Things to see in Morocco

Afroshack

Going to Morocco with my boyfriend in July and August. We will be flying into Casablanca, then heading to Essaouira and Agadir for a bit, before travelling the rest of the country. We have four weeks and around 2 grand spending money.

So, good people of Boards, what do you recommend?

Daisy78

I spent three weeks in Morocco last October. We flew into Fez from London and spent a couple of nights there. Fez feels and looks like it hasn't changed in a thousand years. A city full of narrow alleyways with markets and food stalls all along the way. The Karouine Mosque, the Medrasa and the tannery,s are probably the main sights in the city. The medrasa can only be accessed by Westerners at certain times (I'm open to correction on this). The tanners are certainly worth a look but I'd advise you "hire" a guide to bring you there as the Medina is a maze and can be tiresome to try and negotiate when you are hot and tired. BEWARE!!!! There will be many attempts to extract money out of you in some form or another while you are there....inevitably you will be introduced to brothers, cousins, aunties along the way who conveniently happen to have a shop that sells rugs/oils/various aphrodisiacs of dubious nature.

Chefchaoeun, the blue town is located in the north of the country. If you are going to Tangier then I definitely reccomend this beautiful town as an overnight trip. The whole town (well the older central part) is painted a serenely beautiful powder blue. It's location in the mountains means a beautiful backdrop and some opportunities to do some hiking if you are into that. It's just a lovely spot to hang out in for a day or so, catch your breath and get away from the heat and intensity of other larger towns and cities......speaking of which ..

Casablanca is the most modern "western" style city in Morocco ( with the exception of Rabat but I only passed through there briefly so I can't say for sure). The Hassan II Mosque is definitely worth a look.....it's absolutely huge and very impressive. It is the largest mosque in Africa and can hold over 100,000 people. Apart from that there ain't a whole lot to see there but other posters may have additional suggestions.

Essaouria is a pleasant seaside town with a decent enough beach. A nice enough place to enjoy the sun, seafood and admire the camels on the beach

Marrakech was a little disappointing for me to be honest. Yes it's vibrant but we felt that people were out to exploit us at every turn and this kinda turned me off the country as a whole. The constant demand for money just wears you down after a while particularly when it's done in an underhanded way which experienced a lot of unfortunately. I also hated Djemma el fna ....animal cruelty and harassment from street vendors just doesn't appeal to me at all. I also found the majorelle gardens a little underwhelming, pleasant but nothing special. I also wasn't taken with the food....don't know what they do with all those spices but they aren't putting them in the food that's for sure, try the earth cafe for nice veggie food if you get tired of tagines.

However on the upside....my favourite thing about Morocco were the Riads, they are amazing. If you can afford to put a little bit of money aside treat yourself to a few nights stay in a decent one. The one we stayed in was run by a French couple, we had coffee, freshly baked bread and fruit every morning on the rooftop with views of all the surrounding streets around us. They are an oasis of calm in the bustle of the surrounding city. Marrakech also has some really nice craft shops (away from some of the tack) and the prices tend to be reasonable too for what you get. If you are staying in the country for four weeks then I would suggest you look into some of the camping trips that take you south into the Atlas Mountains, something I had hoped to do before the money ran out. Also be warned it was very hot when we were there in October so expect intense heat if you plan to go there in July/August.

RoiSoleil

There is not much in Agadir to be honest but Marrakech is well worth a few days. Sitting on a rooftop cafe in the evening as the Jema el Fna Square below comes to life is a must.