Africa - Any recommendations for Morocco trip?

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about a Morocco trip this spring utilizing the great Iberia airfares to Casablanca. ($550 RT SFO, AI) Not a bad mileage run, too, if the AA miles hold up.

Anyone have experience traveling around Morocco and have recommendations about the best way to spend 8-10 days, seeing the important sights?

I'm reasonably comfortable using tourist class buses, trains, etc.

Thanks for any info, good tour contacts in Morocco, etc., that you can provide me.

Doc

Hi everyone,
Anyone have experience traveling around Morocco and have recommendations about the best way to spend 8-10 days, seeing the important sights?

Skip Casablanca. Maybe spend half a day or so as you wait for the flight. It was drab compared to the other places in Morocco.

I went to Marakeech by train from Casablanca. Very comfortable ride and not expensive at all. Second class will do. You can do short trips from there, depending on what you enjoy doing.

8-10 days is decent amount of time and if you want to really see the country you should rent a car. Check out the mountains and the beachs, Marrakech and Fes.

8-10 days is decent amount of time and if you want to really see the country you should rent a car. Check out the mountains and the beachs, Marrakech and Fes.

I hadn't really considered renting a car - sounds like you have had good experiences with the road system, etc.? What is traffic like? Having seen Egyptian traffic, and even Italian traffic, I am a bit hesitant. Are Moroccan traffic/roads more like French/French Colonial?

Skip Casablanca. Maybe spend half a day or so as you wait for the flight. It was drab compared to the other places in Morocco.

I went to Marakeech by train from Casablanca. Very comfortable ride and not expensive at all. Second class will do. You can do short trips from there, depending on what you enjoy doing.


Looking at the train routes/schedules, this seems like a great way to get around the country. Any other definite destination recommendations beyond Marrakech (definitely on my list), Fes?

Thanks for the recommendations. By the way, my dates are definite now, arriving CAS 3/23, leaving 4/5.

I failed to take advantage of the Iberia sale, but I'm going anyway!

On my first trip to Morocco, we were there for about 3 weeks. Our itinerary was as follows:

Casablanca - Casa is a pretty boring business town (I think of it as the Milan of Morocco). You might overnight there out of convenience, and the King Hassan mosque is worth seeing, but you don't need a lot of time there

Tangier - My Mom spent part of her childhood there, so it's a mandatory stop for my family. You'll hear a lot of people who have bad things to say about Tangier. Most came over on the ferry or were on a cruise ship stop and never got out of the port area. If you get into the medina, up in the mountains or to one of the beaches (maybe not the corniche), you'll discover that it does have its charm. Tangier in the 40s and 50s is what was portrayed as Casablanca in the movies...a very cosmopolitan, international city.

Chefchaouen (or Chaouen for short): A charming town in the Rif Mountains (the entire city is blue). It's a convenient stopping point if you're going from Tangier to Fes. If you go here, PM me...I have a great hotel suggestion, but need to dig up the name.

Fes: The old Fes just leaves me speechless. Walking through the city, you feel as if you're walking through a city that's largely unchanged for a thousand years or more. Many parts are in accessible to cars, you'll see burros pulling carts of goods (that might be loaded down with produce, but are just as likely to be loaded with new computers). I'm fascinated by Fes.

Volubilis: Ancient Roman ruins that are gradually being excavated and restored after being destroyed in an earthquake a couple thousand years ago. Fascinating place to wander around for a few hours, and it makes you appreciate the Romans' brilliance.

Rabat: The capital of Morocco. Some interesting sights including the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Chellah necropolis (more Roman ruins). If you're a pottery fan, the nearby town of Sale is known for its pottery. (Speaking of pottery, you'll find that each area has its own distinctive styles and colors, so if you see something you like, buy it because you may not find it in another city.)

Marrakech: Marrakech ranks among my favorite cities in the world. I love it. It's a beautiful, bustling city that runs the gamut from very cosmopolitan to old and traditional. Visit the Djemaa el Fna several times during your stay (at different times of day). What you see in the morning is dramatically different than what's there at sunset (get a seat on one of the rooftop cafes to watch the daytime vendors leave and the nighttime food stalls arrive) or late at night. Try to stay at a riad in the medina. Visit El Badi Palace, wander through the souks and go to the Majorelle Garden.

