22 Magnificent Things to do in Morocco

Start the trip in Marrakech

Marrakech is a great start to your trip through Morocco. You may be overwhelmed by the people and the crowds, but you will get used to it. The perfect way to enjoy the city to the fullest is to walk around the fantastic medina and talk to great people. There are also many palaces and tombs to discover. Djemaa el Fna Square is the place to be, and so much is happening.

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: There are many International flights coming in to Marrakech. Casablanca is 2.5 hours by car and by train. Agadir is 3 hours by car and 3.5 hours by bus. 

How much time needed: 2-3 days

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Feel confused by goats in a tree

On the road from Marrakech to Essaouira, there are a couple of farmers who reached their goats to climb up a tree. The view is extremely funny and feels unreal. You have to give a tip to the farmer and enjoy the moment. This is a great stop.

Price: A small tip to the farmer

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: Keep your eyes open on the road between Marrakech and Essaouira, closer to Essaouira. There are day tours from Marrakech to Essaouira, where it will stop here as well.

How much time needed: 15 minutes

Learn more about argan oil

Argan oil is a product originally from Morocco, and it is nice to have a small stop to learn more about the product used for cooking and cosmetics. To see it being made and see the final products is a funny experience. You can buy some products as well.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: This is close to the goats in the trees, and the same tour will go to a argan oil house, but there are more in Morocco.

How much time needed: 15-30 minutes

See a different Morocco in Essaouira harbor 

The crazy harbor of Essaouira is one of the highlights of the trip. The blue boats (picture above) are just the beginning of the great experience of the harbor. This sight is already fantastic, but when you proceed, you will go into a chaos of people, seagulls, and fish, and it is an absolute fantastic sight. You can eat fresh fish in the harbor and enjoy all the happenings around you.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: From Agadir is a 3 hour and Marrakech is a 2 hour drive. From Marrakech it takes 3 hours by bus. 

How much time needed: 2 hours

Explore the Essaouira medina

The Essaouira medina is a cute medina and less overwhelming than the medinas of Marrakech and Fes. The streets are pretty spacious sometimes, and there are some charming bars and restaurants. A stroll around is a treat and a must-do in Essaouira.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: See the harbor of Essaouira 

How much time needed: 2 hours

Take in the view of the High Atlas

We drove through here, stopped a couple of times, and enjoyed some fantastic views of the stunning mountains. The viewpoints are very interesting, and you want to see them yourself, as the pictures do not cover the real beauty of the Atlas.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: Drive East from Marrakech and views will come after an hour.

How much time needed: 3 hours

Explore the old city of Aït Ben Haddou

Aït Ben Haddou is a very historical city in the middle of Morocco. There is a modern part, but the old and traditional part is very impressive. We walked with a guide, and he showed us some houses and explained much about the history of the village. Walking through these streets was absolutely fantastic. Go up to the top and enjoy the view. Also, enjoy the view before you enter the city, because that is a lovely sight.

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: A 3.5-hour drive from Marrakech.

How much time needed: 2 hours

Feel an actor in Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate is a nice spot to be in the location of famous movies like Gladiator and Indiana Jones, as well as series like Game of Thrones and Prison Break. You can enter a couple of decorators, for example, Aladdin, and have a short stop here and have a stroll around the "fake" world.

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: Half an hour drive from Aït Ben Haddou.

How much time needed: 1 hour

See the sunset at Dades Gorge

The Dades Gorge gives you some fantastic views over the scenic landscape. There are a couple of viewpoints, with the one with the road (see picture) being the most famous, and it is very stunning. This is a good place to spend the night in the multiday trip to optimize your experience.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: The drive is 2.5 hours from Aït Ben haddou and 5 from Marrakech.

How much time needed: 1 hour, but recommend staying the night is this area. 

Walk around in lovely Tinghir

Tinghir is an oasis in Central Morocco, which is very pleasant to walk. There is a lovely garden where you can stroll around for a while, and the city centre is also worth a visit. We also went to look at some carpets and some viewing points. For this activity I would recommend having a guide.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: A 1.25-hour drive from Marrakech

How much time needed: 2 hour

Feel tiny in Todra Gorge

Zodra Gorge is a great hike to enjoy an extreme ecosystem and be amazed by the huge rocks and the beautiful river. It is lovely to walk through, and it is a very easy and flat hike. This is one of the most beautiful natural sports in Morocco, even though it can be pretty bust.

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: Todra Gorge is located just outside of Tinghir. 

How much time needed: 1 hour

Experience the best of Morocco in the Sahara

There are several locations to enter the Moroccan Sahara, but the most beautiful and most popular will be at the Erg Chebbi Dunes. The sight is extremely gorgeous and makes people feel emotional just seeing and being in the sandy ecosystem. We were dropped off at the end of Merzouga, where the dromedaries were ready. We went on dromedaries and enjoyed the majestic desert. At a certain moment, the sunset came and the fantastic landscape became an even better view, and we stopped for a while. Afterwards, we went further in the dark and came to a desert camp for a sleepover. Here we got food, had a traditional campfire, and went to sleep. In the morning, we went back to Merzouga by dromedary, and we enjoyed the sunrise. This was an unforgettable experience, which I would recommend to anyone.

I will have a little bit about riding the dromedaries. We doubted doing it because we should not be sitting on animals. Because they are draft animals, like horses, and the fact that this was the most iconic place to do so, we had a ride, but we said afterwards that this was the last time I would ever sit on an animal again (including horses).

