Time seems to be flying as we scramble to catch up after our last whirlwind trip! Last month, we had the absolute privilege of spending almost two weeks in beautiful Morocco. This was our first time to Morocco, and actually our first time in Africa, so we were beyond excited and hyper-focused on doing and seeing as much as we could. To that end, we set out on completing a somewhat ambitious loop from Casablanca to Fes to Merzouga (and the desert) to Marrakesh and finally back to Casablanca. Whew, even typing it all out is a bit much! Anyway, here’s a little recap of what we did and what I would recommend to anyone traveling to Morocco for the first time. 

Casablanca

We didn’t choose to start and end in Casablanca for any reason other than that’s where the cheapest flights from Québec happened to be. But, of course, once we knew we were heading to Casablanca, we promptly watched the 1942 classic! Spoiler alert: modern-day Casablanca is absolutely nothing like the movie. Since we only had a couple of days planned here, we focused on hitting the highlights: Hassan II Mosque, Central Market, the port, Arab League Park etc.

I feel like Casablanca is the sort of city that would be great to live in, but not so great for tourists. It’s the biggest city in Morocco, and we totally felt that as we trekked from site to site. If you are touristing in Casablanca, however, I would definitely recommend Sky 28 bar. It’s at the top of the Kenzi Tower Hotel and gives you amazing views of the city and the coastline. We went at sunset, and it was such a great way to see all that city sprawl!

Another Casablanca recommendation I would readily give is the restaurant Le Cuistot Traditionnel. It might have been our favorite of the trip, mostly because of the amazing Moroccan food and beautiful décor, but also in part because of the amazing owner and chef. He actually used to work for the king of Morocco and had such an amazing collection of photos, mementos, and stories from that time – really such a cool guy and place!

Fes

The next stop on our itinerary was Fes (or Fez), which is one of the oldest cities in Morocco. I think this was the city I was most looking forward to before our trip because I was so excited to experience the medina. The medina refers to some 9,000 streets and alleyways that make up what I can only compare to a massive hedge maze, except these walls are stone, several stories high, and about 800 years old. “Bustling” just isn’t a strong enough word to describe the medina, which is home to approximately 100,000 people, most of whom must be merchants of some sort given the insane number of markets, shops, and stalls!

Walking around the medina was chaotic in the absolute best way. There are souvenirs, snacks, businesses, and historic sites all crammed into the narrowest of spaces, not to mention all the people shopping, taking photos, transporting goods, etc. Unfortunately, Google Maps is almost no help in navigating since the vast majority of the streets in the medina are too small to be on the map. For that reason and so many others, walking around Fes felt a lot like traveling back in time. Of course, eventually you’d spot some stainless-steel water bottles or personalized power banks and instantly be back in the 2020s.

In my opinion, the absolute best thing to do in Fes is to wander. Just walk around, get lost, find your way back again by recognizing some sign or stall, and ultimately soak up the chaos. I also think staying in a dar (a room in a local house) or a riad (an inn) is essential in Fes. Hearing families eating dinner, buying your water at a little window shop, and feeling the warmth of Moroccan hospitality was such a great part of our stay in one of the most unique places we’ve ever been. Oh, and remember to prepare yourself mentally for bargaining at the markets, you absolutely have to have your head in the game for that!  

To/From the Desert

The next part of our trip was a bit out of the ordinary for us. When we were planning everything, we knew we wanted to get out to the dunes, but we weren’t sure the best way to do that. Renting a car our first time on the continent seemed challenging, but doing a multi-day tour had us wary as well. In the end, we decided on a tour that doubled as transportation between two of the cities we wanted to see, and included most meals, tickets to the various sites, and lodging for the two nights. Given how cheap it was and the huge number of different companies and individuals offering something oddly similar, we were a little worried it was all a big scam…

But nope, it was just as amazing as all the reviews said it would be! Of course, I was still very nervous when we hadn’t heard from them by the night before our 7am departure, but once we were put into contact with our driver/guide, Mahmoud, I was completely at ease. He was so skilled at giving us the right amount of time in each place, sharing enough information to keep us interested and entertained, and juggling all the logistical tasks it required to transport 10 foreigners across the country and into the desert for three days and two nights.

It takes 7 hours to get to Merzouga (and the Chebbi dunes) from Fes and another 9 hours to get to Marrakesh, so we covered a lot of ground and a lot of points of interest, including some of my favorite: the monkeys in Ifrane, the Todgha gorge, the random espresso bar van in the middle of nowhere, and the ancient city of Aït Benhaddou. But of course, the highlight of this adventure was our time in the dunes. Riding the camels, watching the sunset and sunrise, sandboarding, a bonfire, drinks shared with new friends, star gazing – it was one of those travel experiences that seems totally unreal, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Marrakesh

Honestly, you’re probably thinking, how could we possibly top what we’d already enjoyed thus far in Morocco, and we were a bit worried about that too, especially since we were told by almost everyone we talked to that Marrakesh was their least favorite city in Morocco. We had heard Marrakesh was noisy and dirty and that the people there were pushy and impatient, etc. Well, I don’t know if we’re just weird, but Marrakesh was our favorite of the cities we visited, pretty much precisely because it was all those things and more! To me, it felt so utterly authentic in its own ancient-trading-center-turned-major-tourist-destination sort of way.

Much like Fes, Marrakesh also has a medina, but it’s actually much larger and thankfully fully mapped on Google Maps (plus one for navigation)! However, the medina in Marrakesh hasn’t banned motorcycles like Fes has, so it was a bit louder and dirtier. Of course, I found that more fun and probably more convenient for locals. We also found the people of Marrakesh to be super likeable! Maybe they seem pushy or impatient to some, but as city-people ourselves, we totally got it. We knew almost instantly that if we ever choose to move to Morocco, Marrakesh is the place for us.

Hopefully, we’ve already done our part in hyping up Marrakesh, but for some more specific recommendations, I’d say first, make sure you walk through Jemaa el-Fnaa (the main square) often and at all times of day. You’ll see so many things you’ve never seen before and might never see anywhere else! But if you don’t like people hawking their goods/services, then I advise you walk with purpose lol. You should also go to a hammam and get scrubbed down. You might feel awkward or unsure, but it won’t last long. Just take it all in and think of the stories you’ll have to tell afterwards. Other highlights for us in Marrakesh were the Marrakesh Museum, MK Rooftop, and basically any supermarket (their Carrefour is *chef’s kiss*).

As is always the case with our trip recap posts, there’s just so much I want to share, but then, I’d really rather you go out there and experience it for yourself! Morocco might seem daunting at first; I know there’s a lot of information online about it (particularly a lot of cautionary tales), but we found it to be a very welcoming place that really puts a lot of effort into making sure tourists are well taken care of! It’s simply marvelous really! Shukran, Maroc – until next time!