Morocco is a land of vibrant contrasts, where ancient traditions blend seamlessly with modern life. From bustling cities, the serene sands of the Sahara Desert, snowy mountain tops of the High Atlas Mountains to a surfer’s paradise and long beaches at the Atlantic Coast – the North African country has a lot to offer. To make planning your trip easier, here’s the ultimate travel guide and the best places to see in Morocco.
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When is the best time to visit Morocco?
Morocco is a good destination to visit all year around, but depending on what temperatures you like, there are some months that are better than others. The summer in Morocco tend to be super hot, so it’s better to stick to the breezy coast and enjoy the mild temperatures of the Atlantic.
During winter, the Atlas Mountains are covered in snow, so more difficult to visit and the north of Morocco gets quite cold especially at night. But the Sahara Desert is not too hot during winter, just the nights can get chilly.
Autumn or spring are probably the best seasons if you don’t want it to hot or cold. There’s generally not much rain, it mostly rains during winter and depending on the region the temperatures are around 20 up to 30 degrees Celsius.
I visited in March and had a few chilly nights in the north, but up to 20 degrees during the day, and Marrakech was already quite warm with almost 30 degrees. The coast usually tends to be a bit colder than Marrakech, but with more than 20 degrees still warm enough. For the Sahara Desert it was the perfect time as it wasn’t too hot during the day (22-26 degrees) and you could walk barefoot on the dunes without burning your feet.
Is Morocco safe to visit?
Morocco generally is a safe country to visit and the crime rate is relatively low, but you still need to be aware of a few things as scam or pickpocketing is common in some areas. Before visiting always check your local embassy or Foreign Office website for up-to-date information about the safety in the country you are visiting.
I always felt safe while travelling through Morocco and just took some general safety precautions like keeping my valuables safe or avoiding small alleyways after dark. There can be a lot of catcalling in some places though, but I found the vendors constantly talking to you or even shouting after you even more annoying. Especially in big cities like Marrakech or Fez, the vendors in the Souks can get quite pushy or are expecting you to buy something after you entered their store. Just stay respectful even though it can get annoying after a while. If people didn’t accept several ‘no thank you’s’ and kept talking to me, I just left and ignored them.
In Fez particularly, be careful with accepting help as people often want money in the end even though they don’t say it beforehand. Fez can be a maze, but Google Maps worked fine for me most of the time. Still, people constantly asked me if I need help for directions or even told me that I was going the wrong way without even knowing where I intended to go.
When taking a taxi be aware of taxi drivers wanting to rip you off. In some cities the petit taxis have a meter, so make sure it is on and starts at zero. If not, say something about it. Without a meter should talk about the final price beforehand. Ask at your accommodation for taxi prices as taxi drivers sometimes demand prices way above average. Haggling usually helps to get the price down, but I had to look for another taxi driver once or twice, because they wanted double the price and haggling didn’t help.
How to get around Morocco?
The easiest and most flexible way to get around Morocco is by car. You can use your own car and take the ferry to Morocco from Spain if that’s possible. Otherwise, renting a car in Morocco is cheap as well.
But even if you don’t have a car or don’t want to rent one, it’s easy to reach most places in Morocco by public transport. There are trains running between Fez and Marrakech, Tangier and Casablanca or Marrakech and Rabat as well as some other places. Many of them are even high-speed TGVs. Morocco also has a good and reliable bus transport system. With CTM or Supratours you can easily reach all bigger towns and other popular places. The buses are super comfy, modern und you can book the tickets online.
If you want to reach smaller or less popular places, there sometimes are local buses you can take and if not you can always take a taxi or hitchhike. Within cities, the so-called Petit Taxis take you anywhere you want for a cheap price. For longer distances outside of town there are Grand Taxis. When travelling on a budget and solo, these Grand Taxis can be more expensive as when you’re travelling with several people.
I hitchhiked a couple of times at the coast and around Ouarzazate, which was super easy and I always felt safe. In the cities like Fez or Marrakech I only used taxis when needed. I also had the feeling that hitchhiking in big cities can get difficult as most people will expect money from you for everything and hitchhiking is not necessary as taxis are cheap. Just make sure that they turn on the meter or determine the price beforehand.
Where to stay in Morocco?
I’d generally say that Morocco is a cheap country to travel to and you find good and affordable accommodation everywhere. Especially when you’re travelling with your partner or a friend, you don’t need to sleep in dorms to save money as there are cheap private rooms as well. I travelled by myself on a low budget and got a few cheap private rooms here and there. Even more luxurious accommodation is more affordable here if you’re not too tight on a budget.
The traditionally styled houses in Morocco are called riad. The word “riad” comes from the Arabic term for garden, “ryad” and they typically have an inner garden or courtyard in the center of the building. Riads are usually found in the medinas (old city centers) of Moroccan cities and are a must stay if you want to fully experience the country. From hostels located in riads up to more luxurious hotels, you can find a riad to stay in regardless of your budget.
