First Time Visiting Morocco: 20 Things to Know Before You Go

Before you travel

1. Check your passport and entry rules. Many nationalities, including most European, British and American visitors, can enter for tourism without a visa for a limited stay, but rules change and depend on your passport. Check your government's travel site and the Moroccan authorities before you book. Your passport should be valid for at least six months.
2. Take travel insurance with medical cover. Roads are the main risk, and private clinics are good but expensive.
3. Choose the right season. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable. July and August are very hot in Marrakech and the south. Our best time to visit Morocco guide explains each month.
4. Book your first night and your airport transfer. Arriving at night in the medina without a plan is the classic bad start.

Money

1. The currency is the Moroccan dirham, roughly ten to eleven to the euro. Withdraw cash from ATMs after arrival.
2. Carry small notes and coins for tips, taxis and tea.
3. Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants, not in most souks.
4. Do not exchange money on the street. Use ATMs or banks.

Language and manners

1. Arabic and Amazigh (Berber) languages are the main local languages, and French is widely understood. English is common in tourist areas. A few words in Arabic or French are appreciated: shukran for thank you, la shukran for no thank you, salam for hello.
2. Greet with a smile. A short greeting before any request changes the tone of the whole conversation.
3. Ask before photographing people. Many do not want to be photographed, and some will ask for a tip.
4. Use your right hand for eating and passing things, as is customary.

What to wear

1. Dress modestly in cities and villages. Shoulders and knees covered is a good rule for both men and women. It is not a legal requirement for tourists, but it helps you feel comfortable and be treated with respect.
2. Bring comfortable shoes. The medina has uneven stones and long distances.
3. Pack layers. Mornings and evenings are cool in the mountains and the desert, even in spring.

Our packing list for Morocco covers each season in detail.

In the medina

1. Expect to get lost, and enjoy it. Use a map for orientation, but do not trust GPS to the metre in narrow lanes.
2. Say a polite no to unrequested guides. Book a licensed guide through your riad or a company you trust for the first morning, because the context makes the other days easier.
3. Bargain in the souks, but do it kindly. Start at about half of the first price and settle somewhere in between. If you do not want to buy, say so.
4. Do not follow someone who says a street is closed. Check on your own map.
5. Mind the motorbikes. In narrow lanes they do not slow down. When you hear a horn, step aside.

Our Marrakech city tour and history tour are the easiest way to start.

Food and water

1. Drink bottled or filtered water.
2. Try tagine, couscous (traditionally served on Fridays), pastilla, harira soup and fresh orange juice. See our Moroccan food guide.
3. Eat at busy places where food turns over quickly.
4. Vegetarian dishes are easy to find in tourist areas, but ask, since many dishes are cooked with meat stock.

Getting around

1. Use petit taxis in the city, with the meter.
2. Take the train between cities.
3. Use a private driver or a guide for the mountains and the desert, where roads are slow and signs are few.
4. Avoid driving at night.

Planning your days

Three full days is a good first visit to Marrakech, five lets you add a day trip and seven lets you add the coast and the mountains. Do not try to fit the Sahara into a short trip. If you have only a few days, choose the Agafay desert or a day in the Atlas instead. Our Marrakech 7 day itinerary and 10 days in Morocco give complete plans.

Mistakes first time visitors make

• Booking every day tightly. Leave room to rest, especially in the afternoon heat.
• Staying too far from the places they want to see. Choose accommodation near the old city or in a quiet district.
• Underestimating distances. A road that looks short on the map can take hours in the mountains.
• Trying to see everything. Choose two or three places and do them well.
• Handing over cash before agreeing the price.
• Forgetting small bills and coins.

Ramadan and holidays

During Ramadan, daytime life slows and many restaurants close until sunset, though tourist places stay open. Evenings are festive. Dates change each year, so check the calendar. Public holidays can make trains and buses busy.

Booking tours and experiences

Book the experiences that need a fixed date, such as a balloon flight or a desert dinner, before you travel, and keep spare days for the weather. With us there is no online payment: you choose a tour and a date, we confirm by email and you pay on the day. See how booking works and our cancellation policy. For a first visit to the desert, start with the Agafay sunset dinner, and for the mountains the Ourika Valley.

Frequently asked questions