Ouarzazate: This is the film capital of Morocco. If you've seen a movie set in a desert, it was probably filmed here. To get here, you have to travel over the High Atlas Mountains, which is an experience in and of itself. Ouarzazate is also one of the gateway cities if you'd like to go desert camping. Nearby is Ait Benhaddou, which is a stunning UNESCO heritage site (conveniently well-maintained by the film industry) that gives you a glimpse into how rural people in Morocco have been living for thousands of years.

Desert camping: Assuming you're going to Morocco this spring, it probably isn't an ideal time for desert camping, but you should jump on the experience if you have the chance. We traveled from Ouarzazate to Zagora, camped for one night outside Zagora (you had the choice of traveling to the campsite by camel or Land Rover), then went to M'Hamid and from there traveled to another desert campsite. Most of the campsites are run by Berbers who have set up the camp, cook and provide basic entertainment (music, stories if you share a language in common). You'll see more stars in the sky than you've ever seen in your life.

Accommodations: Try to stay in a riad (ryad) in at least one or two places that you visit. (I'd recommend Marrakech and Fes.) A riad is the Moroccan equivalent of a B&B. It will give you the opportunity to see what the inside of a traditional Moroccan house looks like, and the hospitality is usually fabulous. (I can also recommend a riad in Marrakech--very close the Djemaa el Fna--if you're looking for a suggestion.)

_____

That was my first trip to Morocco. My Mom & I just nailed down tickets for a return trip in March. We're going for 2 weeks this time, will rent a car & probably do Casablanca-coastal drive to Tangier-Tetouan-Chaouen-Fes-Rabat-Casa. (I may try to work in a stop in Ceuta, since it counts as a "place" in the eyes of the Century Club.) Next year's trip will probably focus on the southern parts of Morocco: Marrakech, Essouria, Agadir and camping in another part of the Sahara.

I hadn't really considered renting a car - sounds like you have had good experiences with the road system, etc.? What is traffic like? Having seen Egyptian traffic, and even Italian traffic, I am a bit hesitant. Are Moroccan traffic/roads more like French/French Colonial?

Looking at the train routes/schedules, this seems like a great way to get around the country. Any other definite destination recommendations beyond Marrakech (definitely on my list), Fes?

Thanks for the recommendations. By the way, my dates are definite now, arriving CAS 3/23, leaving 4/5.

Hey, we're doing the exact same dates! Let me know your itinerary once it's nailed down...we could have a mini-FT meet-up.

We're renting a car & driving. On my first trip, there were about 8 of us, so we had a bus & driver. My Mom has driven around the country before & has no fears of it. You'll find some major highways and other well-maintained though less busy roads while driving from city to city. Driving within the city can be as crazy as in any major city, compounded by the fact that some cities have parts that are off-limits to car traffic. If you rent a car, check with your hotel/riad to find out if you can drive right up or if you'll have to park elsewhere.

Know that Morocco's not immune to people tampering with your car if it will ultimately benefit them. For example, you might park your car & come back to find that one of the tire's flat, but the car park guard is happy to reinflate it for a small fee or tip.

I drove my own car from France and had no problems other than a couple of speeding tickets/bribes. In town, you have to drive very slow. The police are on the watch for any way to earn a buck. If you go a bit too fast, you will have to hand over a few dirhams. It's a tiny fine by western standards though. Smile, hand over a few notes, say shokran or merci and leave. Note that it is a national police effort to make sure the traffic and roads are up to Euro standards. That's why they devote so many police to this. And they are working on putting up video surveillance of the main roads to help control traffic. They don't want to be like Egypt.

The main roads between the cities are nice double lane tollways. The smaller roads are like rural roads in Europe or the US.

If you are just going between the cities, then a train is fine. But if you want to explore smaller towns, or go to the mountains or beaches, you should have a car.

Highlight of my travels in Morocco was renting a driver/car to take us from Taroudant over the High Atlas near Toubkal mountain. We stayed at a tiny little hotel in the tiny town of Ijoukak near the Tin Mal mosque (beautiful). Olive groves all around, and small, friendly Berber villages along the way; ending in Marrakech.

Meknes was also a nice town -- a little less in your face than Fez and Marrakech. Excellent Damascene work in a little niche of the souq there, and a craft collaborative with good prices on unique kilim and rugs.

We trekked in from Mauritania, across the Western Sahara all the way through the country, so let me know if you have any specific questions.

