Are you ready for an unforgettable trip in Morocco?

Alright, the main things are booked: flights and hotels. But there are still many things to prepare before taking off! I'm sure you're wondering: how do I stay online once I arrive in Morocco? How do I pay for everyday expenses? What should I wear? Is it worth booking a guided tour or not? And what about insurance?

These were the questions I asked myself before my 10-day road trip in Morocco, and now that I'm back, with more experience, I'll tell you everything.

From ATMs to SIM cards, from local food to car rental, from tips on photographing people to how to behave in the souks. In this blog post, I'll give you 10 useful tips for your trip in Morocco.

Let's get started!

Let's start with the most important and useful topic: money and payments.

The currency is the Moroccan Dirham, which is equivalent to £0.78 or €0.90.

Morocco is a very cash-focused country. Renowned restaurants and rooftop bars in big cities usually accept card payments, but family-run restaurants, kiosks, shops in the medinas, markets, museums, attractions, and often even hotels and riads (from personal experience!) require cash payments. So, just assume you'll need to carry an amount of cash with you.

Now, the main question is: is it better to exchange cash or withdraw it? There's no definite answer, as it depends on where you exchange cash and the fees your bank charges for foreign withdrawals.

If you have a Visa card with very low or no fees for foreign cash withdrawals, definitely use that one and withdraw from major bank ATMs (avoid airport ATMs as they often charge extra).

You can also bring cash and exchange it upon arrival at the airport or in the city centre.
At Marrakech airport, just before the exit, you'll find a couple of bureau de change: check the current exchange rate online and compare it with the agency's rate; it should be the same or as close as possible.
In central Marrakech, you can exchange cash at Hotel Ali (Rue Moulay Ismail, near Djemaa el Fna square - although it's a hotel, it has a 24-hour exchange office) and at Hotel Omar (Rue Bab Agnaou - similar to the previous case, also just a 2-minute walk from the square).

Nowadays, we all need to stay connected to the internet, especially when we're away from home: whether it's for posting on social media, checking directions, doing research, staying in touch, or working.

In Morocco, you'll definitely find WiFi in your hotels and riads, but when it comes to walking around or driving in more remote places, like the Atlas Mountains or the Sahara Desert, I recommend using a local SIM card.

There are three main telecom companies in Morocco: Maroc Telecom, Orange au Maroc, and Inwi.

Maroc Telecom is the largest and most recommended of the three main providers. It offers the widest network coverage and the most reasonable prices, and its SIM cards can be bought literally anywhere: airports, cities, or villages.

I bought a Maroc Telecom SIM card at Marrakech airport; the stall is right by the arrivals gate. I paid €20 for a 20GB SIM card and it worked great: I had coverage everywhere, from cities to mountains, never needed to turn on the WiFi - I even made a video call with my mum and daughter from the desert dunes!

Since I spent 5 days stuck in a hotel in Mauritius because my daughter and husband were ill, I never travel without insurance.

Luckily, I was covered by Heymondo that time, and they assisted me superbly (read about what happened and how I got my money back in the post: Heymondo travel insurance review - my experience).

I can't stress this enough, don't gamble with your health! Unexpected events and accidents happen more often than you think, so it's always better to be prepared. Whether it's a missing luggage or an illness, if you need to cancel your trip or return early, get insured!

If you choose Heymondo, I have a 5% discount voucher you can use for any destination and any travel date. Just click on this link:

Heymondo - 5% discount on your travel insurance

Let's assume that traveling in Morocco is easy, but understanding what we're seeing is another story. So, let's make an important distinction between city guided tours and multi-day guided tours.

When it comes to city guided tours, there's no doubt: absolutely yes! To better understand the history, culture, and traditions of a country different from ours. To see the people, streets, monuments, and architecture with different eyes. But also for a practical reason: you'll get lost in the souks, full stop. They're real labyrinths without reference points, a local guide will definitely help you navigate better (or at least, that's the feeling you'll have during your first and second visit to the souks. Maybe, by the third walk, you'll start to remember some details and find your way around).

We had a wonderful private guided tour in both Marrakech and Fes: the local guide's knowledge of the area and customs is simply invaluable and enriches the visit with anecdotes and details that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Here are some guided tours you can book:

Marrakech

• Private Tour of Marrakech - £66 per group
• Marrakech: Medina Souks Guided Walking Tour - £16 per person
• Marrakech: Ben Youssef, Secret Garden, & Souks Walking Tour - £19 per person

Fes

• Fes free tour
• Guided walking tour of the Medina of Fes - £12 per person
• Fes: Museum, Al Attarine Madrasa & Tannery and Medina Tour - £11 per person

Chefchaouen

• Chefchaouen Guided Tour - £10 per person
• Chefchaouen: Hidden Gems Guided Tour with Mint Tea - £19 per person

As for multi-day tours, the choice is very subjective: it depends on your budget, the number of participants, the time availability, and how comfortable you are with driving.

