-Morocco-
Frequently Asked Questions and Top to visit
- MARCH 2024 -
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Frequently asked questions
🌏 How dangerous is Morocco? 🌏
Morocco is not dangerous!! I recognize that even me I was a little bit skeptical about this thing before my trip in Morocco. But I assure you that Morocco is safer than other European countries. There are nice and not so nice people there, like in every country around the world, but not dangerous people.
The only real thing about Morocco is that you need to have patience, bacause there will be a lot of people who will tryies to convince you to let them to be your guide, or to buy products from their shops etc… so you have to say a lot of NO NO NO to convince them.
🌏 The roads in Morocco are dangerous?🌏
NO ! Totally NO! We drived almost 2000 kilometers with our rented car in Morocco and I ensure you that roads are not dangerous and are easy to drive.
🌏 Morocco is an expensive contry? 🌏
It depends on what you price expectation are. For food, Morocco is not an expensive contry, but it depens of the city. In Merzouga (desert Sahara), the prices are higher then other cityes because desert is dry for agriculture and have extreme temperatures, which is not suitable for most plants so they require different conditions for grow plants and animals.Otherwise, Chefchaouen was cheaper, so having lunch at the no 1 restaurant voted on TripAdvisor we spent like 17 euros for 2 persons to eat&drink ( and we choose the most expensive food from the menu). About the hotels, these are not so cheap as you expect to find in Morocco, and I recommend you to pay a lot of attention when you choose your hotel because 3 stars in Morocco are not the same like in Europe.
🌏 It’s ok to visit Morocco during the Ramadan? 🌏
We’ve choosed to visit Morocco in the period of Ramadan because is less crowded and the temperature is not so high…and was the best decision! During the Ramadan the restaurants in main cityes are open all day, but usually lot of them are closing at 6:30-7 PM for 30 minutes, when sun goes down because then is their time to eat, so you have to understand and respect this thing. For us was no problem. Another thing you have to respect during the Ramadan is to not smoke in public spaces, like roads or public markets.
🌏 How many days we need to visit Morocco? 🌏
Morocco is a large country, so you have to you have to make a very well-planned itinerary if you want to visit the main attractions. We spent 7 days visiting Morocco main attractions, but in my opinion book 3 more days for Essouira and Agafay Desert…we don’t had time to visit them and I’m sorry for that.
🌏 It’s safe to eat strret food in Morocco? 🌏
Of course! I ate street food in Fes and also in Marrakech and it was delicious. For example, this traditional Marrakesh sandwich cost less than 2 euros and was delicious! I saw a lot of tourists trying street food. So definitely give it a try!
🌏 From which company should I rent the car? 🌏
We chose to rent our car from SamiCar, without a deposit and without a credit card. The price for 7 days for a Dacia Logan with full insurance was 228 euros, which in the end is deducted from the price of the car. You have to pay a deposit, as a guarantee that you will pick up the car, something like 28 euros. It was a good experience with them, I recommend.
🌏 Should I buy an SIM from the airport ? 🌏
I recommend you to buy an e-sim from Airalo. It is cheaper and easier to use. You can buy it before your trip and activate it when you’re on location.
What should I visit in Morocco?
#1 Ait Ben Haddou
We chose to visit Ait Ben Haddou on our first day, so once we arrived in Marrakech we took our car and drive straight to the village. To get there you have to drive 3-4 hours from Marrakech.
Ait Ben Haddou is a must-see when in Morocco. It’s my favorite place in Morocco! Ait Ben Haddou is a fortified village with Moroccan architecture, a very popular place for visitors. It has also gained popularity as a filming location for various famous movies and TV shows like Lawrence of Arabia, Sodom and Gomorrah, Oedipus Rex, The Man Who Would Be King, The Message, Jesus of Nazareth, Time Bandits, Marco Polo. The location is also very beautiful, in Ounilei Valley, right next to a beautiful river.
Once here, you have to cross the river to enter the village, but don’t worry… the river is easy to cross because the water level is low, and the people who live there have arranged some stones and sandbags to make walking easier. After crossing the river, you have 2 ways to enter the seat: the first is to follow the signs and pay the „entrance” to the people who live there, and the other, without paying, you have to turn right, without following the signs… you will find an alley that you must follow.
