Hassan II Mosque with its green-roofed prayer hall and decorated minaret in Casablanca
Country guide

A little more prepared for Morocco.

Explore Marrakech’s courtyards, Fès’s craft-filled medina or Rabat’s riverfront kasbah and archaeological park. Choose your city and month, then tailor packing to your dates: inland heat, Atlantic wind and winter rain need different layers.

Explore Morocco

Explore Morocco by city

Before you zip the bag

Match the place to the season

  • Marrakech summers can be intensely hot; winter mornings and evenings need warm layers.
  • Coastal and mountain weather differs from Marrakech: check the forecast for every overnight stop.

Pack for medina walks

  • Bring comfortable shoes with grip, sun protection and a secure day bag.
  • Light, loose layers with shoulder and knee coverage work well for many city outings.
Currency
Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Plug types
C / E · 230 VCheck your adapter →
Emergency number
150 (ambulance and fire), 190 (police), 177 (gendarmerie)

Moroccan National Tourist Office — practical information · FCDO — emergency services in Morocco · World Standards — electricity by country

Stay connected

Mobile data for your trip. Check what your current plan includes for roaming. If you need another option for maps, messages and booking details, compare NXTL eSIM coverage and rates. Check that your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked, and check coverage for every stop. Download important maps and confirmations for offline use too.

Useful reads for Morocco

Palm-lined paths and a long central water channel in Casablanca’s Arab League Park

Arab League Park and Sacré-Cœur: a gentler Casablanca walk

Use Arab League Park as a green pause between downtown sights, with the former Sacré-Cœur church as an exterior landmark. Keep the walk flexible and add the civic square only if the weather and your energy suit.

Hassan II Mosque across the Casablanca shoreline, seen from a seafront café

Casablanca’s Atlantic edge: mosque views and an Aïn Diab outing

Choose between a short waterfront pause near Hassan II Mosque and a separate outing along Aïn Diab’s Corniche. Give each stretch time, and keep sea conditions ahead of a sunset plan.

A seated man looking across the Casablanca waterfront towards Hassan II Mosque

A first weekend in Casablanca: mosque, façades and Habous

Spend one day between the mosque and the old medina, then explore downtown and Habous on a second day. This plan leaves room for meals, weather changes and the journeys between neighbourhoods.

Hassan II Mosque and its minaret above visitors on the Casablanca esplanade

Hassan II Mosque: plan a guided visit beside the Atlantic

Make Hassan II Mosque the anchor of a Casablanca morning, with time to look at its craftwork and a separate waterfront pause. Confirm the guided-visit slot before arranging the rest of your day.

Captivating alley in Fes, Morocco, showcasing traditional architecture and vibrant art.

Bou Inania and Bab Boujloud: a short first walk in Fès

Keep your first Fès outing close to the western medina entrance. Bab Boujloud, Talaa Kebira and Bou Inania form a clear sequence, with carved architectural detail and a nearby café break.

A view of traditional leather tanneries in Fes, Morocco with workers in action.

Chouara Tannery: a considerate viewpoint visit in Fès

Chouara is a working tannery, seen from terraces above the vats. Approach it as an optional short visit, with clear expectations about shop access, stairs and photography, then return through the eastern medina at your own pace.

Beautiful sunset view over Fes, Morocco with a sprawling cityscape and hills in the background.

A first weekend in Fès: two manageable medina days

Give Fès two different days: one around Bab Boujloud and Bou Inania, another deeper in the craft quarters. A museum, a proper lunch and optional stops make this a usable weekend rather than a race through the medina.

Explore intricate Moorish architecture of Museo Nejjarine, Fes, Morocco. Elegant wooden carvings and arches.

Nejjarine Museum and fountain: woodwork in a Fès fondouk

Give Nejjarine more than a passing photograph. The fountain square and former merchants’ fondouk make a compact outing, with wooden galleries and a museum devoted to the craft of working wood.

Sunlit courtyard of the Bahia Palace in Marrakech with stunning Moroccan architecture.

