Get lost in the Fez medina
Roughly 9,000 lanes, no cars, and donkeys still carrying the freight. Getting lost isn't a risk here, it's the default state.
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North Africa
Things to do in Morocco
Souks that smell of spice and leather, and a desert that starts closer than you'd think.
Explore Morocco on the map →Budget$
Best for7-10 days
CapitalRabat
VisaVisa-free 90 days for US/UK/EU/Canada/Australia
CurrencyMoroccan dirham (MAD)
LanguagesArabic, Amazigh, French
InternetGood
Typical lodging$20–$50/night
Driving sideRight
Power & voltage220V / 50Hz (Type C/E plug)
Time zoneUTC+1
Emergency number19 (police) / 15 (ambulance)
Dialing code+212
★★★★★ Culture★★★★★ Adventure★★★★★ Food
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Bottled water only. Small tips are expected for many everyday services.
Few countries compress this much geography: Atlantic surf, a 4,000-metre mountain range, and true desert dunes all within a day's drive. The medinas of Fez and Marrakech are among the largest car-free urban areas on earth, they predate the wheel as a design constraint.
When to go
SpringMarch–May
The strongest window: comfortable in the cities, wildflowers in the Atlas, and the desert warm rather than punishing.
SummerJune–August
Inland regularly passes 40°C and the Sahara becomes genuinely hard going. The Atlantic coast around Essaouira stays cool and windy.
AutumnSeptember–October
The other sweet spot: heat easing, date harvest in the south, and clear skies for the mountains.
WinterNovember–February
Cold nights in the desert and snow in the High Atlas. Marrakech stays mild by day; the north can be wet.
21 things to do
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Culture & history
5Look down on the Chouara tanneries
Stone dye pits worked by hand since medieval times, viewed from the leather shops' terraces. They hand you mint for the smell, and you'll need it.
See the kasbah at Aït Benhaddou
A fortified mud-brick village on the old caravan route, rebuilt repeatedly for films and still standing above the river.
See the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca
Built partly over the Atlantic, with a minaret 210 metres tall. One of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors.
Wander the Roman ruins at Volubilis
Mosaic floors and standing columns on a hillside near Meknes, at the far southwestern edge of what Rome controlled.
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Food & markets
5Eat a tagine that cooked for hours
The conical pot steams its own contents: lamb with prunes, chicken with preserved lemon and olives. Nothing like the fast versions abroad.
Have a Friday couscous
The traditional family meal after prayers, steamed three times over a broth. Ask a day ahead in most riads and they'll make it.
Take a cooking class in a riad
Usually starts in the souk buying spices, ends on a rooftop eating what you made. Riads are courtyard houses turned guesthouses.
Eat grilled sardines on the Essaouira quay
Boats unload in the morning and the grills start immediately. Windy, gull-heavy, and among the cheapest good meals in the country.
Bargain properly in the souks
Expected, and treated as conversation rather than conflict. Walking away is part of it, and so is the tea.
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Adventure & outdoors
4Ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes
Sand up to 150 metres high near Merzouga, usually done as an overnight with a desert camp and no light pollution at all.
Trek in the High Atlas from Imlil
Berber villages, walnut terraces and mule tracks. Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak at 4,167m, is a two-day climb from here.
Walk the Todra or Dades gorges
Red rock walls narrowing to a few metres, with a river and a road running through and climbers on the faces above.
Learn to windsurf or surf at Essaouira
Reliable Atlantic wind has made this a kitesurfing town; Taghazout further south is the mellower surf option.
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Cities & design
2Watch Jemaa el-Fnaa fill up at dusk
Marrakech's main square shifts through the day from snake charmers to food stalls to storytellers, and is busiest well after dark.
Walk the Majorelle and Yves Saint Laurent gardens$7–11
Cobalt-blue walls, cactus and bamboo in the middle of Marrakech, with the YSL museum next door.
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Slow days
5Sleep out under the Sahara sky
Camps range from basic to elaborate. The reason to go is the silence and the stars, neither of which appear in the brochure photos.
Sip mint tea on a Chefchaouen rooftop
The blue city in the Rif mountains: every wall repainted each year, and best appreciated slowly from above.
Bathe in a hammam
Steam, black soap, and being scrubbed harder than expected. Public ones are cheap and communal; riads offer the gentler version.
Take the train between the imperial cities
Fast, cheap and comfortable between Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Meknes and Fez, far easier than driving.
Stay in a riad courtyard
Blank walls onto the lane, then a fountain, orange trees and open sky inside. The whole point of the architecture is the contrast.
Common questions
▾Is Morocco safe to visit?
Yes. Morocco is a well-established, tourist-friendly destination with low rates of violent crime. The main hassle for visitors is persistent touts and overcharging in medina souks rather than anything more serious; agreeing prices before you buy or ride anywhere helps avoid most of it.
▾How much does it cost to visit Marrakech's Jardin Majorelle?
Garden-only entry runs around 70-100 dirhams (roughly $7-11), with a combined ticket that adds the Yves Saint Laurent Museum costing more, closer to 170 dirhams (about $17). It's one of Marrakech's most visited paid sights, so booking a timed entry online ahead of a visit is worth doing in high season.
▾How many days do you need in Morocco?
10-14 days covers a solid loop: a few days in Marrakech, a couple more in the Sahara or Atlas Mountains, and time in Fes or the coastal towns of Essaouira or Chefchaouen. A shorter one-week trip usually means sticking to Marrakech and a single desert or mountain excursion.
▾Do I need a visa for Morocco?
US, UK, EU, Canadian and many other passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 90 days as tourists. Check the current list for your specific nationality, since a smaller number of countries do need a visa arranged in advance.
▾What's the best time to visit Morocco?
March through May and September through November are the most comfortable windows, avoiding both summer's intense heat (especially inland and in the desert) and winter's cold nights in the Atlas Mountains and Sahara.
▾Is Morocco expensive?
Morocco is a genuinely affordable destination: food, local transport and riad-style accommodation are inexpensive by European standards, even though it sits right across the strait from Spain. Desert excursions and multi-day tours are the main costs that push a budget up.
