Morocco: Marrakech, the Sahara and Blue Chefchaouen — Where to Go and What to Try

Marrakech: the medina and Jemaa el-Fnaa square

Marrakech is Morocco's best-known city. The old medina is a web of narrow lanes and bazaars selling spices, carpets and pottery, and at its centre lies Jemaa el-Fnaa square, which by evening turns into a huge market with street food and musicians. To get away from the noise, head to the Majorelle Garden and the Bahia Palace.

Fez, Chefchaouen and the north

Fez is an ancient city with one of the largest car-free medinas in the world and famous tanneries, where leather is still dyed in large stone vats. In the Rif Mountains lies Chefchaouen, a small town whose houses and lanes are painted in every shade of blue.

The Sahara and the Atlas Mountains

A trip into the desert is one of the main reasons to come to Morocco. From Marrakech the road crosses the Atlas Mountains, past mud-brick fortresses known as kasbahs, such as Aït Benhaddou, to the dunes of Merzouga. There you can ride camels, watch the sunset from the crest of a dune and spend the night in camps under a starry sky.

The Atlantic coast

Along the coast you'll find Essaouira, with its white houses, ramparts and fishing port, the surf villages around Taghazout, and Casablanca, with the vast Hassan II Mosque right by the ocean.

What to try

Moroccan cuisine is fragrant and generous with spices and dried fruit.

• Tagine — meat or vegetables slow-cooked in a clay pot with a conical lid.
• Couscous — the traditional Friday dish, with vegetables and meat.
• Pastilla — a flaky pie with chicken, almonds and cinnamon.
• Harira — a thick soup with lentils and chickpeas.
• Mint tea, poured from a height so that it forms a froth.
• Dates, olives and honey sweets in the bazaars.

Good to know before you go

Morocco is a hospitable country with its own traditions, and a few simple tips will help you feel at ease.

• Clothing that covers your shoulders and knees is especially appropriate in the medinas and small towns.
• Apart from the Hassan II Mosque, tourists are usually not allowed into mosques.
• Ask permission before photographing people.
• If someone in the street offers to show you the way, check in advance whether they expect to be paid for it.
• Cash comes in handy in the bazaars and small cafés.

Staying connected

In Morocco you need the internet from the very first minutes: to find your way around the medina, call a taxi, contact your guide or driver, or show your booking at the riad. You can install your eSIM at home over Wi-Fi, so after landing you won't have to hunt for a SIM card at the airport or stand in queues. When a plan's validity begins is shown on the checkout page before you pay: for some plans it starts at the first connection in the destination country, for others on installation or right after purchase. Your main number stays in your phone, and calls and messages to it keep arriving as usual, under your carrier's terms.