Morocco Travel Tips

Chefchaouen

Simply the most beautiful small town in Morocco. Chefchaouen is located in the middle of the Rif Mountains. It is very relaxed, offers reasonable accommodations, and is visually stunning. The streets and buildings are painted a vibrant sky blue, and the mountains in the backdrop are rugged and dramatic. It’s a great place to wander, shop, and sip mint tea.

High Atlas

The nerve-shredding Tizi n’Test and the higher Tizi n’Tichka wend up over the Atlas Mountains, providing breathtaking views along the way. The rugged and beautiful Atlas Mountains stretch over 1,500 miles, from the West Coast of Morocco all the way to Tunisia. This mountain range is home to Jebel Toubkal, North Africa’s tallest peak at 13,671 feet. You can hike all year round, but the best time is from April to May.

Djemaa El Fna Street Theatre

Circuses can’t compare to the madcap, Unesco-acclaimed halqa (street theatre) in Marrakesh’s main square. By day, ‘La Place’ draws crowds with astrologers, snake-charmers, acrobats and dentists with jars of pulled teeth. Around sunset, 100 restaurant stalls kick off the world’s most raucous grilling competition. After dinner, Djemaa music jam sessions get under way – audience participation is always encouraged, and spare change ensures encores.

Marrakesh

Spend some time in the Djemaa el-Fna, where you can find exotic street performers, tattoo artists, musicians, and chefs. After that, wander around the medina, explore the souks, eat in the market, see the old city, and enjoy Morocco’s most international city. Marrakesh has it all.

Sahara Desert

The Sahara is exactly how it is portrayed in the movies – vast, empty, and absolutely spectacular. You can spend the night in a simple tent in the dunes. The stars go on forever and there’s no light pollution to block them out.

Fez

The most complete medieval city in the Arab world, Fez’s labyrinthine streets conceal ancient souks and iconic monuments, none more so than the exquisitely decorated Medersa Bou Inania. This old and powerful city is one of the best places in the country. The streets are filled with wonderful aromas, mosques, craft shops, and crowds upon crowds of people. Though Fez can be a bit overwhelming, once you get used to the pace of the city, it’s simply magical.

Torda Gorge

This gorge is one of the most recognized in the world and has become very popular with travelers looking to hike the canyon. It’s a challenging hike but if you’re looking for something truly different and outdoorsy in Morocco, don’t miss out on this.

Hassan II Mosque

The Hassan II Mosque, located in Casablanca, is a popular attraction among tourists. It took thousands of Moroccan artists a total of five years to build this detailed architectural masterpiece. Its mosaics, plaster moldings, marble and stone columns and floors, and wood ceilings are utterly impressive. It is big enough for 105,000 worshipers, making it one of the largest mosques in the world! I was awed.

Tangiers

This major city in northern Morocco is located on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The history of Tangiers is very rich, due to the historical presence of many civilizations and cultures. Almost 100 years ago, Tangiers was considered as having international status by foreign colonial powers and became a destination for many European and American diplomats, businessmen, writers, and spies.

The Ancient City of Volubilis

Berber king Juba II, whose wife was the daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, was installed at Volubilis by the Romans. The town became a thriving farming community producing olive oil, wheat and wine for the Roman army.

This World Heritage site has few rules about where you can walk, little signage and lots of storks nesting on column-tops. It has some dazzling mosaics and a brand-new museum.

Most of the city is still excavated so the site has a very raw feel to it. It’s a lovely day trip away from the crowds and noise of Fez.

Essaouira

Essaouira is located a few hours from Marrakesh on the Atlantic coast and is a popular beach destination for tourists. The relaxed atmosphere of the city, the lack of pushy touts, the sea air, and all the fresh fish will make you want to stay for a few days. Be sure to visit the wonderful fish market in town, where all the small fishermen sell their day’s catch. Afterward, check out the small fish stalls nearby in the main square where you can enjoy fresh seafood grilled really cheap.

Draa Valley Kasbah Trail

Roads now allow safe, speedy passage through the final stretches of ancient caravan routes from Mali to Marrakesh, but beyond the rocky gorges glimpsed through car windows lies the Draa Valley of desert-traders’ dreams. The palms and cool mud-brick castles of Tamegroute, Zagora, Timidarte and Agdz must once have seemed like mirages after two months in the Sahara. Fortifications that housed gold-laden caravans are now open to overnight guests, who wake to fresh boufeggou dates, bread baked in rooftop ovens, and this realisation: speed is overrated.

Tafraoute

The Anti Atlas’ main town, Tafraoute, has a jumble of pink houses and market streets with extraordinary surroundings. The Ameln Valley is dotted with palmeraies (palm groves) and Berber villages, and the looming mountains stage a twice-daily, ochre-and-amber light show.

With a relatively undeveloped tourist industry, despite the region’s many charms, it’s a wonderful base for activities including mountain biking and seeking out prehistoric rock carvings.

Sidi Ifni

This formerly Spanish seaside town, a camel ride from the Sahara, is every bit as dilapidated, breezy and magical as well-trodden Essaouira. You can walk out along the sweep of Legzira Plage, or just explore the blue-and-white backstreets of one of southern Morocco’s most alluring hangouts. The best time to appreciate the art-deco relics is sunset, when the Atlantic winds bend the palms and fill the air with a cooling sea mist.

Taroudant

With views of both the High Atlas and the Anti Atlas mountains, this Souss Valley trading centre is known as Little Marrakesh, offering a medina and souqs without the big-city hustlers. Day trippers from Agadir will certainly find it charming. The town’s red-mud ramparts are unique, changing color according to the time of day.

Circle the 7.5km perimeter by foot, bike or horse-drawn carriage and then return to the medina through one of the gates. After the sunset glow fades from the walls, the town is a relaxing, everyday place with some good restaurants.