Morocco Travel Guide: What to Know Before Your Trip

Morocco has four great kinds of places, and most good trips mix them, depending on what you want to see and how much time you have. The imperial cities, Fes, Meknes, Rabat and Marrakech, have the great medinas, palaces and madrasas. The north, Tangier, Chefchaouen, Tetouan and Asilah, is the easiest start from Europe. The High Atlas and the Rif are for hiking and village life, and the Sahara at Merzouga is for the dunes and a night in a desert camp.

Along the coast, Essaouira, Asilah and the Atlantic beaches are the places to slow down. On the way south, the kasbahs of Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate and the Todra and Dades gorges are some of the most beautiful places in the country.

Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to November, are the best times for a trip around the whole country: warm, dry days from the medinas to the Sahara. Summer is very hot inland but pleasant in the north and on the coast, and winter brings sunny days in the south, cold desert nights and snow on the Atlas.

Check the dates of Ramadan before you book. Sights stay open, but the pace changes, and many local cafés close during the day.

The main airports are Marrakech, Casablanca, Tangier, Fes, Agadir and Rabat, with direct flights from most of Europe and some from North America, the Middle East and Africa. Choose the airport closest to your route: fly into Tangier for the north, Fes for the imperial cities and Marrakech for the south, and out of another to save a long drive back.

From Spain, the fast ferry from Tarifa reaches the port in the centre of Tangier in about an hour, and ferries from Algeciras sail to Tanger Med, east of the city. Many cruise ships also call in Tangier, so a first taste of Morocco can be a single day.

Citizens of the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, the European Union and many other countries do not need a visa for a tourist stay of up to 90 days. Your passport is stamped when you arrive, at the airport or at the port.

Rules change, so check your government's travel advice for Morocco before you book, and make sure your passport is valid for the whole trip. Travel insurance is strongly recommended.

The Moroccan currency is the dirham (MAD). It is a closed currency, so you usually cannot buy it before you travel: take cash from a machine when you arrive (you will find them in every town) or change euros, dollars or pounds at an exchange office, where rates are fair. Cards are accepted in most hotels, larger restaurants and shops, but the souks, small cafés and taxis take cash only.

Day to day, Morocco is good value compared with much of Europe. Tipping is part of the culture: round up or leave about 10 percent in restaurants, and a few dirhams for porters and small services. Our own tours are paid in cash, by PayPal or by bank transfer, and private tours need no deposit.

Trains are the easiest way between the big cities. The Al Boraq high-speed train runs from Tangier to Rabat and Casablanca, reaching Casablanca in a little over two hours, much faster than the road, and regular trains continue to Fes, Meknes and Marrakech. CTM and Supratours buses cover most other towns in comfort, and domestic flights link the main cities.

In town, petit taxis should use the meter; grand taxis run between towns at set fares. You can hire a car and drive on the right, but for the mountains, the gorges and the desert, a car with a driver and a guide is the easiest and safest way to travel: you watch the landscapes while someone else handles the roads.

The classic place to stay is a riad, a traditional house built around a courtyard garden, now often a small guesthouse in the medina, with breakfast on the roof terrace. Riads are found in every old city, from Tangier and Chefchaouen to Fes and Marrakech, and many can only be reached on foot through the lanes. In the south, kasbah hotels are built in the old earth style, and in the mountains simple guesthouses welcome hikers.

In the Sahara, desert camps near Merzouga range from simple tents to comfortable ones with private bathrooms. Big cities and beach towns, like Casablanca, Rabat and Essaouira, also have modern hotels of every level, as well as international chains.

Moroccan food is one of the joys of the trip: tagines slow-cooked with preserved lemon and olives, couscous on Friday, harira soup, pastilla, grilled fish on the coast and, in Tangier, bissara for breakfast and kalinte from the street stalls. Mint tea is offered everywhere, and fresh orange juice costs very little.

Most visitors drink bottled water, sold everywhere. Alcohol is served in licensed hotels, bars and restaurants and sold in some supermarkets in the cities, but not in most local cafés, and drinking in the street is not acceptable. Pork is not part of Moroccan cooking.

Moroccans are warm and welcoming, and a few customs help. Greet people with salam alaikum, eat and give things with your right hand, accept the tea you are offered, and ask before you photograph anyone. Bargaining is normal in the souks: offer less than you would pay, meet in the middle, and walk away politely if you do not agree.

Most working mosques are open to Muslims only; the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca welcomes visitors on guided tours. There is no special dress code for visitors: wear what you would wear in a European city, with comfortable shoes for the lanes. Friday is the day of the main prayer, and some shops close at midday.

Most Moroccans speak Darija, Moroccan Arabic, and many speak French; Arabic and Tamazight are the official languages, many people in the north speak Spanish, and English is common in hotels, shops and among young people. Local SIM cards from Maroc Telecom, Orange and inwi are sold at airports, ports and phone shops with your passport, and many phones can take an eSIM.

Sockets are type C and E, 220 volts, the same as most of Europe. Morocco uses GMT+1 for most of the year and switches to GMT during Ramadan, so check the time if you travel then.

Morocco is generally safe for tourists, and violent crime against visitors is rare. Most people you meet will be friendly and helpful. Watch for pickpockets in crowds, say no politely to unofficial guides, and read your government's travel advice before you go. In an emergency, call 19 for the police or 15 for an ambulance.

No special vaccinations are required for most travellers, but ask your doctor before you go. Pharmacies, marked with a green cross, are everywhere and helpful for small problems. Bring sun protection, drink plenty of water in the heat, and take out travel insurance.