This travel guide is full of tips on how to plan your holidays in Morocco, the land of colours, scents and flavours. This amazing country is famous for its medinas, where you find all kinds of original handicrafts such as jewellery, rugs, leather items, lanterns and pottery. That’s also where you visit Sahara, hike the Atlas Mountain, relax on the Atlantic coast and see the cats anywhere you go. The fact is, Morocco is meant for shopping at the souks, drinking mint tea, tasting delicious couscous and tajine dishes, unwinding in the steamy hammam baths, staying in the traditional riads and meeting the most friendly people.
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What to Visit in Morocco
When planning a trip to Morocco, there are certain things you should include in your travel guide. The visit to Marrakech, where you can wander around the Djemaa el-Fna square is the must. This famous place is where you meet the street performers, tattoo artists, musicians and the chefs. Getting lost in the city medina, exploring the local souks and soaking in the steam baths, called hammams, is such an amazing experience.
When in Morocco, you must also go to Fez and see its medina, the city with narrow streets, wonderful aromas, mosques and famous tanneries, where the leather products are dyed inside the round stone vessels. The place not to miss is also Chefchaouen (the Blue City), which is the mountain village, where you find the house painted in blue.
For the most impressive architecture, you should head to Casablanca and see the Hassan II Mosque. Those willing to walk more around medinas, should explore Meknes and for the Roman ruins, the visit in the ancient city of Volubilis is suggested. Not to mention Rabat, the capital of Morocco, which is famous for the Kasbah of the Udayas, the oldest part of the city with the stunning views of the ocean and the river.
If you come to Ouarzazate, you’ll be amazed by the natural scenery and the Atlas Film Studio often seen in the Hollywood’s movies. It’s considered the gateway to Sahara and the perfect location to stay before you do some trekking.
Your Moroccan trip wouldn’t be complete without the visit to the Sahara Desert. So, the best place to ride a camel and spend a night in the Bedouin camp is the village of Merzouga (with the dunes of Erg Chebbi) or less developed Zagora. For the stunning desert oasis experience and the gateway to the High Atlas, Tinerhir is the place to go.
If you want to relax on the beach, you should go to Agadir, Essaouira or Tetouan, although surfers choose Taghazoute, where they can catch some big waves. Those looking for the best hiking trails in Morocco should consider the Atlas Mountains, Dadès Gorges (Zigzag Road), Todra Gorge (River and Canyon), Paradise Valley near Agadir, plus the Ouzoud waterfalls.
Don’t leave Morocco without seeing:
- Marrakesh – Djemaa el-Fna Square
- Fez – Medina Quarter, Leather Tanneries
- Chefchaouen – Blue City
- Casablanca – Hassan II Mosque
- Meknes – Roman ruins
- Volubilis – the ancient city
- Rabat – Kasbah of the Udayas
- Ouarzazate – Atlas Film Studio
- Merzouga – Erg Chebbi, Sahara
- Tinerhir – Desert Oasis
- Agadir, Essaouira, Tetouan – beaches
- Atlas Mountains – hiking
- Dadès Gorges – zigzag road
- Todra Gorge – river and canyon
- Paradise Valley – near Agadir
- Ouzoud Waterfalls
Hiking in Morocco
The highest mountain in Morocco is Toubkal (4,167 m), located in the Toubkal National Park in the Atlas Mountain (High Atlas). There are many mountains in Morocco and the major ones include:
- Atlas Mountains
- Anti-Atlas
- High-Atlas
- Middle Atlas
- Tell Atlas
- Jbel Saghro
- Rif Mountains
- Moroccan Meseta
Hiking Trails in Morocco
Best hiking trails in Morocco include the Jebel Toubkal, Jebel Saghro, M’Goun Massif, Jebel Sirwa, Rif Mountains, Ifrane National Park, Paradise Valley near Agadir, Tazekka National Park, Valley of Roses, Draa Valley, Merzouga desert trail (Sahara), Dadès Gorges (Zigzag Road), the Todra Gorge (River and Canyon), Ouzoud waterfalls.
Beaches in Morocco
Morocco is surrounded by waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The fact is that Morocco doesn’t really have too many islands, but it has the most beautiful beaches along the Atlantic coastline. If you want to explore them, you should visit Agadir, Essaouira, Tetouan, Mirleft, Oualidia or the Legzira Beach. If you want to experience the island life you can fly or take a ferry to the Canary Islands. They are Spanish archipelago located around 1,000 km from Moroccan coastline.