The best places to see in Morocco
Morocco has so much to offer and it’s hard to choose between beautiful cities, a stunning coast, magnificent mountains and the dunes of the Sahara Desert when you have limited time. To make it a little easier for you; here are some of the best places the country has to offer:
Fez el Bali
Fez is the second biggest city in Morocco and located in the northern part of the country. The old town Fes el Bali is with more than 9.000 alleyways the biggest medieval old town on this planet. It’s a real maze and the alleyways can get super narrow in some parts. I stayed in a Riad in the middle of the old town with stunning views from the rooftop terrace. The building was 1200 years old, which meant that it got a bit chilly at night in the beginning of March.
The highlights in Fez are exploring the Medina itself, the tanneries, where they traditionally dye leather and the Marinid Tombs with a stunning view on the city and the surrounding hills. There’s also the Attarine Madrasa, an old school for Islamic studies with stunning architecture inside.
Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen, also called the blue pearl of Morocco, is a city in the Rif Mountains in the northwest of the country. A lot of buildings are painted blue and the city became famous for it. You can reach Chefchaouen within 4 hours from Fez by car or bus or within 2,5 hours from Tangier.
The city is much calmer than the bustling Medina of Fez with lots of beautiful blue and white alleyways and tall mountains in the back. From the Spanish Mosque you have a beautiful view on the city. If you have enough time you can visit Akchour as well, where you can find waterfalls and a natural bridge in the rocks. Akchour is only a 45min drive away from Chefchaouen.
Chefchaouen is in my opinion one of the prettiest and best places to see in Morocco, so definitely come here if you can.
The Sahara Desert
Visiting the Sahara Desert was one of my highlights during my trip to Morocco. It’s a long drive either from Fez or Marrakech, but totally worth it and the versatile landscape on the way there is stunning to see. While most people probably think that the Sahara desert only consists of endless sand dunes, there are only a few parts of the Sahara with dunes and a big part consists of rocky terrain. The most famous place to explore the dunes is Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi Dunes, but there are also dunes near Zagora or Mhamid.
I visited Merzouga and there are a lot of tours offered from Marrakech or Fez, which I wouldn’t recommend. They are really rushed and you don’t really spend much time in the actual desert. You can easily reach Merzouga by car or bus and book accommodation in Merzouga or a camp in the dunes. Note that there are a lot of camps in the desert now, located at the edge of the dunes and you’re not alone in the middle of the dunes as it may sound like. A local told me that the camps used to be more authentic years ago, but mass tourism unfortunately destroyed that. I stayed in Merzouga, which was perfectly fine to explore the dunes on my own as they were directly next to the town and I could just walk right into them. You can also rent sandboards or quads in Merzouga or book tours if you want.
I did a desert hike to an oasis, tried sandboarding, climbed the highest dune, watched both sunrise and sunset over the desert and I loved that I could explore everything in my own pace.
The High Atlas Mountains
The best way to explore the High Atlas Mountains is by car or trekking. There are many trekking tours available when you’re interested in several day hikes. Otherwise, you’ll cross the massive mountain range when driving from Marrakech to Ouarzazate or the other way around. Located in the High Atlas Mountains are also Dades Gorge and Todra Gorge. You can easily visit both gorges on your drive between the Sahara and Ouarzazate if you go by car. When travelling by bus, you can easily spend a night in the beautiful town of Tinghir and visit the Todra Gorge from there as a day trip.
Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate is a city located south of the High Atlas Mountains and known as the Hollywood of Morocco as it is home of the famous Atlas Studios.
Next to the film studios and the old town, Ouarzazate is a good base to visit the ancient Kasbah Ait Benhaddou as a day trip. Ait Benhaddou is easier to reach by car, but it’s also possible without one though there aren’t any buses. I hitchhiked from Ouarzazate to Ait Benhaddou as a daytrip and it was super easy and quick. If you don’t want to hitchhike, there are always taxis you can take.
Marrakech
The city of Marrakech is probably the most well-known place in Morocco. And no, Marrakech is not the capital of Morocco, but the most touristic city in the country. The Medina of Marrakech is not as narrow and as big of a maze as Fez, but it’s still packed with people. Part of the Medina is the Jemaa el-Fnaa square, the most famous market square in Marrakech. If you want to admire the beautiful Moroccan architecture, go by Koutoubia Mosque, visit the former Islamic college Madrasa Ben Youssef or the Badi Palace. Other amazing sights are the remains of Badi Palace or the famous Jardin Majorelle. When visiting any of those sights, it’s best to go early right after they open in the morning to avoid the crowds.
Essaouira
Essaouira is a beautiful port and beach town at the Atlantic Coast of Morocco. It’s a perfect place for wind- and kitesurfing as it’s known to be the windiest coastal town in Africa. The town itself has a beautiful Medina and you can climb up the old city wall and enjoy the view on the ocean. Especially shopping in the Medina is less stressful than it can get in big cities like Fez or Marrakech, because the vendors tend to be less pushy and annoying here.
Another highlight is the fish market at the port of Essaouira. They are open every day and you can buy freshly caught fish, shrimps, squid etc. Just buy whatever you like, take it to one of the barbeques and they grill it immediately for you to enjoy.
I hope that you’ll enjoy your own trip to Morocco as much as I did enjoy mine. Go check out more of my blogposts to get more travel tips and inspiration.