This list of the best tips for travelling to Morocco will help you prepare your trip to a country that we are sure will seduce you with its cultural contrasts and unique corners.
Located a few kilometres from Europe, in Morocco, you can enjoy labyrinthine medinas, deserts of large dunes where you will spend a night looking at the stars, ancient fishing villages that seem frozen in time, Roman remains and one of the best cuisines in the world, which together form one of the most incredible countries in the world.
Considering the cultural difference, to have the best experience and to know the kindness of the Moroccan people, we recommend that you travel with an open mind, without the initial prejudices or fears of a culture and way of life totally different from your own.
1 – Security
Morocco is one of the safest countries in Africa, especially for travellers. It should be noted that tourism is one of the country’s main sources of income and that the government allocates many resources to make you feel comfortable and protected at all times. This does not mean that in less touristy areas of the countryside and isolated districts of large cities, especially at night, additional precautions should be taken and potential dangers well informed before travelling to unfamiliar areas.
Thefts are not common, although attention should be paid to small scams in the most touristy cities. Some of the most common are fake guides offered in the medinas and working on commission for shops and restaurants, taxi drivers who do not put the meter on or set a price before inflating the price or sellers who sell products at gold prices that are not of sufficient quality.
A good option to have a pleasant first contact and get to know a city like Marrakech is to book a private tour in which you have a good guide in your language and you choose the itinerary!
If you are visiting Fez, you can book in advance this guided tour in your own language, which passes through the main points of interest in the Medina.
2 – Conditions of entry into the country
If you are European, you do not need a visa to enter Morocco, you just need to have your passport valid for at least 6 months and fill in an immigration form that will be given to you on the plane or boat. If you come from another country, you can find out if a visa is required on the official website of your Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In addition to the visa, one of the best tips for traveling to Morocco and other countries is to always have one or more copies of your passport on paper and another in a cloud service such as Google Drive, Amazon Drive, Dropbox or other.
3 – When is the best time to go to Morocco?
The best time to travel to Morocco is in spring or autumn, when you will avoid the stifling heat of summer and bad weather in the form of cold and rain in winter, especially in the northern part of the Atlas. The most touristic cities of the country such as Marrakech or Fez can be visited all year round, although in July and August they can reach temperatures close to 40 degrees.
It should also be remembered that Morocco is a Muslim country and therefore practices the fast of Ramadan, a time when Muslims do not eat from dawn to dusk and many shops are closed during the day. The start date of Ramadan changes each year because it is governed by the lunar calendar and not by the solar calendar. To have a reference, in 2019 it took place during the month of May and every year it goes back about 12 days.
Although it is currently perfectly possible to travel to Morocco, it is advisable to keep in mind to adjust your dates and schedules if necessary.
4 – Money exchange
The official currency of the country is the Dirham, and even if currently one euro is equivalent to nearly 11 dirhams, you can get an idea of the value of things by dividing the price by 10.
To get dirhams, we always recommend withdrawing money from ATMs, rather than opting for exchange offices. However, beware of traditional banks, which may charge fees for withdrawals made abroad. If you do not wish to have any fees, we advise you to create a bank account on a neo online bank, taking care to ensure that no fees are charged for a withdrawal abroad. These banks also have the advantage of being free of charge!
If you do not have a card to return the commission with, it is better to withdraw money at ATMs in the city and airports generally charge more commission.
Also, don’t forget to always bring cash, if possible in coins and small bills, for the usual tips in restaurants and taxis.
5 – Vaccines, medical care and travel insurance
Vaccines are not mandatory when travelling to Morocco. But it is advisable to consult your doctor with your vaccination record if you have made another trip to a country where vaccination is mandatory, as a precaution.
In all cities you can find good hospitals and private clinics that have agreements with insurers but medical treatments in these centres can be very expensive, if you do not have good travel insurance.
In addition to the best travel insurance for Morocco, it is advisable to follow a series of basic precautions such as drinking bottled water, tap water could cause gastric disorders in some people.
6 – The big start
The most common way to get to Morocco is by plane, but you can also use a boat or ferry.
The ferry option will allow you to make a trip across Morocco in your car, although given the low car rental price in the country and the time you can invest in transfers, we do not think it is worth it if you do not live near the port.
If you travel by plane, you have direct and daily flights with low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, Airarabia and Vueling, to cities such as Fez, Marrakech, Tangier and Casablanca, among others. However, beware of the prices charged by the latter, which very often vary and experience strange fluctuations.
Upon arrival at the airport, and after booking your private driver, you will be picked up at the time indicated. You will be dropped off at your hotel, Riad or guest room that you have rented.
7 – Travel agency or private driver?
The travel agency will cost you more, that’s a fact. For a total discovery of Morocco we advise you to use our private taxi services.
Our driver will take care of you and will be at your disposal to guide you and help you discover the country. Feel free to let us know what you want!
8 – Places to visit
The list of places to see in Morocco is huge, especially in the north of the country. Depending on the day, you can make a complete itinerary through all its most famous places or visit different parts of the country with short breaks.
If you are going to make a major journey through Morocco, we recommend that you start in Tangier, the gateway to Africa, which still retains the charm of the glorious times of the past. Nearby is the beautiful fishing village of Asilah, on the Atlantic coast. The route can continue south to Chefchaouen, known as the blue city and considered the most beautiful city in the country. After strolling through its streets and taking thousands of photos, the next stop on the trip will be Fez, an incredible city. There are many things to see and do in Fez, but the best way is to get lost in one of the most impressive medinas in the world and then make some excursions, such as the nearby Roman site of Volubilis and the souks of Meknes, one of Morocco’s 4 imperial cities.
If you have more days, you can go to Morocco’s most famous city, Marrakech, where after completing this list of the best places to visit in Marrakech, you can experience some of the wonders that are closer like the beautiful coastal city of Essaouira or Ouzoud Waterfalls.
To complete the trip, nothing better than to take a trip to the Kasbahs, with which you will enjoy places anchored in time such as the spectacular Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, the incredible arid landscapes of the Dades and Todra valleys and the emblematic desert of the Sahara.
9 – Night under the stars in the desert
One of the best tips for travelling to Morocco is to spend a night in a tent under the stars in the middle of the Sahara desert. The mythical Sahara, the world’s largest hot desert, has two access areas with the necessary infrastructure to make this experience unforgettable: Zagora and Merzouga. Before choosing one of these two places, it should be borne in mind that while Zagora is a little closer, its dunes and desert are not as spectacular as those of Merzouga, which must be taken into account when choosing one or the other.
You can reach these two places by car or taxi from Marrakech and rent one of the tours in a 4×4, which includes spending the night in the desert.
10 – Treat yourself
Nothing worse than having regrets, that’s why it’s important to please yourself during your visit to Morocco, among the little extras that will remain in your memories:
Enjoy the best dishes of Moroccan cuisine such as tajines, couscous, zaalouk of aubergines, pastries, olives and candies.
Look for accommodation in a riad, beautiful old Arab palaces with an inner courtyard, rather than in a hotel to enjoy a unique experience.
Pay for each item you want to buy in the souks or service you want to rent, but always in the same way. Never try to make the seller lose money.
It is important to wear appropriate clothing, especially if you are a woman and in this particular case to visit a madrasa or mosque.
Although in the most tourist places you can communicate in English, French is the most used language after Arabic, although in tourist places, they generally speak Spanish too.
Remember that you do not need to take adapters for the sockets, as they are the same as in Spain.
If you have to drive under speed limits and safety rules, in addition to avoiding a possible accident, you will not have to pay the fine at any of the many police checkpoints.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!