We just spent 4 nights in Marrakesh in December. Had an AWESOME time. Lots of trip reports/posts about it in my blog here (http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/tag/marrakesh/).

Train from Casablanca to Marrakesh (http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2010/12/a-ride-on-the-marrakesh-express/) is a lot of fun. Ouzoud Falls is a beautiful day trip out from town (http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2011/01/hiking-at-ouzoud-falls-morocco/).

Decent food and a decent time in town.

Hi everyone, thanks for the great input, thanks for the recc's chgoeditor.

Unfortunately, now a little hesitant about the trip with the ongoing "mostly peaceful" demonstrations in Morocco and the example of situations in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. Would really hate to get stuck trying to sneak to the airport or the ferry to Spain to get out if things get less "mostly peaceful...." I haven't talked to Iberia yet to see what their cancel/change policy will be.

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Hi everyone, thanks for the great input, thanks for the recc's chgoeditor.

Unfortunately, now a little hesitant about the trip with the ongoing "mostly peaceful" demonstrations in Morocco and the example of situations in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. Would really hate to get stuck trying to sneak to the airport or the ferry to Spain to get out if things get less "mostly peaceful...." I haven't talked to Iberia yet to see what their cancel/change policy will be.

????

I talked to my Mom about it within the last day, and while we're keeping an eye on things, we haven't changed or canceled our plans. From what I understand, Morocco has been mostly peaceful and most of the protests have been in lower-income neighborhoods. While that's not to say thing couldn't change, right now they don't seem to be protesting in the places we'll be visiting.

We're keeping an eye on cancellation policies, but otherwise haven't made any efforts to change our vacation plans.

Everyone I know in Morocco is very happy with the current King and mostly happy with the government. Life and the economy there has improved vastly since the King took over from his father.

So I would have no qualms about going there now.

Everyone I know in Morocco is very happy with the current King and mostly happy with the government. Life and the economy there has improved vastly since the King took over from his father.

So I would have no qualms about going there now.

I think those are good points. Also, it's worth remembering that the Moroccan king has only been in power about 10 years and has brought about more democratic change since being crowned. A big generalization based on not too many examples, but protests seem to be more widespread & violent in countries where the same rulers have been in charge for several decades.

I'm going 3/15 - 4/6, and would be glad to meet up with any FTer's !

My fiance's friend is in the US for a year from Morocco, and suggested that it is still safe to visit, in spite of recent events in nearby countries; and was kind enough to offer the assistance of friends in Rabat and Marrakech.

PM if interested in a meet up.

(Sorry, my account got messed up, and join-date / post-count are wrong; been around longer than it shows...)


Hey, we're doing the exact same dates! Let me know your itinerary once it's nailed down...we could have a mini-FT meet-up.

Thanks to everyone who gave me great advice re: Morocco. I had an incredible time, spent 4-5 days on my own in riads, but also 'bit the bullet' and joined an organized tour (Cosmos), which turned out to be superb, showed me a lot of things I never would have seen without it. They didn't even get upset when we boys got "lost" in the Sahara one night - what fun!

Morocco is entirely calm and entirely concentrated on the business of life. They are immensely enjoying making fun of Khadaffy, for whom they have a very healthy loathing. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Driving in Morocco would be fine for almost anyone - the roads are super. Avoid city driving at peak times, though, unless you enjoy bumper cars.

Cheers,

Doc

We got home on Tuesday night from our Morocco trip, too. Glad to hear that you had a great time, Doc! Sorry we didn't meet up, but things got crazy in recent weeks & I completely spaced out on PMing you.

Our itinerary was:
Arrive Casablanca (one night)
Casablanca - Fes via train
Fes for 3 nights in a riad
Fes - Tangier via train
Tangier for 4 nights
Tangier - Chefchaouen via rental car
Chefchaouen for 2 nights in a riad
Chefchaouen - Meknes via rental car
Meknes for 2 nights in a riad (with side trips to Volubilis & Moulay-Idriss)
Meknes - Casablanca via rental car (via Sale and Rabat)
Casablanca for 1 night
Depart Casablanca

