"Introduction to Morocco" Morocco by JLBG

Morocco Travel Guide: 11,790 reviews and 26,578 photos

Morocco is a fascinating country to visit. It is a land of contrasts and even contradictions.
- Contrast between most modern towns like Casablanca and towns with a main traditional core, as Fes or Marrakech.
- Contrast between rich agriculture in the Gharb plain (inland of Kenitra) where everything grows, and desert lands in the south, where only a few shrubs can grow or mountain land in the Rif where only hemp can be grown.
- Contrast between windy (always windy and cool if not cold) coastal town of Essaouira and burning inland, sometimes a few miles away.
- Contrast between the wealthy (very wealthy) and the poor (very poor), even if a middle class is now developing.
- Contrast between highly touristy places as the royal towns (Fes, Meknes, Marrakech and Rabat) or ocean resorts (Agadir) and places that seldom receive any foreign visitor.

Rabat is not among the main destinations though it has a lot to offer to the visitor. The bonus is that you don't find yourself amidst crowds of tourists and that you are not assaulted by self designated guides. Try Rabat !

But, if you fly to Morocco, you will often land in Casablanca. The Hassan II Mosquee is a must visit. I have presented it on my Casablanca page (click on Casablanca)

Rabat

Suika street in the medina of Rabat

The Medina is quite impressive, with it's 5 km walls. The souk is not as spectacular as in Fes or in Marrakech but really worth a visit. The shops are not designed for tourists but for Moroccans. You can wander freely without being bothered by anybody. You should visit the Casbah des Oudaias, the Mohamed V memorial and Hassan tower, the Chellah necropolis and gardens with their numerous storks and egrets. In the archeological museum you should visit mainly the Roman bronzes.
For more details, go to my Rabat page (click on Rabat)

Salé is the twin city to Rabat, just on the other side of the Bouregreg. If you go to Rabat, you must also visit some of Salé. To know what to visit, look at my Salé page click on Salé

Fés is one of the most typical cities of Morocco. My Fés page is not very complete (I will improve on my next travel), but will give you the main points of a visit. Click on Fés

Essaouira

The medina from the ''Porte de la Marine''

The windy city ! Always windy and cool, though at the same level than Marrakech ! Very different atmospher from other moroccan towns. It is really worth a visit.
More details on my Essaouira page (click on Essaouira). The following pages will bring you along the coast, first from Essaouira to Safi by the coastal road , second to Safi and finally Safi to El Jadida by the coastal road

Pros and Cons

Pros:Great natural and architectural landscapes.
Cons:avoid unofficial guides in top touristy places
In a nutshell:Visit Morocco !

Last visit to Morocco: May 2004
Intro Updated Mar 15, 2007
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Reviews (23)

Telephone Tourist Traps (6)

In Morocco, it is easy to find a place from where to telephone. In the cities, public telephones are everywhere. There... more travel advice

Vilarmar Shopping (1)

When you come from Rabat, drive across the Bou Regreg oued and take the road to Meknès, you will first pass the Dawliz... more travel advice

Telephone Local Customs (6)

There are many telephones around the country using the kind of card shown here. However, beware, they are of different... more travel advice

Mohamed VI coins Local Customs (6)

The new Mohamed VI has issued new coins with his figure but there are very few in use yet. They are mostly alike his... more travel advice

Warnings Or Dangers (3)
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Transportation (3)
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Off The Beaten Path (4)
See All Restaurant or butcher in Douyet ?
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Comments (29)

hopang Apr 14, 2009 at 3:11 AM Report Abuse

Great introduction on Morocco with excellent tips on local customs and tourist trps. Thanks for sharing. We hope we will be able to visit Morocco one day. ~ho & pang
tiabunna Jun 12, 2008 at 8:52 PM Report Abuse

Bonjour Jean-Louis, this is an interesting and varied overview of Morocco - should I find myself heading that way, it will be useful background. .
ATXtraveler Dec 24, 2007 at 1:19 PM Report Abuse

Ironic... I had to go to a Morocco Page written by a Frenchman to find a question answered by a Kiwi about the roots of a Denver Boot! I love VT!
scottishvisitor Dec 6, 2007 at 8:19 AM Report Abuse

Thanks for the virtual tour of Morocco I did laugh at your butchaurant but wouldn't like to eat near all this meat!
barryg23 Feb 21, 2007 at 12:33 AM Report Abuse

Very good overview of Morocco. I'm returning here in march to see more of the off-the-beaten-path areas. Your tips are very helpful.
PA2AKgirl Oct 4, 2006 at 2:21 PM Report Abuse

Very nice overview--we are planning on going here sometime next year so this was all quite helpful! We mastered the "gesture language" in Turkey;-)
condorito Sep 23, 2006 at 8:09 PM Report Abuse

Very nice page, Morocco is so nice.
Bwana_Brown Aug 18, 2006 at 5:53 AM Report Abuse

Excellent tips on the do's and don'ts while visiting Morocco! My short stay (32 years ago!) of a few days was in touristy areas, so I did not experience much hassle! Still, it is nice to be up-to-date!
Heavens-Mirror May 7, 2006 at 9:10 AM Report Abuse

Hi, thanks for the comments on my pages. I will rate all your tips. Would love to visit Morocco too. Take care, Stacey xxx
LoriPori Apr 11, 2006 at 4:16 PM Report Abuse

I found it interesting if looking for a restaurant, look for smoke. Kinda like our steak BBQ luring the neighbours. Great tip about having a garment with many pockets, each with different denomination of coins.