Resurrecting this account to start documenting my trip itineraries & tips
We arrived in the evening and took a taxi to our apartment that we rented in the medina (in 2024 this taxt cost 200 MAD which was $20 USD). Our accommodation had a fantastic view and we could see Spain across the water! The inside of the place was gorgeous with so many beautiful details. We walked around the medina and made sure to stop in petit socco, grand socco, walked around the Kasbah, had a fantastic dinner at Chez Hassan (loved the fish mixed grill, the fresh juices & the moroccan cakes for dessert). Overall the dates, walnuts, fruits that we found being sold in small shops along the street near Grand Socco were the best quality and price out of all the cities we visited. I found the people of Tangier to be very kind and honest, not aggressive or pushy at all compared to other cities. Things don't get going until later in the morning around 11 AM but stay open until about 12:30 at night.
Things to do in Tangier: walk around the medina making sure to go to petit socco and grand socco (can relax at cinema rif and watch the square, look at the grand mosque), Grand Socco market & Berber market, Phoenecian Tombs (between cafe Hafa and Old Kasbah), Old Kasbah, Kasbah museum, American Legation Museum looks very beautiful and I wish I had been there during open hours, if summer or warm months then definitely consider the beach
Places to eat in Tangier: Chez Hassan (a highlight!, not fancy but so fresh and amazing), Cafe Hafa (great view of the sea and supposed to have nice tea), Palais Zahia Hotel has dinner with live music in a nice space that was the first bank in Morocco and also a nice rooftop, Le Sauver du Poisson (fancy fish), The Morocco Club (fancy), Restaurant Bachir
We took the train from Tangier to Fez which was easy (and cost $17, we had a really nice host for our apartment who drove us to the train station for 80MAD or $8USD), clean with good infrastructure and the trip gave us a great view of the countryside. Make sure to take the fast train with 1 transfer. We left in the morning since things take a while to open in the morning in Tangier. We arranged a taxi ride from the train station and a porter met the taxi to take our bags to the hotel since cars cannot enter the Medina to our Fez hotel through our accommodation (taxi was 100 MAD or $10USD but can likely get for less if negotiating with a taxi driver yourself at the station). Our hotel Riad Jardin des Biehn was really beautiful and owned by a French family and thus was one of few places to serve alcohol in the Medina. The whole center courtyard was filled with plants. Overall, this hotel was a feast for the eyes - there were interesting focal points to enjoy everywhere you looked. It was definitely on the pricey side relative to other Riads in the area but we really enjoyed the property and ended up spending a lot of time enjoying, also great service. We then walked around the medina however most shops and stalls were closed since it was Friday afternoon which is traditionally reserved for prayer and family time in Islam. However, there were some stalls open. We had lunch at The Ruined Garden where we had good lamb tagine and orange blossom date milk that I still think about. We ended up having a late dinner at Cafe Clock - a chain of restaurants in all major cities in Morocco that is also a cultural hub where they have live music every night around 7:30, they also host cooking classes and arts programs. The famous dish there is the camel burger which was pretty good. If you go to this location ask for table 22 on the roof for the best view of the nearby minaret.
Where to eat in Fez based on my research: Dar Hatim (best home cooked dishes), Dar Roumana, Restaurant Ouliya, The Ruined Garden (best for tapas), Darori Resto, Cafe Clock (camel burger, lemon tea, date milkshake), Made in M cafe in medina (orange blossom drink, couscous, tomato salad)
We got a half day guide on Viator to take us around the Medina and show us the main sights: Funduq al-Najjarin, Zaouia of Moulay Idriss II, Chouara Tannery, Place R'cif, Place Seffarine. Hicham was amazing and spent 6 hours with us when the tour was only supposed to be 4hrs. He even offered to come back and take us around to finish the tour after our Hammam since we didn't get to finish everything. We then did a massage + Hammam at Palais Amani. There was a tea man there who kept serving us fresh mint tea in the beautiful courtyard it was so lovely. We enjoyed live music with dinner at our riad.
