I’ve been to Morocco seven times: traveling and working as a tour guide. The country has a lot of amazing things even for a sophisticated traveler: the blue city of Chefchaouen and ochre-colored Marrakech, the tangled streets of Fez and a huge mosque in Casablanca, the Sahara Desert and the Atlas Mountains, surfing in the Atlantic Ocean and liters of orange juice.
The first time I traveled to Morocco was in 2017 with friends. We traveled between cities by bus, and we went to the mountains and desert by car. On the following trips, we rented a minibus with a driver. Car travel is a great option for Morocco: the roads there are good and scenic, and between cities there are interesting locations to stop at.
In this article I will tell you how to organize a great trip in Morocco, visit the Sahara, try surfing and see the main tourist cities and attractions of the country.
What you need to know before traveling to Morocco
Where is it located: in the northwest of the African continent. Morocco borders Algeria, Mauritania, and, through the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain and Portugal.
In summer it is hot there – up to +35 °С. In autumn there is no exhausting heat, and the water in the Atlantic Ocean is still warm. In winter it is cool in mountains – up to +5 °С, but in cities it is quite comfortable – about +20 °С. In spring it is warm, rains are few and there is no cold wind.
I traveled to Morocco in October, November and April. I was more comfortable in spring because it was warmer in the mountains than in the fall: the temperature did not fall below +10°C.
Currency: Moroccan dirham, 1 MAD. It is better to change money at the exchange office in the city, where the exchange rate is more favorable than at the airport.
You can pay by card in restaurants and hotels, but cash is required at the market, in the mountains or in cabs. It is forbidden to take the remaining dirhams out of the country at the end of the trip – they must be exchanged for dollars or euros at the airport.
Languages: Arabic and Berber are the official languages. In the territories of Morocco, which used to be colonies of France and Spain, French and Spanish are also spoken. In tourist areas, staff speak English.
How to plan a route
I think the ideal duration of a trip in Morocco is two weeks. During this time tourists have time to travel a circular route around the country, such as this one:
- one day in Casablanca;
- two days in the blue city of Chefchaouen;
- two days in Fez;
- a four-day trip through the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara;
- two days in Marrakech;
- one day in Essaouira;
- two days of oceanfront vacation.
If some of these points are not interesting, the number of days of the trip can be reduced or added, for example, a beach vacation in the vicinity of Agadir. In the neighboring villages on the coast of the city beautiful nature, deserted beaches, surfers ride. I do not recommend staying in Agadir itself: there are no attractions in the resort, and there are a lot of people on the beach.
I have always started my trip from Casablanca: there are convenient flights there. But if you don’t want to go north, to Tangier or Chefchaouen, it is better to fly to Marrakech. It is in the center of the country, and from it it is convenient to go to the mountains, the desert or the ocean.
Many Moroccan cities have a medina, an old center where the sights are concentrated. You walk around it, traveling on mules, donkeys or scooters. In my opinion, the most interesting cities in Morocco are Chefchaouen, Marrakech, Fez and Essaouira. I advise you to visit them, even if you prefer natural attractions.
1. Casablanca
Casablanca is the largest and most populous city in the country. It has offices of international companies, skyscrapers and large highway interchanges. It is convenient to fly there, but, in my opinion, there is nothing to do in the city for more than a day.
Hassan II Mosque is the main attraction of the city, it stands on the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the largest mosques in the world. Inside it can accommodate 25 thousand people, and outside on the square – another 80 thousand.
The mosque was completed in 1993. It was built from Moroccan materials with the use of modern technologies: heated floors, a sliding roof, and earthquake-resistant foundations. The mosque is beautiful – you can take cool photos against the background of mosaics.
Non-Muslims can enter the mosque only as part of group tours. They are conducted every day in English, the schedule is available on the website. The ticket costs 130 MAD per person. For tourists who don’t know English, I still recommend going on the tour. The beautiful mosque is worth just seeing: there are soft carpets, a transparent wall overlooking the ocean, carved balconies for women to pray, glass chandeliers and loudspeakers sewn into the wall.
Medina. Casablanca has an old part of the city with narrow streets and vendors, but I don’t recommend starting your exploration of the medina there. The local old center is dirty and without attractions. It can be dangerous in the evening and can be mugged. The only thing it is notable for is the white color of the walls.
If you are going to Casablanca medina, go in the morning or afternoon, and put your backpack on your chest. But I advise you to go to Chefchaouen and see the ancient medina there for the first time, and see Casablanca before your return flight.
2. Chefchaouen
People from all over the world come to Chefchaouen to take photos against the backdrop of blue houses, sidewalks and doors.