For example, if it's just two of you, you don't feel confident driving, or for some reason can't rent a car, it's definitely worth joining a guided tour to visit the surroundings of the main Moroccan cities. Besides the transfer, most of the time you'll also have a guide who will explain the places you're seeing.

For instance, from Marrakech, you could visit the Ouzoud waterfalls, the Agafay desert, or even reach the coast, visit Essaouira, and come back to Marrakech in one day.

Here are some tours departing from Marrakech:

• Marrakech Palm Grove Quad Bike Tour - £24 per person
• Agafay Desert Overnight Stay - £65 per person
• Essaouira Day Trip - £18 per person
• Ouzoud Waterfalls Day Trip - £18 per person
• 3-Day Sahara Desert Tour - £90 per person

From Fes instead, you could visit the blue city of Chefchaouen, or the sites of Meknes and Volubilis, and even get to the Merzouga desert.

Here are some tours departing from Fes:

• Day trip to Chefchaouen - £25 per person
• Volubilis, Mulay Idris and Meknes Tour - £32 per person
• 2-Day Morocco Desert Trip - £116 per person

As a road trip lover, I chose to rent a car with my friends and tour Morocco from south to north in 10 days (for the tour description and stops, read my post --> 10-day Morocco itinerary.

There were six of us, so we split the car rental and fuel costs and we got to choose when and where to stop, and when and where to eat. This option is usually my favourite because it gives me maximum freedom to choose all the details of a trip, from schedules to places to the pace.

I found a 6-seater minivan through discovercars.com, with pick-up at Marrakech airport and drop-off after 7 days at Tangier airport.

Driving in Morocco was much easier than I expected, and absolutely NOT dangerous! Outside the big cities, traffic is almost non-existent, the roads are mostly wide and well-paved, speed limits are quite low, and there are many checkpoints! Not to mention the stunning Moroccan landscapes, from the High and Middle Atlas mountains to the desert, from canyons to palm groves! The road trip itself was absolutely wonderful and exceeded all our expectations!

I've written a blog post that it may be of interest if you're considering a road trip in Morocco: ---> Driving in Morocco: my experience and useful tips to avoid fines.

So, if conditions allow, I definitely recommend renting a car in Morocco: thank me later!

Check here car rental prices in Morocco

Moroccan cuisine is known for its dishes rich in spices and herbs, slow-cooked meats, and delicious couscous.

Here are the typical dishes you'll find everywhere:

• Mint Tea: The mint tea ritual in Morocco is like coffee for Italians. It's a moment of pause, gathering, and a sign of hospitality. Always served with lots of fresh mint leaves in beautiful silver teapots and small glass cups.

• Tajine: This term doesn't refer to a specific dish. The tajine is actually the cone-shaped pot, usually made of ceramic or clay, in which the food is cooked. So, a tajine can be any food cooked in that pot, usually meat or fish with vegetables, slow-cooked over charcoal or fire to become super tender. My favorite is the lemon chicken tajine.

• Brochette: These are classic meat skewers (chicken, beef, or lamb), served with bread and harissa.

• Couscous: No introduction needed, couscous is Morocco's national dish and now famous worldwide. Always served with vegetables and some type of meat, don't underestimate the portions: a plate of couscous can easily fill you up!

• Khobz: This is Moroccan bread, a round and thin loaf baked in a wood-fired oven, typically accompanying main dishes.

• Chicken Pastilla: This is a puff pastry pie filled with chicken, almonds, and spices, topped with powdered sugar. The chicken/sugar combination isn't for everyone, but once you get past the initial shock, it's quite delightful.

• Tanjia: Like the tajine, the tanjia is named after the clay pot in which it's cooked and consists of beef, chicken, or lamb with herbs and spices. The tanjia is cooked in wood ash, taking longer to cook than the tajine, as the meat needs to reach a delicious confit texture while staying intact.

• Kefta: These are meatballs made of minced beef or lamb, served with couscous, vegetables, and various spices.

A special mention for Moroccan breakfast: in all the Riads we stayed at, we had a great breakfast, freshly prepared by the women of the Riad. Fresh fruit juices, Baghrir (a type of soft pancake served with honey), warm bread, crêpes, jams, yogurt, and the inevitable mint tea.

NOTE: If you go to Marrakech, avoid the street food in Jmaa El Fnaa square. Our guide advised us against eating there because the food isn't necessarily fresh.
Also, avoid drinking tap water; you'll find bottled water everywhere (tap water is fine for brushing your teeth, at least we had no problems).

Do I need to book restaurants?