Where to Stay in Morocco
If you plan on staying in Morocco, it’s worth knowing the country is divided into the following areas: Mediterranean Morocco, North Atlantic Coast, South Atlantic Coast, High Atlas, Middle Atlas, Saharan Morocco and Anti Atlas.
| Regions | Cities |
| Mediterranean Morocco | Tangier, Chefchaouen, Jerada, Nador, Oued Laou, Oujda, Tetouan |
| North Atlantic Coast | Rabat, Casablanca, El Jadida, Larache, Moulay Bousselham, Sale, Asilah |
| South Atlantic Coast | Agadir, Essaouira, Imouzzer, Taghazout, Souss-Massa National Park |
| High Atlas | Marrakech, Aït-Benhaddou, Amizmiz, Asni, Ikkiss, Setti Fatma, Tabant, Tacheddirt, Zaouiat Ahansal, Imlil, Jebel Toubkal, Marigha, Oukaimeden, Ourika Valley, Tinerhir, Toubkal National Park |
| Middle Atlas | Azrou, Fez, Ifrane, Itzer, Meknes, Moulay Idriss, Midelt, M’Rirt, Taza, Zaouiate Oued Ifrane, Ifrane National Park, Volubilis |
| Saharan Morocco | Ouarzazate, Erfoud, Errachidia, Khamlia, M’Hamid, Merzouga, Nkob, Rissani, Zagora, Alnif, Bouarfa, Tamegroute, Oasis Fint, Todgha Gorges, Dadès Gorges, Valley of Roses |
| Anti Atlas | Akka, Guelmim, Mirleft, Sidi Ifni, Tafraoute, Tan-Tan, Tarfaya, Taroudannt, Tata, Tiznit |
Generally, there are many places to stay in Morocco, but the best hotels are ones called riads. They are the most traditional houses with the inner courtyard or garden and most of them have the lush plants and the fountain, swimming pool or the hammam bath placed in the central part. The best riads in Morocco:
- Riad Carina in Marrakech
- La Sultana Marrakech
- El Fenn in Marrakech
- Riad Palais Sebban in Marrakech
- Riad Spice in Marrakech
- Riad Be Marrakech
- Riad Itrane Marrakech
- Dar Assiya in Marrakech
- Indian Palace in Marrakech
- Riad Dar Awil in Essaouira
- Dar Fes Tresor in Fes
- Dar Swiar in Chefchaouen
- Mnar Castle in Tangier
What to Eat in Morocco
Once you try the food of Morocco, the taste stays with you forever. To be honest, it’s one of the most fragrant, balanced and healthiest cuisines out there. Because it uses the combination of vegetables, meats, couscous, spices and herbs slowly cooked in the Tagine clay pot, it creates the unique culinary experience. There are so many variations of the tagine dishes and every single one brings the heavenly taste of what Morocco can really be proud of.
- Dates – 100 different varieties
- Khobz – Moroccan bread
- M’smen – bread made with butter layers
- Harissa – hot chili or veggie paste
- B’ssara – dried broad beans soup, served for breakfast
- Brioutas – like samosas, sweet phyllo pastry with different stuffing
- Msemen – flat pancakes stuffed with grilled peppers, onion, and tomato
- Harira – tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas and lamb with lemon
- Tagine – slow cooked meat stew with veggies and sauce (lamb or chicken with almonds and either prunes, dates, or plums or chicken with lemon and olives, or veggie)
- Kefta Meatball Tagine – meaty balls with herbs cooked in the tomato and onion sauce with eggs
- Fish Chermoula – grilled fish with herbs and spices
- Couscous – small steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina, served with meat and veggies stew
- Makouda – mashed potato mixed with flour and herbs, rolled into balls and fried
- Zaalouk – aubergine, tomatoes with garlic and spices salad
- B’stilla – phyllo pastry pie with meat, almonds and eggs spiced with saffron, cinnamon and fresh coriander, topped with icing sugar
- Tea – mint tea
How to Get Around Morocco
The best way to explore Morocco is either to use the train (or the luxury bus if you prefer) or rent a car. The trains are cheap and fast, whereas the car gives you freedom and flexibility. If you only stay in one city, it’s best to use the buses or taxis to get around. But, if your plan is to visit many places, the train or the car really comes in handy.
Renting a car means you’ll be able to reach the more remote places and admire the beautiful landscape on the way. To be honest, the Atlas Mountains are best seen while driving, because the curvy roads provide the most spectacular scenery. If you want luxury, you can fly. But, there are not many flights and if so, they are expensive hence it’s not recommended as such.
Domestic flying is not a popular option to travel around Morocco because it's rather expensive. The average price for the return journey is between £60 and £80. For that reason, there isn't many domestic airlines you could use.
If, however, you still desperately want to fly, you should book with the Royal Air Maroc (RAM) or Air Arabia Maroc. Both connect the major cities around Morocco such as Tangier, Nador, Oujda, Fez, Errachidia, Marrakesh, Essaouira, Agadir, Laayoune and Dakhla.