The city is small and consists of a modern and an old part. In the first part there is a bus station, hotels and ordinary houses of Moroccans, also painted in blue. It is convenient to settle there if you come with heavy suitcases. Medina is more authentic, but it is located on the mountain – you have to constantly go up and down. It is better not to plan your route and not to look at the map – just walk around and take pictures of every blue door and cute cat.
The medina of Chefchaouen is the safest and calmest. It is difficult to get lost in it if you study the map beforehand. There are two main parallel streets from one end of the medina to the other, with narrow passages in between. If you go up, you’ll come to the fortress wall, and if you go down, you’ll come to the square and the river.
From the sights in the city there is a fortress on the main square and the Spanish Mosque on the mountain. The price of a ticket to the fortress is 60 MAD, but it is not worth a visit: it has empty stone halls, a couple of signs with historical references and a view of the city. It is better to go up to the Spanish Mosque: from its observation deck you can see a marvelous panorama of the valley and the whole of Chefchaouen. It is especially beautiful at sunset.
Google Maps: the fortress, the Spanish Mosque, Ras al-Ma Park, the observation deck in the mountains
Mountains. On my second day in the city, I suggest taking the cool route to the Reef Mountains, at the foot of which lies Chefchaouen. Travelers walk about 7 kilometers from Ras el-Ma Park to the observation deck above the city. Orientation is by arrows drawn on the rocks. It is better to go out early in the morning when it is still cool. At the beginning of the way there will be a sharp uphill climb – I do not advise children and people with bad knees to go up.
I recommend taking water or tasty juices on the road. They sell them at the Lecheria Venezia shop on Bab El Sor Street. I also liked the avocado milkshake there.
3. Fez
Fez is one of the former capitals of Morocco. In the city, travelers stroll the labyrinthine streets, buy leather goods and utensils, drink mint and sugar tea and eat baklava.
Medinas. There are two medinas in Fez: the medieval Fes el Bali and the royal Fes el Jdid. The former is interesting for its tangled streets, markets and tanneries, the latter for its royal palace, inside of which tourists are not allowed.
I like the medina of Fes el Bali better. According to various sources, it has six to nine and a half thousand streets, and the houses have no specific addresses or signs. The navigator does not work well there: the streets are so often intertwined with each other that geo-positioning is lost. The best way to navigate is to ask locals and carry a hotel business card to show Moroccans on the way back.
Shuara dyes. In the tannery quarter, tourists admire the Shuara dyes, where leather is processed in the traditional way: soaking it in animal droppings and natural dyes in large clay bowls. There is a pungent aroma in the air that is impossible to forget.
The best views of the dye houses are from the observation decks of the tannery stores. The vendors let you into them for free, but insistently offer to buy bags and slippers from them. The prices in these stores are many times higher than in the market in the medina, but when you see how leather goods are created, you want to pay more. I like to see the dye houses, I haven’t seen anything like this before.
The streets of Fez are lined with small shops of local craftsmen. You can not only buy goods, but also see how they are made.
Al-Qarawin Madrasa. In the center of the medina stands the madrasa – a Muslim educational institution – Al-Qarawin. It is the oldest functioning university on the planet and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The madrasah was founded in 859, and since then it has not stopped its work. Tourists are not allowed into the building, but I advise you to walk around the large complex and look through all the open doors and gates: it’s beautiful inside.
If you want to relax and have some privacy after the noise of the city, you can leave the medina through the Bab Guissa gate and climb up the hill to the Marinid tombs. From there you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire ancient part of the city – especially good in the setting sun.
4. Atlas Mountains
On the way to the Sahara, tourists pass the Atlas Mountains, which are rarely considered an interesting attraction in Morocco. I love them for the change of scenery, climate and kind locals – Berbers. They are different from the Arabs in culture and traditions.
Berbers live in rural areas, cultivate the land and grow dates, vegetables and olive trees. They have a different script and their own language. In my opinion, Berbers are a more open people than Arabs: they often invite travelers to visit them and are ready to get to know each other and communicate.
The Atlas Mountains are divided into the Upper, Middle and Lower Atlas. The division is conditional and depends on altitude and climate. In the Upper Atlas – mountains from 1800 meters high, endless serpentines and little vegetation. In winter there is snow, and in spring and fall there are rains. In this part there is Mount Toubkal, the highest point in Morocco. At 4167 meters, it is a popular and relatively easy peak to climb.
The Middle Atlas is the gorges and canyons closer to the Sahara, the ski resort of Ifrane and the foothills of the mountains closer to Fez. The Berbers and nomads, the country’s indigenous population, live there, farming crops and raising livestock. The Lower, or Saharan, Atlas is palm and date groves and arid plateaus near the desert itself.