It depends on where you are and the type of restaurant.

In Marrakech, for example, there are some well-known rooftop bars and restaurants that need to be booked in advance, while smaller, family-run places usually accept walk-ins, and often you'll see someone outside inviting you in.

If you lay your eyes upon a particular restaurant, to avoid disappointment, I recommend checking their website or Instagram page to see if they have a reservation policy.

This was the first question I asked our guide in Marrakech: can I photograph people? He thanked me for asking because it's a sensitive topic, and Moroccan people aren't keen to being photographed.

Morocco is quite a conservative country, and people don't like being filmed or photographed, especially women. Of course, there are no issues with photographing monuments or landscapes, but when you're in the medinas, always ask before taking pictures, whether of people or objects (some shopkeepers, for example, don't want their crafts being photographed).

Be mindful of what you film or photograph! If you buy something, it's easier, as the shopkeeper is more likely to allow photos in exchange for a purchase. Even if you're with a local guide, it's easier to take photos because they'll likely take you to artisan shops used to tourists.

Some people, like snake charmers or monkey trainers in Jmaa El Fnaa square, will be very willing to be photographed. However, they'll ask for money for the photos. For ethical reasons, I don't support activities that exploit animals, but if you really want a photo, agree on a price before taking it.

One of the first things we, especially women, wonder before leaving is: what to wear in Morocco?

There's no single answer, as it depends on the month and location (the coastal climate is different from the inland climate), and there's no fixed rule on what to wear in Morocco. But there are some small considerations to respect the local culture, like not wearing skirts or shorts that are too short or tops that are too low-cut, and carrying a scarf to cover your shoulders when visiting a mosque or place of worship.

I visited Morocco at the end of October and found temperatures ranging from 30°C in Marrakech to 14°C in the mountains.

I brought with me:

• Comfortable shoes for walking in the city
• Long, light, and colorful trousers to match the vibrant souks
• A couple of long, colorful dresses for rooftop bars
• Sleeveless but not low-cut tops
• Scarves to cover shoulders or long-sleeved but very light tunics
• Straw hat, sunglasses, sunscreen (the sun is strong!)
• Jeans, sweatshirts, a wool sweater, and a faux leather jacket for the mountain stops.

So, check the weather before you leave and pack accordingly.

The markets (souks) are the highlight of Morocco, especially those in Marrakech and Fes. Visiting them—and getting lost—is a must, but bear in mind: in the labyrinthine souks, where getting lost is as easy as pie, you'll likely be approached by someone asking where you're headed and offering to guide you or help you get out of the souk for free.
This isn't true; if you accept their help, they'll ask for money or take you to shops, insisting you buy something.
The best thing to do in these situations is not to appear lost while walking in the souks, at least pretend to know where you're going, and politely but firmly decline the offer. And don't worry, these people are a minority, and you won't grow old in the souks: somehow, with Google Maps, you'll find your way out!

Just like in all crowded places worldwide, there might be pickpockets in the Moroccan medinas, so be mindful of your belongings. Without being paranoid, just be as careful as you would in any other big city.

Moroccans are kind and hospitable, but they're also born traders and can be very persuasive in selling. When you enter the souks, be ready to haggle but stick to your budget: they often start with a higher price because they know it will go down.

Morocco is a Muslim country and, as such, follows rules and customs that might be different from ours.

Religion has a minimal impact on tourism, but here's what you need to know:

• Unlike other countries, mosques in Morocco are closed to non-Muslims. The only one you can visit is the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, and only with a guided tour.

• The culture of prayer is taken very seriously. If you're in a restaurant during the Adhan (the call to prayer by the muezzin), the music will be turned down. Show respect by lowering your voice for those few minutes.

• Friday is a holy day, similar to Sunday for Christians. In Morocco, Friday is usually the day when families and friends gather, stay home, and share a hearty couscous. For this reason, many cafes, shops, and restaurants open only in the late afternoon.

• If you travel to Morocco during Ramadan, you might experience something very different from the rest of the year. This holy month sees some establishments and attractions closed or operating on reduced hours, and the sale of alcohol is completely banned. If you walk by a large mosque at the end of the fasting day, you might find lines of Muslims praying: don't take photos, instead, take a moment to observe in silence.

Personally, I loved visiting a country with such a different but rich religion, culture, and customs; it was a wonderful learning experience.

In general, my advice is this: keep an open mind and be respectful of a culture different from your own, and you'll enjoy this beautiful country to the fullest.

That's all, I hope these tips for a trip in Morocco help you travel worry-free!

Here are other blog posts about Morocco you may like:

• Driving in Morocco: my experience and useful tips to avoid fines
• 10-day Morocco itinerary

If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to email me at: flavia.iarlori@outlook.com.

See you soon!