The Best Morocco Tips and Travel Advice

Planning a trip to Morocco? You’re in the right place! Welcome to your guide filled with Morocco tips and travel advice that will help you have the best trip!  

Morocco is a beautiful country with tons of gorgeous cities and towns to explore. It’s also a very affordable destination, making it a wonderful spot for budget travelers. Something I love about Morocco is that you’re able to have a pretty luxurious vacation, without breaking the bank. 

Let’s get right into the Morocco tips and travel advice!

The Best Morocco Tips and Travel Advice

Money – Morocco Currency and Exchange Rate

Exchanging Money

1: You can only obtain Moroccan currency (dirhams) within the country itself. The exchange rate to the U.S. dollar is usually somewhere around 1 dollar to 10 dirhams (MAD) – which is very favorable. If something is priced for 100 MAD, it would be roughly 10 U.S. dollars. 

Normally when I travel I pre-order currency from Citi Bank so that I have cash when I arrive. Because this was not possible, we exchanged a small amount in the airport, enough to pay for the taxi, but not much more as the airport exchange rate isn’t always the most favorable. 

There are tons of ATMs and banks all over Moroccan cities. I recommend taking out small amounts at a time, using up the cash, and then taking out more so that you do not end up with lots of cash left over at the end of your trip that you will have to re-exchange at the airport.

Morocco is Very Affordable

2: Morocco is a very affordable country to visit, and it is definitely a budget traveler’s dream. You can get taxis for as low as $1.50 across the city. Many small restaurants offer full meals for between $1.50-$5. 

In Casablanca you can find private rooms in beautiful shared AirBnbs for as low as $10 a night and private AirBnbs are as low as $20. In Marrakech you will find rooms in intricately decorated riads (also available on AirBnb) for as low as $13. 

Riads are traditional Moroccan homes that feature interior gardens or courtyards. The riads we saw in Marrakech were absolutely beautiful. The next time I visit Morocco I absolutely plan to stay in several beautiful riads around the country.

Check out these beautiful riads in Marrakech:

• Dar Diaf
• Riad La Vie
• Riad 11 Zitoune
• Casa del Sol Marrakech
• Riad Bindoo

Attire – What to Wear in Morocco

3: On almost every website we read before arriving in Morocco, travelers are urged to dress more conservatively than in Western countries. However, we quickly discovered that many tourists do show quite a bit of skin. Although we decided to stick to our original plan of covering our shoulders and knees outside of our hotel, I would have felt comfortable walking around in a midi-dress with spaghetti straps.

Around the cities and the markets, you will see locals and travelers dressed in every type of clothing. Most outfits seemed acceptable. I would still caution female travelers from wearing short shorts and skirts, however, it is definitely not unheard of to dress this way. 

We also read that men typically refrain from wearing shorts, however we did not find this to be true.

Casablanca seemed to have the most liberal fashion in comparison to the other cities we visited. Locals in Marrakech appeared to dress more conservatively. However, I saw many tourists walking in short shorts and tube tops. In Rabat, however, I do not think I saw a single person with their shoulders or knees showing. 

This all being said, I recommend packing layers – even in the summer when it’s very hot. Having a light-weight long sleeve shirt to throw on over a thin-strapped dress or shirt will be helpful, especially when entering religious sites. Check out our lookbook and packing guide for some outfit inspo!

Taxis in Morocco

Taxi Meters

4: Taxi drivers should use their taxi meter when giving you a ride. However, they rarely will if you cannot, or do not, ask them to in French or Arabic. We learned from a local guide that it is illegal for them to not use the meter. However, drivers prefer not to as they can charge triple or four times the fare without it. 

If the taxi driver is not using his meter, always ask for, and negotiate, the taxi fare before agreeing to the ride. 

Employees at your hotel will tell you the approximate rates from your location to your destination, but always be sure to double check with the driver so that you are not surprised by the fare upon arrival. During our time in Casablanca all of our taxis ranged from $1.50 to $10. All of the rides under $5 used a meter.

Petit Taxis

5: Normal sized taxis (petit taxis) can legally only take three people at a time – even though there’s space for four. If you want a taxi for four or more people you will have to ask for/flag down a special, larger sized taxi, which costs more. Often it is easier to split up your group and take two petit taxis in order to save money. 

Our petit taxi from the airport in Casablanca took all four of us plus our suitcases. However, this is not normal, as they will most often only take three at a time. Our taxi from the airport to the hotel cost us $30, which is the average rate for that kind of ride. If a petit taxi offers to take four riders within the city, expect them to try to charge you a very high fee (around $20) per ride. Instead of accepting a high fee, try to bargain with the driver or simply get out and wait for another taxi to flag down.

Taxi Norms

6: If you take a taxi and there are less than three people in your group, expect your taxi to pick up other travelers along the way. It’s kind of like an Uber Pool system. If you’re headed in the same direction as other travelers, taxis like to stop to pick them up as it will optimize their fares. Sometimes, this means you’ll get dropped off a few blocks away from your destination, but it’s always a close walk.

Taxi Tour Guides

7: If you meet a taxi driver who you really like, ask him/her for a private tour of the city. These taxi drivers are not registered tour guides, so you will not be getting a full history/culture lesson with your tour, but instead you will be hiring a private driver for 1/4 of the price of booking one online. 