I like the Dades Gorge in the Middle Atlas. There are rocks there in bizarre shapes like monkey fingers or felled trees. In the gorge there are many settlements where Berbers live, there are hotels and guesthouses. Usually tourists only spend the night there, but I suggest staying for the whole day and walking around. To do this, I advise you to wear comfortable shoes and take a large bottle of water with you: there is nowhere to get or buy it.
Travelers who don’t want to wander alone can turn to local guides. They are sought out at the guesthouses. Tourists walk along the narrow part of the Dades Gorge, jump on rocks and stones, test their climbing skills and look at beautiful mountain landscapes. If they are lucky, they will meet nomads.
5. Sahara
To see the orange sands of the Sahara and spend the night in the desert, tourists travel to the village of Merzouga. It can be reached by Supratours bus, as part of an excursion, an organized tour or a rented vehicle. From Fez to Merzouga is 460 kilometers, from Marrakech – 564.
I like to leave for Merzouga from Fez and return to Marrakech. That way I don’t miss any of the interesting locations along the way and arrive in the center of the country, from where it’s convenient to head to the ocean.
Tickets for the excursion to the Sahara are bought in travel agencies on the streets of Marrakech and Fez or booked on different websites in advance. The price starts from 150 $ for three days. The price includes transfer, guide services, breakfasts and dinners, a night of accommodation in the desert and a night in a hotel in the mountains.
The standard plan of the excursion with departure from Marrakech and return to Fez looks like this. On the first day tourists travel by minibus through the passes of the Upper Atlas, the remains of the fortress of Ait Ben Haddou, where “Game of Thrones” was filmed, the city of Ouarzazate. Overnight in a hotel in the Dades Gorge.
The Ait Ben Haddou fortress became popular after filming scenes for the TV series “Game of Thrones”. The dilapidated walls were restored especially for them. Now it is a good example of what ancient Moroccan settlements looked like.
The Dades Gorge starts from the town of Bumaln Dades. As part of the standard tours, the gorge only takes a couple of hours to visit. There are many beautiful trekking trails to explore on your own
On the second day, travelers explore the gorges of the Middle Atlas: Dades and Todru, and by evening they arrive in Merzouga. There they transfer to camels and go out in a caravan to a tent camp in the desert. They spend the night in comfortable tents among the dunes under the bright stars.
On the third day, tourists return by camel to Merzouga and travel by minibus to Fes. Along the way, they stop at several viewpoints, looking at the olive and palm groves of the Middle Atlas and the town of Ifrane, a local ski resort.
Independent travelers can also organize an overnight stay in the desert. You need to book accommodation in Merzouga through “Booking”, selecting the type of accommodation “camping”.
The standard offer includes accommodation in a desert tent, parking for vehicles, dinner and breakfast, and an evening entertainment program by Berbers around the campfire – singing and dancing under the stars. Additionally pay for camel transportation to the camp.
I stayed at Nomad Bivouac and Merzouga Activities Camp. I can highly recommend them: they have friendly hosts, delicious food and clear organization. The campers are also good with cameras and are always ready to take pictures of tourists in the desert or on a camel.
Conditions in the tents are normal: there are beds, bed linen, shared washbasin and toilets, canteen. There is no electricity, so it is better to charge gadgets in advance. For dinner they offer a salad, a hot dish with chicken, a plate of fruit, tea. For breakfast – yogurt, eggs, fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice and bread with snacks: olives, jam, cream cheese. The food is tasty and they give supplements.
At the camp you can borrow a snowboard for free to try sandboarding, i.e. sandboarding down barchans. It is not an easy activity: it is difficult to walk on sand, and the barchan must be high and steep in order to get off it. Most often tourists ride boards like sledges.
Merzouga is also worth a trip for the Saharan night sky and the dawn over the dunes. At night, if there is no moon, you can see thousands of stars in the sky. Berbers playing drums only add to the charm.
In the morning, you can’t miss the sunrise: the sun rises from the horizon, slowly warming the cold sand and illuminating the orange sands of the Sahara. Sunrise and sunset make for the most beautiful photos because the light is soft and warm.
6. Marrakech
Marrakech is my favorite city in Morocco. Despite its ancient history, it is modern and comfortable. It has trendy cafes and restaurants, cool museums and luxurious palaces. Marrakech is a good place to come after adventures in the desert and mountains to catch your breath, relax in the shade of palm trees, go to the hammam and do some shopping.
I recommend spending two days in Marrakech. On the first one, walk around the main sights of the city: visit the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, the spice market, Bahia Palace, Koutoubia Mosque, Ben Youssef Madrasa, visit the medina and Jema el Fna Square.
