springtime77

Hi All,

Thinking of visiting Morocco in September, any tips or advice?

Also, which cities are best? Casablanca, Marakesh, Fez?

Any suggestions on where to stay? Hotels or Serviced appartmaents?

I appreciate any advice

DanielW

Casablanca is pretty boring, not really worth more than half a day.

Fez is quite a delight, and Marrakech slightly less so (more touristy).

September will be quite warm though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakesh#Climate

MoreMilesPlease

I have a holiday booked at the end of October. If you search Morocco here there are a few threads. Most say Casablanca is a day visit at best, Marrakesh seems to be the place to be.

springtime77

DanielW thankyou, I was thinking of spending a few days in Casa, but now I think 1 day should be plenty. Not looking forward to the hot weather though.

MoreMilesPlease, thankyou for the info, looks like Marrakesh & Fez are the places to be.

ajeleonard

Marrakesh was so overrun by tourists it wasn't really pleasant

Fez and Essaouira were better IMO

Palal

Marrakesh is too touristy for my taste. If you want to see a touristy desert - Marrakesh is a good set-off spot for these types of tours.

I would also add Rabat and Salé, especially if you want to see real casbas (old walled towns) as both are not very touristy and there are things to keep you busy there for a day or two (they're essentially one city, separated by a river). They're also on the way to Fez if you take the train.

Trains in Morocco work surprisingly well and are not that expensive. ONCF has a website where you can pre-book tickets, but I haven't had success a few years ago, though maybe things have changed.

I wouldn't bother with Tanger - it's like Tijuana of Morocco, though not as dangerous.

MrAndMrsJones

Yes, I've been there about a half dozen times, just came back from the most recent trip on Sunday night in fact (and it was hot!).

Loads to see and do depending on your appetite for adventure. Self drive, treks, desert camps etc. Marrakech is a great hub. It's chaos right now with holidays and domestic travel, but a lot of fun to explore.

Happy to recommend places to stay etc.

springtime77

Thankyou all for your valuable advice, I really appreciate it!

PsiFighter37

I am looking at visiting Marrakech in late December for 3 days. It'd be my first time to Africa (woohoo! Just leaves Antarctica on the list), but just curious to gets folks' honest thoughts:

-as a tourist, how careful do you have to be? A lot of what I have read largely says to beware of scammers and thieves...how big of an issue is this?

-in late December, is there still enough daylight to go and see the sights, and (perhaps most importantly) go camel riding in the desert?

-how strict is the dress code (particularly for women)? It's going to be temperate, so I am less concerned about this, but just wonder if it is at all burdensome...

-how easy is it to get lost - and how easy is it to figure out what you are doing without having to pay someone for help? From what I have read, it sounds like getting lost is pretty easy to do.

-and lastly: if you are planning on staying near the old city center, and you want to go out for dinner, is it fine to be out at night? Given this is wintertime, I would imagine most restaurants for dinner will be open after the sun goes down.

MrAndMrsJones

-as a tourist, how careful do you have to be? A lot of what I have read largely says to beware of scammers and thieves...how big of an issue is this?

Usual caution is advised. No worse than any big city in my opinion.

-in late December, is there still enough daylight to go and see the sights, and (perhaps most importantly) go camel riding in the desert?

Yep that would be fine. There are camels pretty close to town.

-how strict is the dress code (particularly for women)? It's going to be temperate, so I am less concerned about this, but just wonder if it is at all burdensome...

They're very welcoming to tourists, you will see short shorts etc from holidaymakers. Just be respectful visiting sights such as mosques etc and dress appropriately.

-how easy is it to get lost - and how easy is it to figure out what you are doing without having to pay someone for help? From what I have read, it sounds like getting lost is pretty easy to do.

In the souks/ medina, pretty easy! People will help you, for a few dirhams. Good for the local economy and better than walking in circles for 2hrs. You'd be amazed how quickly you can get your bearings too.

-and lastly: if you are planning on staying near the old city center, and you want to go out for dinner, is it fine to be out at night? Given this is wintertime, I would imagine most restaurants for dinner will be open after the sun goes down.

Loads of great restaurants in the medina and the new part of town alike. Cafe de la Poste in the new, Marakchi overlooking the main square in the medina, and many many others. No issue being out of an evening.


Hope that helps.

Matt777

I visited Casablanca a few weeks ago and had a surprisingly great time. If you enjoy eating good and cheap food with locals I highly recommend visiting. There aren't too many touristy things to do (other than seeing the big mosque), but it was a fun city to just walk around in for a few days.

BuildingMyBento

Have wandered all over Tijuana (though never late at night). Never felt unsafe anywhere.

Have wandered around Tangiers, too (also, not at night)...and was followed for an hour by a local.

As for Casablanca, that city has no redeeming factors...but if I had to dig deeper, the littoral mosque has a relaxing setting, and there's a train to the airport.