Morocco
Updated October 19, 2026
Morocco, in the north-west corner of Africa, faces both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, separated from Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar, only about 14 km wide. About 37 million people live in a country of contrasting landscapes: the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, with Jebel Toubkal at 4,167 …
Must-See Places in Morocco
Jemaa el-Fna
Marrakech's main square, alive with storytellers, musicians, snake charmers and food stalls, a UNESCO-listed masterpiece of oral heritage.
Fes el-Bali
The largest car-free medieval medina in the world, with about 9,000 lanes, madrasas, tanneries and Al-Qarawiyyin.
Hassan II Mosque
A vast mosque built over the Atlantic in Casablanca, with one of the tallest minarets in the world, about 210 m.
Erg Chebbi Dunes
Golden dunes up to about 150 m high on the edge of the Sahara, visited on camel treks with nights in desert camps.
Ait Ben Haddou
A fortified earthen village on the old caravan route, a UNESCO site and backdrop for many films and series.
Blue Medina of Chefchaouen
A mountain town in the Rif where streets, doors and stairways are painted in many shades of blue.
Essaouira Ramparts
An 18th-century Atlantic port with sea walls, cannons, a fishing harbour and a whitewashed UNESCO medina.
Unique Experiences in Morocco
Sleep Under the Stars in the Sahara
Ride a camel into the dunes of Erg Chebbi at sunset and spend the night in a desert camp, with dinner, Berber drums and a sky full of stars.
Stay in a Riad in the Medina
Sleep in a riad, a traditional house built around an inner courtyard with a fountain or garden, hidden behind plain walls in the old medinas of Marrakech and Fes.
Hike in the High Atlas
Walk through Amazigh villages, terraced valleys and walnut groves in the High Atlas, or climb Jebel Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak at 4,167 m.
Enjoy a Traditional Hammam
Experience a hammam, a steam bath where visitors are scrubbed with black soap and a kessa glove, then washed and massaged, an essential part of Moroccan life.
Take a Cooking Class
Learn to cook tagine, couscous, salads and pastries with a local cook, starting with a visit to the market to buy spices, vegetables and fresh herbs.
Travel Tips for Morocco
Visit in Spring or Autumn
Plan your trip for March to May or September to November, when Marrakech and Fes are pleasant, the mountains are green a…
Use Licensed Guides in the Medinas
The medinas of Fes and Marrakech are mazes of narrow lanes, and unofficial guides often approach visitors, offering dire…
Bargain with Good Humour
Bargaining is expected in souks, and prices for visitors can start several times higher than the real value. Decide what…
Dress Modestly and Respect Customs
Morocco is a Muslim country, and modest dress, covering shoulders and knees, is appreciated, especially in medinas, rura…
Travel by Train and Grand Taxi
Morocco has a good train network run by ONCF, including the Al Boraq high-speed train between Tangier, Rabat and Casabla…
Carry Cash and Learn a Few Words
Cash is essential in medinas, souks, small restaurants and taxis, while cards are accepted in hotels and larger shops; A…
Must-Try Local Dishes
Tagine
Tagine is a slow-cooked stew named after the conical clay pot in which it is made, with chicken, lamb, beef or vegetables, cooked with spices, olives, preserved lemons, prunes or almonds. Each region has its own versions. A tagine costs about MAD 60–150 in restaurants. Try chicken with preserved lemon and olives, and lamb with prunes.
Couscous
Couscous, steamed semolina grains served with vegetables, meat or chicken and a spiced broth, is traditionally eaten on Fridays after prayers, when families gather. It is listed by UNESCO as shared Maghreb heritage. A plate costs about MAD 70–150. Try couscous with seven vegetables or with caramelised onions and raisins, called tfaya.
Pastilla
Pastilla, or bastilla, is a festive pie of thin warqa pastry filled with pigeon or chicken, almonds, eggs, cinnamon and saffron, topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon, mixing sweet and savoury flavours. A seafood version is popular on the coast. A portion costs about MAD 60–150. Try it in Fes, where it originated.