On the second day, you can go to the Menara Gardens and walk among the olive trees. Entrance is free of charge. Another option is to go shopping in the medina. There they sell dishes, jewelry, leather poufs, bags, backpacks, slippers, postcards. Also in the Old City, you can make your own traditional clothes. There is no fear of taking the dishes home: they will be carefully packed in kraft paper or polyethylene.
The Ouzoud waterfall is located 150 kilometers from Marrakech. Its height is 110 meters. You can visit it as part of a day trip or independently by rented car.
Entrance to the waterfall area is free of charge. To take a boat ride on the river, you will have to pay. There are many cafes and restaurants around the waterfall where you can have lunch with a beautiful view.
7. Essaouira
Essaouira is a port city on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, which became famous thanks to the same “Game of Thrones”. In the third season of the series, Daenerys Targaryen bought slaves there. In the 1960s, Essaouira became a hippie mecca.
Essaouira is now a quiet and peaceful town with a medina, a fishing port, a long line of beach and perfect waves for surfing and kitesurfing. There are dozens of surf schools in the surrounding area, and the central beach is a constant training ground.
The medina in Essaouira is bright and pleasant. Lots of shops, coffee shops and restaurants. My favorite place to hide from the midday heat, drink coffee and eat a fresh poppy seed and cinnamon bun is the Driss pastry shop.
8. What else to do in Morocco
Water Sports. Surfing and kitesurfing are favored on the Atlantic coast because of the flat and constant waves. The best period for surfing is from November to March. Surfing is taught in Agadir and Essaouira.
There are two surf schools near the central beach in Essaouira: Atlanticzin Watersports and Kite Paradise. The prices are about the same: for example, a two-hour surf lesson in a group costs 25-30 €. Equipment rental is included in the price.
There are also surf camps. They are located in small villages along the ocean. I have been to MarocSurfCamp in Tarazout, near Agadir, three times, and I would go again. The guys have a large house where the races are housed in cozy rooms. There is a rooftop terrace, dining room and yoga room overlooking the ocean. There are surf lessons with talented instructors every day, and rooftop hangouts and socializing in the evenings. A trip to such a camp for five days costs from €350. The price includes accommodation, three meals a day, surf lessons, equipment rental and shuttle service to and from the beach.
There are many options of camps: some are located right on the shore, others include excursions and entertainment in the program. Prices vary and often depend on the comfort of accommodation.
I think surfing in Morocco is no worse than in Portugal. It’s the same Atlantic Ocean, only warmer. I found it difficult to find good instructors in Morocco, but surf tours there are cheaper than in Europe.
Legzira Beach. Tourists are often brought to Legzira Beach with its bright red arches on the shore. It takes three hours and 150 kilometers to get there from Agadir, and 322 kilometers from Essaouira. The drive is long, but the views and the beach are worth it. It looks especially impressive at sunset, when the sun colors the cliffs orange and red.
Entrance to the beach is free, but you have to pay for parking. There are cafes and restaurants at the entrance.
The Moroccan hammam is a humid bath where a ritual of cleansing with beldi soap is performed. It contains unripe olives, eucalyptus oil and gommage – a soft scrub. I love going to the hammam: my skin is soft and gentle afterwards, and my pores breathe.
There are public and private hammams in Morocco. In the former, the halls are divided into male and female, there are many people, not always clean, but authentic and cheap. Hammam for Marrocans is a meeting place, so dozens of naked Moroccan women or men, who are usually hidden under scarves and clothes, are in them chatting, discussing the latest news.
To understand how to do the procedure according to all the rules, you can order the services of a soapmaker of your sex. But be prepared that this person will not be shy and respect personal boundaries: he or she will touch you in all places.
In a private hammam you can’t just come and wash yourself. Visitors are given a procedure: they are rubbed with soap, scrubbed, wrapped and washed. Private hammams are quieter, calmer and more comfortable for tourists.
I have been to several hammams. I liked Hammam Mernisi in Fez the most: it has both common halls and individual rooms. A large group of tourists can agree to close the whole common room for them. The room is beautiful: moldings, carved stones, mosaics, granite washbasins – it feels like washing in a palace. Tourists traveling alone or in pairs are advised to go to the hammam with other visitors during common visiting hours.
This place is quite expensive but clean, they give you towels and robes, water, hairdryer, beldi soap and scrubbing mitt. A visit to the common room in 2021 cost 200 MAD.