Most taxi drivers offer these tours (they carry pamphlets in their car), and it is a great, stress-free way to visit all of the major sites and landmarks. Of course, always agree on a price before agreeing to the tour!

Private and Group Tours in Morocco

Tourism Licenses

8: In Morocco you must have a tourism license in order to legally provide tours. These tour guides are professionally trained and take courses in order to earn credentials to become a guide. 

In Morocco it is technically illegal to provide tour services if you are not a registered tour guide. However, it’s still very common and this law is not enforced. 

We hired our taxi driver to give us a day tour of Casablanca’s major sites and personally, and I think it was a great decision. We highly recommend taking an informal tour from a taxi driver if the opportunity presents itself! However, be aware that it will not be a professional tour.

Book Refundable Tours

9: We also highly recommend booking refundable tours whenever possible. Both of the tours we booked through Viator, to Marrakech and Fez, were completely refundable up to 24 hours in advance of the start time. Because of this, we were able to cancel our Fez tour and still get all of our money back – which we then put towards our tour to Rabat! 

If a refundable tour is not an option, make sure to fully research cities, including travel times, before committing 100%.

Bring Tissues for Public Bathrooms

10: While exploring Morocco, be sure to bring along some extra tissues. Although many sites do have public restrooms, few have toilet paper for use. Therefore, it is a good rule of thumb to always carry a little with you just to be safe.

Temperature and Weather in Morocco

11: Casablanca and Rabat will consistently have lower temperatures than other major cities. For example, in August, in Casablanca the daytime temperatures are normally around 75-78 degrees, whereas in Marrakech the daytime temperatures will reach 100+ degrees. 

Because of this, if you are traveling to Morocco in the summer and do not want incredibly high temperatures, consider staying in Casablanca or Rabat (or other cities on the water) where the weather is more comfortable.

Language Spoken in Morocco

Official Languages

12: The official languages of Morocco are Arabic and Berber. However, French is taught in most all schools across the country and is often the language of classroom instruction. 

Because of this, most Moroccans speak both French and Arabic, with a smaller percentage speaking Berber. 

It is extremely helpful when visiting Morocco to speak French, as this is the language that most locals will communicate in with Western tourists. French also serves as the lingua franca for the country. 

While traveling in Morocco don’t expect that everyone will speak English, as this is not the case. Many people speak at least a little English, but not everyone. 

It is extremely likely that many taxi drivers, waiters and sales people will not speak enough English to communicate with you. 

Because of this, if you do not speak any French or Arabic you may have to rely on hand signals or pointing at menu items. If you can memorize a few French phrases before you travel to Morocco, it will be super helpful for you. You can get by with just English, and there will be plenty of people who understand you, it just won’t be everyone in every situation.

We, unfortunately, were unable to travel to the North of Morocco during our trip, but there is a large Spanish speaking population in this region – due, in part, to its proximity to Spain. 

If you speak Spanish, you will definitely be able to communicate with many locals in major northern cities such as Tangiers and Tetouan.

Food and Drinks in Morocco

Spices and Flavors

13: The cuisine in Morocco is full of delicious spices, especially in the tagine and couscous dishes! 

Because we are not used to the spices used in Moroccan cuisine, many people had recommended that we pack Imodium (or the over-the-counter equivalent) in our toiletry bags. We were lucky and did not end up needing to use this medicine, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Coffee Culture

14: Coffee is so important to many travelers when visiting a new place, and the coffee in Morocco is, generally, delicious. However, many cafes open late.

We were told by many locals that the workday starts around 8:30am. However, the coffee shop inside our hotel and the ones surrounding it did not open until 9am – even though it was a major tourist hub. There are many cafes around the city where people sit and enjoy espresso all day long, but they seem to consistently open later in the morning. 

15: When you buy a coffee in Morocco it will almost always come with a free bottle of water! This was really nice as it saved us from having to purchase lots of water bottles, but I do feel bad about the plastic waste. 

Many coffees (+ free water) are around $1.5-$3. Starbucks is the only coffee shop that we went to that did not provide free water with coffee.

Recycling in Morocco

16: One thing I struggled with in Morocco was the lack of recycling bins. I rarely ever saw them on the street in any of the cities I visited. 

Unfortunately, this means that a lot of cans and plastic bottles are being thrown away. Even in our hotel I could not find any recycling bins. Because of this, each day I collected our plastic bottles and cans and brought them to the front desk to recycle for me. I’m not sure if they actually did end up recycling them, but I had to try. 

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I hope these Morocco tips and travel advice are helpful for you in your trip planning! My trip to Morocco was definitely one of my favorite trips I’ve ever been on and I cannot recommend it enough. 

It’s a beautiful, safe and fun place for families, couples and groups of friends to explore. 

If you have any questions about my Morocco tips, or any to add, please let me know in the comments. 

Lastly, if you found this post helpful I appreciate you sharing it on social media and with friends.

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More Morocco posts for planning your vacation:

• Insiders’ Casablanca, Morocco Tourism Guide for the Best Trip
• Review Of Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca, Morocco
• Itinerary for the Perfect 7 Days in Casablanca, Morocco
• The Best Day Trips from Casablanca, Morocco
• Packing Guide for Morocco in the Summer
• Morocco Female Traveler Lookbook

♡Kate

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