A few random notes:
Driving in Morocco - Doc is right when he says that driving in the cities at rush hour can be a bit crazy. Casablanca, in particular, I'd avoid. Given that Morocco has very few street signs, the highway (and even city) markers are very good. We had a couple road maps, but very few city maps, yet managed to get into and out of cities with very few problems. Moroccan drivers are a bit crazy, so you need to be somewhat aggressive when driving. We did encounter one 80 km stretch of road (Tetouan to Chaouen) that was almost completely under construction (unpaved, road crews, etc.). It was a bit nerve-wracking at the time but fun in retrospect. (As I told friends, in the US you'd never see an 80 km stretch of mountain road--no guard rails, unpaved--under construction while still allowing regular traffic, but things are different in Morocco.) The "guarde coache" guys are fantastic. Apparently they're now government licensed (or employees) and all wear vests/badges. You pay them 20-30DH for overnight parking (no meters, parking claim stubs, etc.) and they watch your car. They'll remember you, too, if you need to take your car & repark later. We didn't encounter any of the, "Oh, you had a flat tire overnight and I fixed it," problems we'd had in past visits.

Riads - Riads (or Moroccan guest houses, similar to B&Bs or small inns) are a terrific way to get up close and personal with a city, particularly medinas (the walled sections within cities where cars usually aren't allowed). Know that riads do vary in terms of quality and amenities. We previously stayed in a fantastic riad in Marrakech that spoiled us...none of the riads we stayed in this time were as nice, but all were above average. (Also, if you're a light sleeper, riads may not be the best idea since you'll surely be within earshot of a mosque.)

Tangier & touts in general - One of the biggest criticisms I hear of Tangier is that people (particularly those who stop in Tangier on cruises) hate the touts who pester you at every step. Tangier apparently has recently banned locals from even talking to tourists unless they have a legitimate reason. We've been to Tangier before (and my Mom lived there), so we've experienced the touts. This trip was an entirely different experience. In 4 days in Tangier, only one guy whispered under his breathe "Guide?" Otherwise, no one bothered us. In Fes, you'll find that the shopkeepers are a bit aggressive but take "no" for an answer. In Meknes we encountered the most annoying/bothersome people. Walking through the main square, every single cafe had someone who would chase after you trying to convince you to visit their restaurant. And we mistakenly hired a guide who really wanted to take us to shops - and then stalked us for half a day afterward to get us into his friends stores.

Language - This trip again reminded me that if you don't speak French or Arabic, you'll have a tough time in Morocco (particularly if you need to ask questions, directions, etc.). Fortunately, my Mom, who grew up in Tangier, is fluent in French, but I think I'd have difficulties on my own, since I only speak a smattering of Arabic, Spanish & French.

Food - I had a lot of luck with TripAdvisor restaurant recommendations. This post is getting long, but if anyone wants specific suggestions, shoot me a PM or see my 4/6/11 post in this thread (http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=27949). Also, note that alcohol is usually only sold outside of the medinas. If you're staying/eating in the medina, ask if you can BYOB. And if you have a car, consider stocking up on alcohol when you find a supermarche, as some taxi drivers don't know which stores sell alcohol. Meknes wine is suprisingly good and inexpensive.

Chgoeditor, Your trip sounded fun and exciting. We are going to have a stop in Casablanca on a cruise ship and wondered if it's better to see Casa or to take the shore excursion to Rabat.

Chgoeditor, Your trip sounded fun and exciting. We are going to have a stop in Casablanca on a cruise ship and wondered if it's better to see Casa or to take the shore excursion to Rabat.

How long are you in port? And what sights are included with the Rabat excursion? Do you have any other stops in Morocco?

If Casa is your only Moroccan port, I'd encourage you to do the Rabat excursion, since it would allow you to see a bit more of the countryside.

I sort of liken Casa to Milan...both very business-oriented cities that lack some of the features that make people fall in love with Morocco/Italy.

If you do decide to stay in Casablanca, definitely go to the Hassan II Mosque. Also, check out the old Medina. While it's not as big and impressive as the medinas in other Moroccan cities, it will give you a taste of what medinas are like.

Thanks. We'll be in port for 9 hours and the Rabat excursion stops at the Hassan II Mosque so we can go in for a visit, then we'll see some of Casa, but most of the excursion will be in Rabat, so we'll get to see some of the countryside on the way there.

Thanks. We'll be in port for 9 hours and the Rabat excursion stops at the Hassan II Mosque so we can go in for a visit, then we'll see some of Casa, but most of the excursion will be in Rabat, so we'll get to see some of the countryside on the way there.

Then definitely do the Rabat excursion!