9. Housing
Most of the accommodation options in Morocco are riads. These are houses with a courtyard or garden. They were built in such a way as to create a space for children and women, who could not go outside without a male escort. Nowadays, the courtyards of riads are a full-fledged part of the dwelling: orange trees are planted there, swimming pools are built, and a large living room or recreation area is organized. I like this kind of accommodation: you get a taste of the culture and color of the country.
I’ve always looked for accommodation in Morocco on Booking. In Chefchaouen, I enjoyed the Hotel Molino riad. It is in the old medina, so you have to walk to it with your suitcase. It’s clean and has delicious breakfasts, a convenient location to go out into the mountains and to the Spanish Mosque, and most importantly, it has its own garden and a pond with fish.
In Fez, I like to stay at the Dar Bab Guissa. This hotel, a glass-roofed riad, is located near the gate of the same name and is easy to find by asking for local directions. There are double, triple and quintuple rooms, an indoor and outdoor rooftop lounge area and delicious breakfasts.
There’s a modern hostel in Marrakech called The Central House, which used to be called Rodamon Marrakech. It has cool clean rooms, a pool in the courtyard and an open roof terrace.
10. Food
In Morocco, cereals, vegetables, meat and fish are cooked. They are often stewed in a tagine, a clay pot with a cone-shaped lid that is placed on the coals. The dish itself is also called tajin. It is prepared with fish, shrimp, chicken or vegetables, and sometimes all the ingredients are mixed. The dish is simple, charm and flavor are given by spices: cumin, zira, cinnamon. One serving in 2023 costs 35-50 MAD.
Another favorite dish is couscous. It is a wheat cereal with vegetables, which is usually prepared for lunch on Fridays: it is a holy day for Muslims. Some cafes may offer couscous at any time, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
I’m not a big fan of the food in Morocco. There is no European food in the roadside cafes and restaurants outside Marrakech, and the national dishes – lentil soup and chicken and vegetable tagines – get boring after a week of traveling. You want variety in food.
Another problem is breakfast. It is not customary in Morocco to eat much in the morning. Hotels offer only olives, tortillas, butter, cheese, sweet rolls and orange juice. This is enough for the Marrocans, but I was never full.
There are enough roadside cafes in the country: they are in the mountains, on the road to the Sahara, on the ocean coast. The main thing is to go to those places where locals eat, and to have cash with you. At lunch they often offer a three-course set: vegetable salad, lentil soup and chicken tagine.
There are plenty of places for lunch and dinner in the cities. I love the restaurants in Marrakech the most. Plus61, Cafe des Epices, Le Jardin are modern cafes of Moroccan cuisine with cool service, unique interiors and delicious food. I especially like Le Jardin – it’s a garden restaurant with live music in the evenings.
The markets sell fresh fruits and vegetables, seasonings and spices, oriental sweets. They are offered in bulk. Meat is sold live: you choose a chicken and it is refreshed in front of you right at the market.
I recommend taking home from Morocco sweet baklava with nuts and local juicy tangerines – they epitomize the country visited.
11. Transportation
Buses. It is convenient to travel between the cities of Morocco by comfortable buses CTM and Supratours. You can check the schedule and buy tickets in advance on their websites.
I picked the flights I wanted and bought cash tickets for the entire route at one of the CTM bus stations in Casablanca on the first day of the trip. I was lucky: they were always available. The prices are adequate. For example, getting to Marrakech from Casablanca costs from 90 MAD.
You can also travel on trains, but they were, in my experience, late. I traveled only in 2017, and then I spent eight hours on the road instead of the stated five hours. After that, I opted for the bus.
A rented car is the best transportation for traveling in Morocco. Tourists rent cars at Casablanca or Marrakech airport from international companies Sixt or Europcar.
12. Safety
In Morocco it is not customary to hug, kiss or actively show feelings in the street. Locals wear closed clothing. If you don’t want attention to yourself, cover your shoulders and knees.
Images of living creatures are forbidden in Muslimism, so locals are extremely negative about taking pictures of them without asking. Ask before taking pictures.
You cannot drink tap water in Morocco – only bottled water. It is also better not to eat in eateries where the conditions for storing food are not respected in the heat. There have been cases of poisoning in my groups.
There are many beggars and pickpockets in the markets, medina and squares. Therefore, it is better to wear your backpack in the front and keep your valuables deep in your pockets.
Results
I love Morocco for its diversity, color and nature. You can go to the country several times and discover something new all the time. Despite the large tourist flow, Moroccans are happy to see newcomers because they boost their economy and thus develop the country.
Morocco has a good infrastructure: hotels, roads, cafes, stores. It is easy for tourists to navigate and get to their destination. You can also buy cool, unique things in Morocco inexpensively: carpets, textiles, leather, cosmetics made of argan and rose oil.