Harira
Harira is a thick soup of tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, herbs and sometimes meat, flavoured with ginger, cinnamon and coriander, traditionally eaten to break the fast during Ramadan with dates and chebakia, honey cookies. A bowl costs about MAD 10–30 at street stalls. Try it in winter or during Ramadan evenings.
Mechoui
Mechoui is a whole lamb slow-roasted in an underground clay oven or over a fire until the meat falls off the bone, seasoned with cumin and salt. It is served at celebrations, and in Marrakech near the Jemaa el-Fna square. A portion costs about MAD 60–120 for 250 g. Eat it with bread, and dip it in cumin.
Mint Tea
Moroccan mint tea, made with green tea, fresh spearmint and plenty of sugar, poured from high above the glass to create foam, is the symbol of Moroccan hospitality, offered to guests everywhere, from riads to carpet shops. A glass costs about MAD 10–20. Never refuse the first glass, as it is a sign of welcome.
Tangia
Tangia is a Marrakech speciality of beef or lamb cooked for hours in a clay urn with preserved lemon, garlic, saffron and smen, aged butter, traditionally prepared by men and slow-cooked in the ashes of a hammam furnace. A portion costs about MAD 60–120. Try it at a small tangia restaurant near the souks of Marrakech.
Moroccan Pastries
Moroccan pastries include kaab el ghazal, gazelle horns filled with almond paste and orange blossom, chebakia, sesame cookies fried and soaked in honey, and msemen, flaky pancakes eaten for breakfast with honey. A pastry costs about MAD 3–15. Buy them in medina pastry shops, and enjoy them with mint tea.
History
Amazigh Roots, Phoenicians and Rome
North Africa has been inhabited for an extremely long time, and fossils found at Jebel Irhoud, in Morocco, about 300,000 years old, are among the oldest known remains of Homo sapiens. The Amazigh, or Berber, peoples have lived across the region for thousands of years, with their own languages and the Tifinagh script, still used today. From the 8th century BC, Phoenician and later Carthaginian traders founded trading posts along the coast, such as Lixus, near Larache, and Mogador, today Essaouira.
Mauretania and Rome
Amazigh kingdoms emerged, such as Mauretania, ruled by Juba II, a scholar king married to Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. In 40 AD Rome annexed the kingdom as the province of Mauretania Tingitana, with its capital at Tingis, today Tangier. The Roman city of Volubilis, near Meknes, with its mosaics, triumphal arch and basilica, is now a UNESCO site. Roman rule remained mostly in the north, while Amazigh tribes controlled the mountains and the south. After the fall of Rome, Vandals and Byzantines briefly controlled parts of the coast, but much of the interior remained under Amazigh tribal rule, with Christian, Jewish and traditional beliefs.
Climate & Best Time to Visit
Spring
9–28°C
March to May brings warm, sunny days of about 20–28°C in Marrakech and Fes, green countryside, flowers in the valleys an…
Summer
19–38°C
June to August is very hot inland, with days of about 35–40°C in Marrakech and Fes and above 45°C in the Sahara, while t…
Autumn
11–30°C
September to November brings warm, pleasant days of about 22–30°C, falling in November, with the date harvest in the oas…
Winter
5–19°C
December to February is mild and sunny in the south, with days of about 18–20°C in Marrakech and Agadir, but cold at nig…
Fascinating Fun Facts
The oldest university still operating
The University of Al-Qarawiyyin, in Fes, founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri, a wealthy woman from Kairouan, is recognised…
First to recognise the United States
In 1777 Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah included the United States in a list of nations whose ships could enter Moroccan po…
The largest hot desert begins here
Morocco's south-east opens onto the Sahara, the largest hot desert in the world, and the dunes of Erg Chebbi, near Merzo…
A blue city in the mountains
Chefchaouen, in the Rif Mountains, is famous for its streets and houses painted in shades of blue, a tradition often lin…
Tanneries working since the Middle Ages
The Chouara Tannery in Fes, one of the oldest in the world, has been processing leather in the same way since around the…
A world-class film location
The area around Ouarzazate, called the gateway to the desert, has hosted many international productions, such as Lawrenc…
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