Overall, an extra day in Fez to explore some other Riads would have been nice and also to visit the ceramic cooperative outside the medina which is the ceramic capital of the country
Other things listed in the tour that we didn't get time to go to: Al-Attarine Madrasa, The Blue Gate Bab Boujloud (we went on our own the day before), Quaraouiyine Mosque (entry only for Muslims), Cherratine Madrasa,
Day 4 - Tour Day 1, drive to the Sahara
We had an early start out of Fez to the Sahar through a 3 day, 2 night tour. This day's itinerary was: FesâIfraneâZiz Valley â Merzouga Desert with a camel ride at sunset to get to our desert camp. We stayed in the standard tent option which was fine for me, but my more high maintenance companions were not happy with it so I would say if you are over age 30 and want a private bathroom then book the luxury option however it is double the price when you are really only getting about 5-6 hours of sleep there since you have to wake up at 5:30 for breakfast the next day before the sunrise camel ride.
Day 5 - Tour Day 2, Sahara to Ourzazate
We started our day with a sunrise camel ride which was amazing. Then we went to Todra Canyon and Dades Gorge and then spent the night in Ouarzazate. We had a walking tour with a local guide through Todra Canyon and he took us through the townspeople's garden plots which was really cool to see; they were growing pomegranate, almonds, soy, corn, potatoes, This night everyone was in the same hotel no matter if you booked the standard or luxury option. We got lucky and there was a craft fair going on down the street and got lots of wholesale beauty products.
Day 6 - High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech
We woke up and hit the road, our group decided to skip Atlas Studios, but this is a film studio where lots of movies are shot including Gladiator. Then we went to Ait Ben Haddou, the oldest and largest Kasbah in Morocco and a UNESCO world heritage site. Beautiful views from the top and overall was really nice to walk through. Next, we went to the High Atlas Mountains, beware if you get carsick like me, bring some zofran or try to sleep through all the windy roads. There are stops along the way with beautiful vista points of the atlas and anti-atlas mountains. We were then dropped in Marrakech where we stayed at Riad Zeitoun Palace which was gorgeous and cute and even better than the pictures. We went for lunch at Naranj, a Lebanese restaurant close to our riad, which was great. Then we walked around the souks and the main square Jemaa El-Fna full of juice stands, meat grills, and even snake charmers.
We started our day by having a wonderful fresh breakfast at our riad and then we went shopping in the Souks with the owner of our riad - she really went above and beyond and we spent about 6 hours out with her. Then we went to Medersa Ben Youssef, an old quranic school that had an amazing courtyard and many side small center squares for clusters of dorms with nice plaster and tiling. They even developed a plumbing system using gravity and this place started in the 800s! Incredible! Then we went to The Secret Garden which was a really nice oasis right off a busy street, the restaurant across the alley Cafe Arabe has a nice rooftop as well. The Secret Garden had a really nice first garden with exotic plants and then a second one with a more french style garden. The entry fee was a bit high $10 USD per person to enter. Then we went back to our hotel to, rested on the roof and then had a late dinner at Mandala Society which was mid.
We woke up had a nice breakfast on our riad's roof, then went right around the corner to Palace Bahia which was so impressive. The details everywhere were gorgeous. Then we went to Jardin Marjorelle, the Berber Museum and the YSL Museum. The tickets were pretty pricey at $33USD per person but the Jardin Marjorelle was really lovely and impressive. Then we went back to the hotel, had to buy a suitcase and repack all of the things we bought at the souks. Then we went to dinner at FOLK MARRAKECH which was an absolute highlight of the whole trip. Tuesday through Sundays they have live music and performances starting at 8:30. We arrived at 8pm stayed until 12:30am and only left because we had to leave early for our flight the next morning but I wish we could've stayed for many more hours. There was traditional Berber music followed by a DJ set then a drummer and live band then belly dancers and there were many times that lots of the dinner crowd got up and danced. I had sore feet the next day from dancing so much. I definitely recommend making a reservation ahead of time for 8 or 8:30. There is also happy hour with some good cocktails until 9PM. The food was mid in my opinion but the vibes were immaculate.
