Essential tips for First Time Visitors to Morocco

If you’re planning your first trip to Morocco, you’re in for a sensory overload in the best way - vibrant souks, dramatic desert landscapes, fragrant tagines and beautiful old cities with winding medinas. But Morocco can also be overwhelming for first time visitors, especially if you’re not sure what to expect.

Some of the most common questions I get are about where to go, how to get around, what to wear as well as tips on money, safety and cultural norms - the same questions I was asking before my own trip to Morocco!

In this travel guide, I’ll cover practical tips for first time visitors to Morocco to help you feel more confident and prepared for your own adventure.

Travel tips for your first visit to Morocco

Where should I go in Morocco?

There are so many beautiful places to visit in Morocco, it’s so hard to pick the best!

Your first consideration is time, then types of activities and season:

• Day Trip: If you’re visiting from Spain, you can take the ferry from Tarifa (Spain) to Tangier for a fun day trip.

• One Week: Marrakech and a trip to the Sahara Desert are a must. We also stopped in the stunning Dades Valley and Todra Gorge in the Atlas Mountains on our way - you can read my One Week Morocco Itinerary for First Time Visitors for more inspiration.

• Two Weeks or more: For those who have more time, you can explore other places like Fes and Chefchaouen (cities), spend more time in nature in the Atlas Mountains, or visit places on the coast like Casablanca, Essaouira or Safi for surfing or beach activities.

How long should my trip to Morocco be?

This varies depending on how much of Morocco you want ot explore, as well as what activities you’re interested in.

One week is a good start if your goal is to visit the Sahara Desert, and 10 to 14 days will give you more time to explore different areas and experience more of Morocco.

When is the best time to visit Morocco?

The best time of year to visit Morocco is during autumn (September to November) or spring (March to May) as the weather is most pleasant.

However if you’re visiting the Sahara Desert, winter is a great time to visit so you’re not constantly sweating, and summer is a great time to visit coastal cities for surfing and beach activities.

For a detailed month-by-month breakdown of weather and seasons, check out my guide on the Best Time to Visit Morocco.

What to expect in Morocco (Culture, Safety, Haggling)

Going into my Morocco trip, I was a little nervous about safety and respecting the culture, especially since it was unfamiliar and a new part of the world I was visiting.

Morocco is primarily a Muslim country so it’s important to dress modestly (more on that below) and respect local customs - something that was a challenge given I was travelling light with a summer wardrobe!

I was less worried about haggling as it sounded similar to what you would experience in South East Asia, where market vendors would give you a starting price 200% above market value and you’d have to haggle your way down.

Travel tips:

• Haggle any items you buy at market stalls or street vendors (this excludes food vendors, usually these are fixed)

• Bring tissues and hand sanitiser for public toilets

What to wear in Morocco as a female traveller?

As Morocco is primarily a Muslim country, cover your shoulders and knees to be respectful when visiting religious sites (both men and women).

Dress modestly in cities and rural areas to avoid unwanted attention - tops covering your shoulders pair well with linen pants or long skirts, or you can opt for a long summer dress and use a scarf to cover your shoulders.

However the dress code does vary depending on where you are - at bars and nightclubs, almost anything goes, and a lot of tourists in Marrakech will wear tanks, singlets and shorts. You can also wear shorts, dresses and swimwear including bikinis at the beach.

Travel tips:

• Wear light coloured clothing and light fabrics like linen and cotton as it gets quite hot during the day

• Use a scarf to cover your shoulders to create more versatile outfits.

Is Morocco safe for solo female travellers?

Yes, Morocco issafe for solo female travellers!

It’s important to maintain common sense (keep your belongings close to you, know where you’re going, stick to tourist areas) and to watch out for common scams such as street touters offering tours where they won’t let you return unless you buy something, or offering help with directions and then expecting payment.

It was commonplace anywhere we walked in the souks and medina that I would receive comments like ‘Hello! Japan? China? Singapore?’ where market vendors are trying to get your attention or offer you goods - if you ignore them they will eventually lose interest.

Most of the people I interacted with were nice, and curious to know where we were from.

Travel tip:

• Learn how to deal with the hassle - ignore them and continue walking.

Can I drink the tap water?

Morocco’s tap water is not safe to drink - bottled water is sold everywhere or you can bring a water bottle with a filter to avoid buying plastic.

Travel tip:

• It’s much cheaper to buy bottled water at a convenience store or shop than compared to a restaurant.

Can you drink alcohol in Morocco?

While alcohol is forbidden by Islamic law, it is available in licenced wine shops and international grocery stores, and served at some bars and restaurants.

Money tips: How much cash do I need to bring?

The Moroccan Dirham is a closed currency meaning you can’t get it or use it outside the country.

There are two ways to get local Moroccan Dirham:withdrawing at a local ATM or changing at a currency exchange.

• I would highly recommend withdrawing at Al Barid Bank ATM as they are fee free - these are the yellow ATMs available at most Post Offices!

• It also helps if you have a debit card like Wise or Revolut that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees - you can easily set up an account before you travel.

• Currency exchange places tended to have very long lines, lower rates and I also saw signs for card fee at some places - talk about fees!

I found that Morocco is a very cash heavy country with Euros also being accepted for payment at our hostel at an exchange rate of 1EUR to 100MAD. We ended up paying for our accommodation, our 3 day Sahara Desert Tour as well as airport transfers through our hostel (cash only), and paid using a mixture of Euros and Dirham.

Card is mostly accepted in towns and cities at large retailers, restaurants and hotels - bring cash if you’re heading to rural areas.

Common scams to watch out for

Morocco felt pretty safe as a female traveller, however you do come across a lot of street touters trying to get your attention.

Common scams such as street touters offering tours where they won’t let you return unless you buy something, or offering help with directions and then expecting payment. Be wary of these, or carry small amounts of cash to pay them in case you do accidentally end up in this situation.

How do I book taxis and transfers in Morocco?

We booked our taxis and airport transfers through our hostel reception, as we felt it would be safer this way. There is also an official taxi queueing system at the airport once you arrive.

Other Tips

• Cash - very cash heavy country, our hostel quoted us prices in EUR and accepted both, with a currency conversion of 1EUR to 100MAD. We brought over some euros and pulled the rest of our money from Al Barid Bank which is attached to most post offices - no atm fees, and no Forex fees if using an account like Wise, Revolut, Up with no forex fees

• Lots of currency conversion places - wouldn't recommend as the rates were lower and there always looked like a long line. Some places also charged a card fee

• Common scams to avoid - locals offering to help with directions and then asking for money, kids offering to help you cross the river at Ait Ben Haddou and then asking for money

• Free sim at airport - need to top up but this can be done in town, otherwise recommend esims (we used MobiMatter)

• Market shopping - haggle, shop around - a lot of stalls sell the same thing. Prices in the main square are more expensive, go further into the Medina for better deals

• Shopkeepers will hassle you to buy things and ask where you're from - I got Japan a lot (even though I'm not Japanese), although I'm not sure why because we didn't see very many Japanese tourists!

• Keep sight of your valuables - wear bum bags or shoulder bags in front of you

• Clothing - Muslim country, cover shoulders and knees to be respectful, however in Marrakech you see a wide variety of clothing on tourists including tanks & singlets, shorts. Wear light coloured, breathable fabrics because it gets hot - I've been loving linen because it does a great job at keeping me cool!

• Food - ranges from 15 MAD (street food sandwiches, 7-10 MAD for smoothie), sit down (40-80pp for budget, 100-120pp for mid range)

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If you found this useful, I also wrote a guide on the Best Time to Visit Morocco.