Morocco Travel Guide

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January 22, 2020

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Morocco is by far one of the coolest and most exotic locations I’ve ever traveled to. I’d been dying to go ever since I discovered it on social media, which is something I’m kind of embarrassed to admit. Instagram isn’t real life and when it comes to places like Morocco, travel bloggers post the same things over and over again. Yes, it’s gorgeous, and yes, it made me want to go, but in reality, Morocco is nothing like what you see on Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing and I loved it, but it’s a real place with real people and although it’s very pretty, women are not treated as equals there, which is something that really bothered me. So in this guide, my goal is to provide you with everything you need to know before heading to Morocco, which I do absolutely recommend, despite its little imperfections.

What to Know

Communicating and Spending

The official language of Morocco is Arabic, but everyone speaks French as well. Any attempt to speak their language is appreciated, but most people I came in contact with spoke English, or at the very least Spanish. Most people in the hospitality industry are kind and helpful, but not all of them, especially not in Casablanca, which I found to be extremely sexist. The night manager at the hotel we stayed at refused to send us the car we ordered and instead told us to take a cab, then the cab driver scammed us out of our money instead of giving us change.

Most places only accept cash, so you absolutely cannot rely on just a credit card in Morocco. You’ll get a much better rate if you change your money once inside the country, so don’t do it here in the US. Prices there are a bit cheaper than in the US. I’d say a cup of coffee is usually 10-20MAD, which is $1-2. But do keep in mind that people are going to try to get as much out of you as possible, so if you don’t feel like negotiating every single thing you buy, be prepared to spend more than everyone else. Haggling is a huge part of the culture there. Sometimes they won’t even tell you a price until you’re about to leave. They’ll usually settle at about half of what they first offer you, so start at offering 25% of the “price.” It’s annoying, but unavoidable.

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Getting Around

There is no Uber in Morocco, but there are plenty of cabs. At places like airports and train stations, there is a clear taxi stand where you can get marked taxis, which are pretty cheap. Be sure to get a price before getting in a taxi. You can always get a cheaper price than what they first say. Do not arrange a ride from your hotel. We did this is Marrakech and got scammed by our driver. The rate for the ride was 330MAD (about $33) for a 4-minute ride; a taxi quoted us 40MAD (about $4). We told the driver we would just take a cab and he agreed t0 only charge us 100MAD ($10), which was still overpriced, but we agreed anyway since it was a nice car. We paid him directly as he advised us, but was charged again by the hotel. The driver then lied to the hotel and said what we gave him was a tip! He definitely 100% without a doubt knew what he was doing. So always be careful when dealing with transfers and taxis in Morocco.

Safety

One question I got repeatedly when I talked about going to Morocco was “aren’t you scared?!?” I was so confused by this. I’ve never thought of Morocco as a scary place at all and I was right – there’s nothing to be afraid of as far as safety. The worst that will happen is you’ll get overcharged when buying something or treated unequally as a woman (don’t worry, if they think you’ll spend money, they’ll be nice!). One thing I will say, as I mentioned in my Fes post, is that you should have a guide when walking through the medinas. No, it’s not unsafe, but everyone trying to sell you little trinkets and stuff is extremely annoying and bothersome.

Where to Go & What to Do

The main things I did in Morocco was eat, walk around, and shop. The main dish in Morocco is tajine, which is named after the dish it is served it. It’s basically roasted veggies and meat. I stuck to the veggies and really loved it! The seasonings are delicious. I wish I had time to take a cooking class to learn how to make it!

In general, and especially as a woman, there’s not much nightlife in Morocco. Even if you do find somewhere to go you will 1) probably be the only female and 2) be sippin on water all night. The main religion in Morocco is Islam, so alcohol isn’t sold at most places. You can get beer and wine at most hotels, but I definitely didn’t see it at any restaurants or anywhere else. Our hotel in Casablanca did not have alcohol at all. I do not recommend going to Casablanca. In fact, I would say avoid it at all costs. We were treated like dirt there and couldn’t even find any booze to ease the pain. Next!

The highlight of the trip, by far, was camping in the Sahara desert. If you’re going to Morocco, camping in the desert is a must. Seriously, do what it takes to make it to the Sahara! I obviously recommend the place I went to and even wrote a whole post about it here. This is one exception where I do recommend hiring a driver from the place you’re staying at because otherwise you’ll be stranded at the tiny airport as there are no taxis anywhere to be found.

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You’ll most likely be flying in and out of Marrakech, which is a beautiful city. I found Marrakech to be the most modern place we visited in Morocco, and I really wish we were able to spend more time there. We stayed at the Mövenpick Hotel, which was nice, but we did have some issues including the aforementioned driver problem. I will say that the best food we had in Morocco was at the Marcelona Restaurant in the hotel. It was delicious and the atmosphere was great. We had to pretend to leave to finally get someone to bring the check, so the service could have been better, but the food was delicious. My favorite thing I did in Marrakech was visit the YSL museum and Le Jardin Majorelle. So so stunning and informative! Read the post I wrote on it here.

Finally, when visiting Morocco another must is Fes, the most culturally rich city we visted in the country. It’s the oldest city in Morocco, so there’s lots to see, including the oldest university in the world as well as tanneries that have retained methods unchanged since medieval times, resulting in gorgeous high-quality leather. I also wrote a whole post about Fes with tons of info here.

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What to Pack

Since Morocco is a Muslim country, it is extremely conservative. It is expected that women cover their shoulders and knees at all times. It is not required to cover your head, but it is appreciated when you do so. It’s a sign of respect for their culture and beliefs. While I do not agree with this at all, I still always covered my shoulders and knees and wore a headscarf about 80% of the time. I would suggest packing flowy pants and t-shirts or tank tops that you can pair with a scarf draped over your shoulders. I did a lot of bodysuits with pants combos.

For the most part, it’s warm in the daytime and cooler at night, so I would recommend bringing a jacket or two. Not every place has a/c and heat, so you really have to dress for the weather. I would also recommend closed-toe shoes that are comfortable. When you’re in the medinas, you’re walking a lot (there are no cars in the medina), so you’ll want to be comfortable. It’s also not the cleanest place in the world. People literally sell chickens on the street, and then slaughter them right there – I even saw a camel head hanging from a shop into the street. So yeah, cover your feet to keep them as clean as you can.

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morocco travel guide, what to do in morocco, where to go in morocco, alcohol in morocco, safety in morocco, moroccan culture, moroccan food

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Like I said, I absolutely recommend visiting Morocco. There’s so much to see and the culture is so interesting and different from our own. As long as you know what to expect, Morocco is a wonderful and exotic destination!

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Have you ever been to Morocco? What would you add to the guide?