Tétouan's medina sits ten kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, and Martil is the seafront the city built for itself. The town lines a long sand beach that runs north from the fishing harbour toward Cabo Negro — about five kilometres of beachfront backed by a pedestrianised corniche of cafés, ice-cream parlours and seafood restaurants. In summer Martil is the coast for tetuanis: full from early July to late August, and noticeably quieter the rest of the year. The fishing port at the southern end delivers most of the day's catch to the restaurants along the esplanade.

Seafood is the reason most non-residents come. The seafront restaurants near the port are the classic pick — choose one with the day's catch on ice at the entrance, skip the tourist menu, and order directly from the iced display. Grilled sardines, sole, fried squid and prawns are the standards. Plates at a port-side grill run around 80–150 MAD with salad and bread; the more polished restaurants further north up the corniche are double that price for a similar product.

The water is safe for swimming under summer conditions. Lifeguards patrol the central section in July and August, the slope is gentle, and flags are posted daily — but avoid swimming directly off the harbour mouth and off the river outflow at the southern end where currents pick up. June and September weekday afternoons are the best balance of warmth and calm; mid-July to late August is crowded and parking becomes hard. From Tétouan it is a twenty-minute taxi (about 25 MAD by shared grand-taxi); evenings on the corniche are pleasant year-round.