The public transport in Morocco relies on trains and buses. Generally, it's faster and more comfortable to use the trains, however the service is limited to the major cities.
Buses in Morocco
If you want to explore Morocco by bus, you can use the big companies or the local ones. Generally, you always pay the ticket price, plus the additional fare for the luggage. Most bus routes in Morocco are around Dh200 (£15 - £20) one way, plus no more than Dh5 (£0.50) for the bag. If your baggage is small enough to take it on board of the bus, remember to pay nothing. You can buy the bus tickets online or at the local train station offices. Of course, avoid the touts selling the tickets in the streets as they are always overpriced.
The main bus companies in Morocco are:
- CTM (ctm.ma),
- Supratours (supratours.ma)
- Local intercity buses (cheaper)
Trains in Morocco
Travelling in Morocco by train is a pure bliss. They are fast, comfortable, relatively cheap, some have working AC, but they only connect the major cities such as Marrakech, Tangier, Casablanca, Rabat, Oujda, Meknes, Fez, Safi. The average one way train ticket costs around Dh200 (£15) for the second class and Dh300 (£23) for the first class. There's an overnight service available for some destinations. All train tickets can be purchased on the ONCF website (oncf.ma/en) or personally from the station tilt.
If you want to use the taxi in Morocco, you have a choice of booking the petit taxi or the grand taxi. Unfortunately, there's no Uber in Morocco.
Petit Taxis in Morocco
The Petit Taxis are used for travelling within the cities. They normally have the meter, if not you should always set the price before boarding the car. There's a base charge of Dh7 (£0.50) to start from and also and additional fare of Dh5 (£0.40) for each km of your journey. They are small cars (up to 3 passengers), which are painted in the designated colour depending on the city you're in:
- Blue: Errachidia, Saïdia, Rabat, Chefchaouen
- Light blue: Tanger (with a horizontal yellow line), Meknes
- Red: Nador, Azilal, Casablanca, Fez, Oujda
- White: Ouarzazate, Taroudannt, El Jadida
- Ochre: Marrakech
- Orange: Berkane, Agadir
- Yellow: Midelt , salé
- Light yellow: Tétouan
- Green: Azrou, Aklim, Ifrane
- Light green: Mohammedia
Grand Taxis in Morocco
The Grand Taxis are used for the long distance journeys, normally shared with other passengers. The fares for them are usually set before the departure and shared equally between everyone. They usually cost less than the luxury buses (like CTM or Supratours) but more than local buses.
Morocco Travel Guide – Cost and Budget
Morocco is an inexpensive country to travel. If you’re a backpacker, you shouldn’t spend more than £40 daily. That’s assuming you stay in the hostel, eat from street stalls, walk and use buses a lot and see the attractions near you.
If you want to visit Morocco on the mid-range budget, be ready to spend around £135 a day. This budget is enough to stay in the riads hotels, eat at the Moroccan restaurants, use taxi more and pay for the day trips out.
If you want luxury in Morocco, it’s probably going to cost you around £380 per day. This sort of expense covers staying in the fancy riads, having the finest food and booking the guided tours with the transport options provided.
| Accommodation | Food | Transport | Attractions | Avg Daily Cost | |
| Backpacker | £10 | £15 | £5 | £10 | £40 |
| Mid-range | £50-£100 | £25 | £15 | £30 | £135 |
| Luxury | £200-£300 | £40 | £40 | £50 | £380 |
Morocco Travel Guide – Best Time to Visit
The fact is, Morocco is warm and sunny all year around with temperatures hardly ever below 20°C. But, the best time to go to Morocco is autumn (September or November), although spring (March or May) and winter are also popular with tourists. The Atlantic coast can be visited all year around.
When planning to visit Morocco, you should avoid travelling during the Ramadan (ninth month in the Muslim calendar), but it’s good to attend the Eid al-Fitr (ending Ramadan) and the Eid al-Adha (ending annual pilgrimage to Mecca).
Autumn in Morocco
Basically, autumn is between 20°C to 28°C and that’s when you explore the cities, go to the beach, trek the greeny Atlas Mountains and camp at the Sahara Desert, all during one trip. You should, however, avoid travelling in October as it’s the wettest month in a year.
Spring in Morocco
If you travel to Morocco in spring (March to May), you’ll experience the temperatures up to 23°C which is good for the sightseeing and staying at the beach. But, spring is also the time when the sandstorms arrive the Sahara Desert. They are most common towards the end of March and into April, but may happen anytime during spring.