When you enter the village, all you have to do is walk around and admire the architecture and the view over the river and valley. And don’t forget to get to the top at 📌Coffee Break Azalag to enjoy a drink and watch the sunset. It is absolutely stunning!
Hotel: 📌Bagdad Café. I really recommend this place for accommodation and meals. Very nice!
#2 Merzouga Desert
We woke up early in the morning to visit the archaeological site of Ait Ben Haddou again, and after 13:00 we start the road to the Sahara Desert. It’s almost 400 km by car to get there. But it’s totally worth it!
You can’t leave Morocco without spending some time in the Sahara desert. It was an epic experience…the dunes, their color, the atmosphere and the Merzouga Village is different from the other deserts we have visited before. It was so beautiful!
Tips: You don’t need to buy a JEEP safari, you can go on your own through the dunes. The experience is the same, the view is the same, it’s all around you. All you have to do is park your car in the entrance area, right next to the dunes… and walk… walk…. oh, and the funny thing is that the biggest Sahara dune is right next to the parking area, so you don’t have to walk that far to find it!
Hotel: 📌 Erremal – nice pool with great view and great food too
#3 Fes
Fes is the second largest city in Morocco and one of the most visited cities. The 📌Medina of Fez is the best part of this city and is considered one of the most extensive and best preserved historical cities in the Arab-Muslim world.
The most important attraction in Fes is the 📌Chouara Tannery. The view from above the tannery is only from some local shops, so if you want to see and take photos you have to pay something at the shop to be allowed inside. But it’s totally worth it! Oh, be prepared for a specific leather smell like cow, goat, camel.
Another beautiful place is Fes is 📌Rainbow Street Art, located at the beginning of the medina, just 1 minute walk from the 📌Blue Gate. It is a very popular street and very nice for photos.
Tips: To visit the Medina of Fes, I recommend choosing your departure point from the Blue Gate. You can make your own way from the hotel to the gate using Google Maps. If you choose to enter the Medina from other streets/points, you will probably 80% get lost in the Medina.
Hotel: 📌Riad Alassala Fes – Authentic Riad located in Medina, good food, excellent staff, beautiful architecture. So beautiful !
Parking area: 📌Om El Banine Parking – you have to pay about 20 DH
#4 Chefchaouen
The blue pearl of Morocco. Chaouen… or Chefchaouen… such a beautiful place! This village is known for its traditional houses painted in blue and white. There are so many Instagrammable places in this village… all you have to do is walk around and get lost in the blue streets. But don’t worry, you will always find your way back.
For me this village was the most authentic in all of Morocco, the food, the souvenirs, the people and everything is perfect here.
Restaurants: I recommend these 2 restaurants with excellent food: 📌BILMOS Restaurant and 📌 Twins Restaurant. Note that prices in Chefchouen are less expensive than in other cities in Morocco.
Parking area: you can park your car at 📌Hotel Parador, it costs about 20 DH for 1 day.
#5 Marrakesh
After waking up at 2am to drive from Chefchaouen to Marrakech, we chose to spend our last day visiting Marrakesh, the most visited place in Morocco. At first I was not so sure about the decision to visit this city, and finally I decided to visit it… now I regret my decision to visit this place instead of another. Why? I think this city is overrated…
Once we arrived in Marrakesh, we went directly to the famous 📌Majorelle Garden. VERY IMPORTANT: BOOK YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE on their website. There is no possibility to pay the tickets in cash there, and when we got there all the online tickets were already sold out… Many people are waiting in line to visit the famous Garden. I was so disappointed…it was our last chance to visit Majorelle so a man there helped us buy advance tickets for another day and visit on the day we were there.
After visiting the garden, we spent the day in the Medina, visiting the famous 📌Jamaa el Fna square. It wasn’t as authentic and nice as Fes Medina… I don’t have a good impression about this place… and also I was disappointed with the food in restaurants and shops…. because I’m not that much as authentic as in the other cities.
Hotel: 📌Riad Tamarrakecht
Parking area: 📌Bab Aylan