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: From Tinghir Merzouga is a 3 hour drive. From there it is 1.5 hours camel ride to the desert camps.

How much time needed: 1-2 days. 

Enjoy the view of Ziz Valley

This is a great place to have a view on your trip from Merzouga to Fes. The view is stunning the whole driving time, and then, when standing on top of the valley, you will admire the great scenery. It is not very popular, and it is pretty quiet to be here. 

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: The valley is around 1.5 hour drive from Merzouga and 6 hour drive from Fès.

How much time needed: 15 minutes.

Spot the Berber macaque 

Close to Azrou in the forest are berber macaques, and it is a fantastic sight to see those creatures in their natural environment, although there are options to feed them (please do not feed them). This is a good stopover close to Ifrane. The bush vibe is not enormous, because of the unnecessarily feeding.

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: 1.5 hour drive from Fes and half an hour from Ifrane.

How much time needed: 30 minutes

Get the feeling you are in Switzerland in Ifrane

This cute city is a surprising feature in the often very sandy country of Morocco. There are many trees and Swiss-style houses in an oasis-like village. It is fun to stroll around and see the local life in what looks like a European city.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: 1 hour drive South from Fes

How much time needed: 1 hour

Extra tip

A great tip is to have a desert tour that goes from Marrakech to Fes, and you will pass the High Atlas, Aït Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Dades Gorge, Tinghir, Erg Chebbi dunes, Ziz Valley, and Ifrane area (numbers 6–15). The trip consists of a lot of driving, but you will see the highlights of the country. And you don't need extra transport from Marrakech to Fes. We went by IGoMorocco, and that was great and very affordable (so affordable that I was even doubting if it was okay).

Price: Our price was 135 euros pp for 3 days, which was absolutely worth it.

How much time needed: 3-4 days

Feel like a Fairy tale in Fes

Fes is the most special city I have ever visited. It is very magical walking through the small streets of the fantastic medina of Fes. Seeing the markets, smelling the spices, and walking the streets is an unbelievable experience, and this is the city to visit when in Morocco. It may not have the most famous name, but it should be number one on your itinerary. This city gives you the Aladdin/Ali Baba and the forty thieves feeling.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: It is a 5-hour drive from Marrakech and 7 hours by train. The drive is 2 hours, and the bus ride is 3 hours from Rabat.

How much time needed: At least 2 days, but you can wander the streets for weeks.

If you want to know more about Fes, take a look at

Feel local by eating tagine

Tajines are a delight to eat throughout the country, and they are the national dish of Morocco. There are multiple ways to prepare a tajine. The most popular are lemon chicken, lamb, vegetarian, fish, and meat tajines, and they all taste very good. The spices used in the dish are fantastic, and I would recommend eating all versions a lot!

How to get here: Everywhere in the country!

How much time needed: 1 hour per time (maybe even twice a day)

Relax at a hammam

There are multiple ways to experience a hammam. The most traditional way is to go to a local hammam, and you have to bring a lot of stuff. I would have loved that, but we did not have the equipment with us, so we went to a more touristy hammam, and we loved it. People will scrub you, wash you, and make you very clean. You can also add a massage if you want to. You will never feel cleaner after a visit from a hammam.

How to get here: Hammams are spread all over the country and for sure present in bigger cities.

How much time needed: 1-2 hours

Enjoy a Moroccan tea

Tea is the drink most popular in Morocco. The culture is fantastic, and they mostly make fresh mint tea with a lot of sugar. It is wonderful to drink some with the locals and see the culture of this African country. The tea is very sweet in comparison to Europe, but it is very tasty!

How to get here: Everywhere

How much time needed: A traditional ceremony can take 15-30 minutes.

Only see blue in Chefchaouen

If you say Chefchaouen, you say blue. The whole  centre is full of blue, and new buildings have to be blue as well. It is absolutely fantastic to be in this great village, so the best things to do in Chefchaouen are:

• Walk around the village to enjoy the blue colour of the centre
• Go to the Spanish mosque and enjoy the outstanding view. The walk up is pretty tough but short, and you can see the whole city.
• Visit the cute square Plaza Uta El-Hammam

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: Fes is 3.5 hours by car and 4 hours by bus. Tangier is a 2.5-hour drive and a 3-hour bus drive.

How much time needed: 1 Full day ad night

Enjoy the coast in Tanger

Tanger is the place that is closest to Europe, and you can see Spain there. The medina is nice to stroll around, but the city is less traditional than other cities in Morocco. This is a good stop to go to the sea and to have a relaxed walk. Here are some things to do:

• Enjoy one of the beaches.
• See the Grand and Petite Socco-Nice Squares
• Walk the lovely Medina/Kasbah
• The best thing is to see Grand Socco market (see picture). A lot of food is sold in cute and cool market stalls. 
• Cafe Hafa: enjoy the views over the ocean.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: Rabat is 3 hours by car, 1.5 hours by train, and 3 hours by bus, and Chefchaouen is 2.5 hours by car and 3 hours by bus.

Things I have not done, but can be interesting

• Visit the pretty capital Rabat
• Hassan II Mosque of Casablanca
• See the Ouzoud water falls
• See Meknes with Volubilis ruins
• See Hercules caves

Final thoughts

Morocco is a fantastic country to experience a special culture, magical cities, tasty food, and the mighty Sahara desert. It was perfect to travel around and experience the country. The people are very sweet (except when they want to sell something) and very hospitable. The country is easy to get to from Europe, by air or by car. This is a fantastic country to travel to.

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