Bahia Palace: courtyards, ceilings and a southern medina outing

Make Bahia Palace the focus of a southern medina outing. Look at its courtyard proportions and decorated ceilings, then leave time for the neighbourhood rather than rushing north to another major monument.

Main courtyard of ancient Ben Youssef Madrasa with arched passage and walls decorated with arabesque ornaments on sunny day in Marrakesh

Ben Youssef and Rahba Kedima: a northern medina walk

Use Ben Youssef’s courtyard as the main visit, then slow down around Rahba Kedima for a meal and a look at the shops. This walk keeps the northern medina together without adding a distant garden or southern palace.

Busy street scene in Marrakech with Koutoubia Mosque in view and people walking under a dramatic sky.

A first weekend in Marrakech: medina courtyards and a garden morning

Split a first Marrakech weekend between the old city and a booked garden visit. This two-day plan leaves room for meals and rest instead of stacking every palace, museum and excursion into the same afternoon.

Vibrant Majorelle Blue house surrounded by lush exotic plants and cacti under a clear sky.

Jardin Majorelle: book the right ticket and enjoy the garden

Plan Jardin Majorelle as a reserved garden visit, with time to look at its blue architecture and planting. Choose any museum visits deliberately and keep the rest of the day flexible instead of treating a garden ticket as an all-city pass.

Iconic Koutoubia Mosque tower with palm trees in Marrakech against a clear blue sky.

Koutoubia to Jemaa el-Fnaa: a short exterior walk

Use the Koutoubia minaret as an easy landmark for a short Marrakech outing. Pair the public gardens and exterior views with Jemaa el-Fnaa, leaving mosque interiors and long shopping loops outside the plan.

Crenellated walls and towers of Chellah above the Bouregreg valley in Rabat

Chellah in Rabat: ancient ruins, ramparts and the necropolis

Chellah deserves its own outing. The archaeological park brings ancient Sala and the later Marinid necropolis into one enclosed landscape, with ramparts and interpretation panels that help connect the visible remains.

Hassan Tower and the surviving mosque columns in Rabat, with a passer-by in the foreground

A first weekend in Rabat: Oudayas, Hassan and Chellah

Spend one day between the medina and the river, then give Rabat’s monuments and archaeological park a second day. This plan leaves space for a proper meal and a tea stop, with an art museum alternative when the weather changes.

Hassan Tower rising above the walls and trees beside Rabat’s unfinished mosque

Hassan Tower and Mohammed V Mausoleum: reading the plaza

Give the Hassan site a focused visit rather than taking one photograph from the gate. The unfinished minaret, rows of columns and green-roofed mausoleum make sense when seen together, with time to move around the open plaza.

Blue rowing boats on the Bouregreg with Rabat’s Oudayas kasbah behind

An Oudayas walk: Bab Oudaya, blue lanes and river views

The Oudayas kasbah works best as a short walk with a few clear anchors: the monumental gate, residential lanes, river platform and Andalusian garden. Leave time for tea rather than trying to turn the neighbourhood into a checklist.

Cap Spartel lighthouse above the Atlantic with terraced gardens and palms near Tangier

Cap Spartel from Tangier: lighthouse, museum and garden

Give Cap Spartel a separate coastal outing from Tangier. Combine its lighthouse setting with the maritime museum and garden, with the tower climb and Hercules Caves as optional additions.

Tangier city beach and the broad corniche promenade with palms and glass access pavilions

Tangier corniche: a flexible walk along the city bay

Follow a short section of Tangier’s palm-lined waterfront between the marina and city beach. Extend towards Malabata only if the weather, energy and return journey suit.

La Purísima church clock tower and cupola among the rooftops of Tangier medina

A first weekend in Tangier: medina, museums and the sea

Spend Saturday between Grand Socco, the Kasbah and the old harbour, then choose a relaxed waterfront Sunday or a separate Cap Spartel outing. Keep museums and café breaks in the plan.

Hotel Continental above the old harbour walls and white medina buildings in Tangier

Tangier medina walk: Grand Socco, the Kasbah and the Legation

Link Grand Socco and Petit Socco with an uphill Kasbah visit, then descend to the American Legation and the old harbour edge. Choose one museum if you prefer a shorter day.