Medieval mosques, medinas home to extensive souk markets, Riad palace courtyards and terraces, Saharan desert dunes and French-Arabic road signs come together in perfect harmony to create the mystical land of Morocco. The north African nation offers many unique features that make a visit here a great adventure you will never want to end – and our tour comparison Morocco will help you choose exactly the right itinerary for you to make the most of your experience.
Check out our list of the best things to do in Morocco tourism, and start choosing your itinerary today – trust us, you don’t want to wait any longer to visit this incredible country.
Haggle at Djemaa el-Fna Market
Marrakech’s medina scene is alive both day and night. In the late morning, listen for the snake charmers’ pipe songs and haggle for the most intricate tea sets. By dusk, the waft of steamy food stalls fills the air selling anything from snail soup to fresh couscous. The evening’s spectacle attracts acrobats and Chleuh dancers coated in Henna tattoos. It is a trading square like no other.
Get back to nature at Cascades d’Ouzoud
Plunging pools fed by steep waterfalls offer a relaxing setting to nourish on a hot-clay cooked tajine with apricots and breathe in the drifting smoke of an apple-flavoured hookah water pipe. Step away from city life on an adventurous day trip from Marrakesh.
Here’s looking at you, Casablanca
Past the wartime romance of Hollywood, the bustling port city of Casablanca wraps a historic medina with a bustling commercial port, juggling between French-Mauresque architectural fusion with Art Deco and the formidable Hassan II Mosque, which is the third largest in the world.
Saddle up for a camel trek
Sit atop the humped mammals, which have served as live vehicles for Berber traders for centuries and are the most effective for tackling the sand of the Sahara. Stay overnight under stars in a Bedouin-styled tent for the classic Moroccan experience.
Escape to seaside Essaouira
Blue shutters flutter over whitewashed houses in the Atlantic breeze in this former Portuguese trading colony, visited by global icons like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. Morocco’s leading seaside escape is a hit with local fishermen and bohemian minds in tune with the traditional Gnawas music.
Hold your nose at Fez’s colour dye pits
Photograph ink collages from Riad rooftops over one of North Africa’s oldest leather tanneries in the heart of Fez. In the world’s largest car-free urban centre, follow the donkeys and aromatic spices to help navigate the 9,000 alleyways maze of the medina – and be prepared for the tannery’s unusual smell!
Artistic Tangier
The northern city is the melting point for artistic licence, with many arriving by ferry from Spain. Matisse, Burroughs and Bowles have all resided here at one stage.
History meets modern life in Rabat
The coastal capital mixes Berber tradition and Arab religion with European flair. Despite the modern development, the highlight without doubt is the towering Hassan minaret built in the 12th century.
Slow down in Chefchaouen
Blue-washed alleys and olive trees hint that you’ve stumbled onto a Greek island instead of a North African town. Chefchaouen is resoundingly Moroccan however, and the town’s slow pace offers the perfect Rif Mountain retreat. Have your camera ready for the scenic drive over plains and through mountain passes to reach the idyllic blue village.
The maze of Meknes
The imperial city of Meknes showcases Sultan Moulay Ismail’s ambition to create his own Versailles – albeit on the back of 20,000 slaves. The tall decorative gates unveil a Spanish-Moorish style of architecture, as well as Morocco’s most important vineyards.
Route of a Thousand Kasbahs
The ancient link between the high Atlas Mountains and the desert is formed by road-tripping landscapes featuring the rugged Dades Valley and a collection of oasis fortified villages, with the likes of Ouarzazate holding impossibly high walls from mud-brick construction. Kasbahs were fending off invaders for thousands of years…until now.
Dodge donkeys and goats in narrow alleys
Donkeys in particular are regular travellers in the various medina throughout the country, providing locals with one of the only possible methods for transporting goods within the winding, narrow alleyways.
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
