Five kilometres west of Tétouan, on the left bank of the Martil river, Tamuda is the oldest layer of the city's story. Founded as a Mauretanian trading town in the 2nd century BCE, it was destroyed during the Roman conquest of Mauretania Tingitana in the 1st century CE and rebuilt as a Roman military castrum on the same ground. The site preserves walls, street lines, and the recognisable camp grid; what does not survive on site — the mosaics, the bronzes, the ceramics — is on display in the Archaeological Museum back in town.

The visit is short and best treated as a half-day with the museum. Tamuda is a 'read-the-plan' site rather than a standing-ruins one: low walls, foundation outlines, paving traces, and the four-square Roman castrum layout. You walk between the walls, recognise the gate placements and the principia in the centre, and read it through what you already saw under glass at the museum. Without that prior visit, the field is hard to decode. Interpretation on site is minimal — a few panels in French and Arabic.

Usually free and open-air with no formal entry fee; a custodian may be present, and a small tip is customary if he shows you around. Facilities are minimal — bring water. Mornings are best before the sun rises high; spring and autumn are most comfortable. Avoid the site immediately after heavy rain because the river-side paths get muddy. Combine museum first, then Tamuda for the ruins, then Martil beach for a swim or a seafood lunch on the way back to Tétouan — a complete day that covers the ancient, the archaeological and the contemporary coast in one loop.