I could've spent much more time in Marrakech as there was so much more to do. Here's a list of main Marrakech activities:
Medersa ben Youssef, Souk Semmarine, YSL museum & Jardin Majorelle, Bahia Palace, El Badi Palace (landmark/ruins), Maison de la Photographie - photo history museum of morocco with nice rooftop cafe, Hammam (some fancy options La Mamounia looks amazing, Tarabel, Es Saadi, Riad BE marrakech), Jemaa el-Fna square with lots of food stalls, snake charmers, MusĂŠe de confluences (attached to Bacha coffee so get coffee first then go through palace, get to Bacha coffee at 8:30/9AM to get in), The Mellah - jewish qunlarter, Le Jardin Secret, Street food tour
Where to eat in Marrakech:
Coffee at Bacha Coffee (arrive at 9:30AM, go straight to coffee and do the palace tour after), Les jardins du lotus, PÊtanque Social Club - nice garden, fusion foods, cocktails, Maison Reine near Bab Doukkala mosque, Plus61 (in the new Gueliz area), Dar Yacout - fixed price menu in nice riad with terrace come very hungry $70pp but cool experience, rly great reviews, Naranj- Lebanese , Nomad - rooftop good for sunset in medina - make res, Amal Centre- very good home cooked, La Famille- vegetarian, CafÊ Clock - camel burgers & date milkshake, Folk Marrakech in very gorgeous space with live music @8:30 (an absolute highlight, GO HERE)
Note: We were supposed to go to Chefchaouen but our hotel overbooked us and we ended up going to Fez early instead. However, here is my research for things to do in there. I would recommend going from Tangier since it is only 2 hours instead of 4 hours from Fez.
Things to do in Chefchaouen: The main thing is walking around and taking in the beauty of the blue city. If you have extra time you could do a cooking class at Cafe Clock.
Where to eat in Chefchaouen: Restaurant Bab Ssour (eat on balcony and catch sunset), Restaurant Al Wiam, Casa Hassan, Lala Mesouda, Cafe clock (camel burger), Sofiaâs (good veggie tagine), El Kasbah (nice setting)
streets with a rectangular border in Fez medina have an outlet to another street, but those with a circular or octagon/hexagon are dead ends
If taking the train between tangier and fez make sure to take the fast train which takes 3 hours and requires a transfer (but for us it was just walking from one side of the platform to the other), there is a slower train that does not require a transfer but takes about 6 hours and not worth it since the transfer is so easy to do
If you go to Cafe Clock in Tangier ask for table 22 on the roof for a great view of the adjacent minaret
Bargain for everything in markets (I would start by offering 30-50% of what they propose) except for dates and produce that have fixed prices labeled
Try to haggle for taxi prices and confirm the price before getting in the car, smaller taxis will cost less and they will be ~20% more at night after 7PM. If there is a taxi stand attendant or a restaurant host that helps you get a taxi then your taxi driver will have to pay them commission if they open the door for you so if you just go to the taxi driver yourself you could save some money
If you go to Fez book a hammam + massage or some sort of hammam experience at Riad Laaroussa.
Lots of places will call themselves a 'cooperative' which traditionally was started for widows to start selling handicrafts and make a living once their husbands died, now many things call themselves cooperatives to dupe everyone
Buying rugs and things at cooperatives and setting up shipping through them is much cheaper than trying to ship things yourself because they get discounts by being 'cooperatives'
You will always be served bread at meals, you don't have to ask for it and it will be free - moroccan custom
Traveling as a woman: you will get lots of stares wherever you walk from men but it felt very safe to me. No need to excessively cover up but you might feel a bit more comfortable if you cover shoulders. I would avoid low cut tops but I had no issues wearing dresses above the knee and short sleeved tops. It was definitely a bit colder than expected in some places, especially the desert so pack a sweatshirt/layers!
Morocco was such an amazing country. The people were so warm, there was such a great energy and familiar feeling. I felt very safe there.