with 3 pieces of luggage space is enough for a small family arriving off a flight at Ibn Battouta Airport or a ferry at Tanger Ville.

Renting the Clio here costs 249 MAD per day, with a five-day minimum — enough to cover a return trip to Chefchaouen or Tetouan without adding extra days you don't need.

Summer brings heavier traffic around both ports as Moroccan expats return from Europe during what's known locally as Operation Marhaba, and the Levante wind off the strait picks up between July and October. Worth factoring in if your route runs along the coast.