Winter in Morocco
If you come to Morocco in winter (December to February), the major cities are still nicely warm (around 20°C), but the Atlas mountains become snowy and the Sahara gets colder during night time. If, however, you want to go skiing (Oukaïmeden, Ifrane), you should ideally visit between January and February.
Summer in Morocco
Generally, the summer (June to August) is the low season in Morocco. The temperatures are boiling hot, reaching up to 31°C and travelling around the country can simply be too much. This season is popular with tourists looking for the beach holiday.
High Season (Sep-May)
- Spring and autumn are best
- Warm south, snowy north
- Expensive accommodation
Shoulder Season (Apr & Oct)
- Sandstorms and rain
- Popular elsewhere
- Reduced hotel prices
Low Season (Jun – Aug)
- Hot around the cities
- Busy at the seaside
- Cheap city riads
Morocco Travel Guide – Average Monthly Temperatures
Basically, Morocco is pretty warm all year around, although it’s the hottest in summer, from June to August. Those months bring the hot temperatures between 27°C and 31°C, with July being the hottest. In contrast, Morocco is the coldest in winter, from December to February. Those months still bring plenty of sunshine and the temperatures between 16°C and 17°C, with January being the coldest.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| High Temp (°C) | 16 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 20 | 17 |
| Low Temp (°C) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
Morocco Travel Guide – Average Monthly Precipitation
Generally, Morocco is the wettest between November and March, during the autumn and winter season. In fact, November is the month when it rains the most with up to 67 mm and 8 days of showers. Plus, there’s also some snow in the Atlas Mountain in winter, usually between December and February.
In contrast, Morocco is the driest in between June and August, during the summer season. There’s an average 2 mm to 9 mm of rainfall and 2 days of showers a month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Rainfall (mm) | 56 | 57 | 51 | 46 | 25 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 34 | 67 | 60 |
| Rainfall (days) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
Morocco Travel Guide – Practical Information
This part of my travel is my collection of tips on what to expect during your holidays in Morocco. For more information on language and local time, religion, electricity plug, internet, currency, visa, safety and health matters in Morocco, just follow my clues below.
Population and Language – Over 37 million people live in Morocco and roughly 1 million in the capital of Rabat. The official language is Arabic and most Moroccans speak good English.
Religion – 99% Muslim, 1% others.
Local Time – There is 1 time zone in Morocco: UTC+1 hours.
Electricity – Morocco runs on 127V or 220V voltage. There is 50Hz and the two round pin plug type C, E and L. Getting an adapter is recommended.
Internet – The internet in Morocco is available in places such as the hotels and restaurants, they often offer free Wi-Fi. There are many internet cafes around the cities, if you need to use one. Generally, it’s recommended to buy a cheap Moroccan sim card and the mobile data on arrival. The best prepaid sim cards in Morocco are: Orange Morocco, Inwi or Maroc Telecom.
Money and Currency in Morocco
Money – It’s illegal to import and export dirham. It’s a restricted currency and cannot be taken out of the country or be available to buy abroad. The ATMs are commonly available in Morocco (mainly around the large cities). When withdrawing the money it’s best to use the local banks (there’s a standard fee). Cards such as Visa, MasterCard, Electron, Cirrus, Maestro and InterBank are widely accepted. As always it’s recommended to have the cash (preferably US dollars) and lots of change (many sellers or taxi drivers don’t give it).
Currency – The official currency in Morocco is Moroccan Dirham (DH, MAD). It’s a restricted currency and cannot be taken out of the country or bought abroad. In Morocco you can also pay in US Dollars ($).
Visa Requirements for Morocco
Visa – The British and Polish citizens don’t need to apply for the visa if staying in Morocco for up to 90 days. They will receive the free entry permission stamp on arrival.
Safety in Morocco
Safety Generally, Morocco is a safe country to travel. The crime is low but petty thefts might occur in the congested areas around the big cities. The thing to remember is that Morocco is a Muslim country, so everyone should be respectful. Proper dressing and covering the arms and knees by women is recommended most of the time. LGBT is illegal in Morocco and homosexuality is a crime (you might be put in prison). Women travelling alone might experience the catcalling and be verbally harassed. The major scams involve tour operators and people trying to sell things in the streets.
Emergency Numbers – The numbers for each emergency services in Morocco are: Police – 19, Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie – 17, Fire – 15, Medical Services – 15, Highway Emergency Service – 177, Racial discrimination hotline – 114.
Health and Travel Vaccinations in Morocco
Health – Before you travel to Morocco, it’s recommended to consider: the cholera vaccination, meningococcal meningitis vaccination, tuberculosis (TB) vaccination, typhoid vaccination and malaria vaccination. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that everyone is covered for the diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and polio, hepatitis A, hepatitis B regardless of their destination.