A Tangier day trip in Ramadan 2027

When is Ramadan 2027?

Expected to begin around Monday 8 February 2027, with Eid al-Fitr around 9 or 10 March. Morocco confirms the dates only after the crescent moon is sighted.

Astronomical calendars point to an early February start. The Saudi Hijri calendar, quoted by Jordan News, puts the first day on Monday 8 February and Eid al-Fitr on Tuesday 9 March. The National gives the same start from the UAE's astronomy centre, with Eid on 9 or 10 March.

Morocco makes its own call. The Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs announces the start on the evening of the 29th of Sha'ban, after local moon sighting, and Morocco often begins a day after the Gulf. In 2026 it started on Thursday 19 February, as Hespress reported, one day after Saudi Arabia began. Plan on 8 or 9 February 2027 as the likely first day in Tangier, and treat the end date the same way.

UK travel advice for Morocco also notes Ramadan is next due in February 2027.

Are restaurants and cafés open in Tangier during Ramadan?

Some are. Restaurants used to tourists, hotel restaurants and some places in the centre serve food in the daytime; many small cafés and food stalls stay shut until sunset.

Ferryhopper's Tangier Ramadan guide says only a small number of places stay open in daytime for foreigners and people who are not fasting, and that food stalls and corner shops are usually closed in the morning and early afternoon. Morocco World News makes the same point and adds that in big cities and tourist areas you will still find food.

The street cafés on the Grand Socco and the terraces with a view over the Strait are a big part of a Tangier day. In Ramadan many of them sit empty with chairs stacked until the evening. Bring a bottle of water and a snack from Tarifa for the ferry, and plan to eat your main meal at the lunch the tour has booked.

Bars and nightclubs close for the month, according to Morocco World News, and alcohol is much harder to find. On a day trip this rarely matters, but do not expect a beer with lunch.

Can tourists eat and drink in public during Ramadan in Morocco?

It is not illegal for non-Muslim visitors, but eating, drinking or smoking in the street in daytime can cause offence. Do it indoors, out of sight.

The UK government's travel advice says that eating or drinking, swearing, smoking or chewing gum in public in the daytime may cause offence, and that hotels and restaurants serving food in fasting hours may seat you apart from Muslim guests. Morocco's penal code (Article 222) penalises Muslims who break the fast in public; Morocco World News notes it does not apply to non-Muslim foreigners.

In practice: drink water discreetly, ideally inside a shop, a restaurant or the coach. Do not walk through the souk with a sandwich or a coffee. Smokers should wait. Dress more modestly than you might on Tarifa beach, with shoulders and knees covered. Nobody expects visitors to fast, and most people are warm and patient with guests who make the effort.

Bear in mind that your guide, the coach driver and the waiter may be fasting while they look after you. A little patience late in the afternoon goes a long way.

Do Tangier day trips still include lunch during Ramadan?

Yes. The listings include lunch at a restaurant in Tangier and do not mention any Ramadan change. Expect a quieter dining room and soft drinks.

The day trip with lunch and ferry lists an hour's lunch at a traditional restaurant with drinks. Baleària's trip includes a traditional lunch, with drinks extra. The private full-day trip has lunch in the price too. Morocco World News says restaurants in big cities and tourist areas often stay open for visitors in fasting hours, and the restaurants these tours use are of that kind.

A private tour gives you more say. With a private guide and driver you can ask for an earlier lunch, a hotel restaurant, or a stop to see the city wake up at sunset if you stay late.

The timing of the day shifts a little. Sunset in Tangier falls a little before 18:00 in early February and around 18:25 by early March, Moroccan time. On the 19:00 return, your boat leaves around the time the city sits down to break the fast. The earlier 17:00 sailing lands in Tarifa at about 19:00 Spanish time.

The cheapest private day: your own guide and car, ferry tickets, lunch and about six hours in Tangier.

★ 4.8 · 1 day · from $171

Explore the private full-day trip → Tour details

What happens in Tangier at iftar and in the evening?

At sunset the call to prayer signals iftar, the meal that breaks the fast. Streets empty for half an hour or so, then fill up again until late.

In the last hour before sunset Tangier is at its quietest. Shops pull their shutters, taxis are scarce, and people hurry home with bread and pastries. Ferryhopper notes that many businesses adjust their hours for the month and that transport, including taxis, may change.

After iftar the city comes back to life: cafés reopen, the medina fills with families, and some shops stay open late. Day-trippers miss most of this, since the boats home leave at 17:00 or 19:00. If you want to see it, stay a night in Tangier and take a morning ferry back. Our guide to Tangier without a tour covers doing it on your own.

What happens at Eid al-Fitr?

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, expected around 9 to 11 March 2027. It is a public holiday in Morocco, and many small shops and stalls close while families celebrate.

Eid falls on the first day of Shawwal, listed among Morocco's public holidays. The date is confirmed by moon sighting on the last evening of Ramadan, so it is announced the night before. Expect the medina's small shops and many cafés to close on the first day, with people in new clothes visiting family.

For a day trip, Eid is a mixed choice. The streets are friendly and festive, but the souk shopping that fills the afternoon of most tours is thinner. If shopping matters to you, go a few days before Eid or wait two or three days after it. Whatever date you choose, book with free cancellation and check with the operator once Morocco announces the date.

One thing does not move: the clock. Morocco stays on GMT through Ramadan and Eid, an hour behind Tarifa. Our post on the time change has the details.

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