a Complete Guide to Morocco: 10 day Itinerary from Marrakech to Fes

Morocco - my fourth continent and twenty-first country. We spent a total of ten days there, and it was not enough. I honestly didn’t realize just how big the country is (despite having done my final project on it in order to obtain my education in tourism). While the trip had some major ups and downs, none of the downs had anything to do with the country itself, just some unfortunate unfolding of events. I’ve included tidbits of advice and anecdotes of our trip weaved throughout this 10 day Morocco itinerary.

Where to Stay in Marrakech

Our trip started off with a stay at the beautiful Riad Ksar Al Amal, which I seriously cannot recommend enough. Everyone there was so incredibly kind and helpful, Everything was impeccable...some of the best service we have ever received at any accommodation (ie, checking us in very early without us even asking upon arriving just to drop our bags off, making sure we had breakfast before we left very early on the last day). The breakfast was abundant and fresh, the decor was awe-inspiring - every detail had been well thought out. Nightly tea by the fire will be a core memory for years to come. It’s obvious this riad was a labour of love. Book your stay here.

Things to Do in Marrakech

Marrakech was our favourite place in Morocco. As photographers, the colours and textures were extremely inspiring. Overall, we found Marrakech much easier to navigate than Fes, as the offline Google Maps were fairly accurate there (unlike Fes). 4 days was not enough, with all the sights and museums, and the enormity of the souks, there is always something to do. And being that Moroccan cities can be overwhelmingly busy, it’s just as important to plan for some R&R.

Here are some things we saw (and a few we just didn’t have time for):

Jardin Majorelle - very overrated. Sure it was nice to enjoy a garden in the middle of a busy city, but there are better gardens, and far more aesthetic, authentic Moroccan sites to visit. To be fair, the Yves St Laurent museum was closed, so we were unable to attend that part, and that made the long walk over less worthwhile. If you’re just visiting for the gardens, visit other gardens; if you’re visiting just for the IG pics, there are better places I promise.

Bahia Palace - a place that deserved the hype. It’s stunning, expansive, and was conveniently very close to our riad. Each room was unique and I couldn’t get enough of the orange trees in the courtyards.

Dar El Bacha Museum - the gem of the entire visit. Significantly less busy than some of the other places listed, it’s just as beautiful. They had the most interesting photography exhibit on when we went, which was particularly enjoyable for us. But of course, the best part was the coffee shop inside. It’s worth putting your name in at the café when you first arrive at Bacha, as the wait can be quite long (we waited an hour and a half). This gives you ample time to explore the rest of the museum. Once seated inside the café, you are transported to a Golden Age Hollywood movie, obviously Casablanca comes to mind. The servers are dressed in black tie, and the café itself is simply stunning. While the coffee is not up to third wave specialty standards (think your local hipster coffee shop), each cup will certainly transport you on an aromatic journey. There are hundreds of coffees to choose from, so it’s probably worth getting a recommendation if you’re feeling overwhelmed. The chantilly cream is to die for - it was brought with the pistachio croissants we ordered - and I highly recommend putting it in your coffee (even if you’re a coffee purist). Use this as an excuse to get dressed up and take your time to relax there one afternoon!

Place des Ferblantiers - A fun jumping-off point before heading into the Jewish Quarter (Mellah). You can find a lot of brightly coloured spice vendors here, and it’s a lot less chaotic than Jemaa el Fnaa.

Dar Si Said Museum - we didn’t make it here, but it looks stunning!

Badi Palace - another one we missed out on. I’ve read amazing reviews on it, but we just ran out of time.

Souk Semmarine - the most popular/famous souk in Marrakech. Many of the wares become repetitive, and you can definitely find everything in other areas, but it’s worth wandering through as many souks as you can! This one will be your best bet for a classic souvenir (if that’s what you’re into). Make sure to brush up on your bartering skills: start with 10% of what they’re asking and walk away if they won’t go lower than 30% of their original price (more often than not, they’ll cave once you walk away). You also don’t have to barter - I may be wrong in this, but if you have means, why not just pay their original asking price? They may think you a fool, but you can smile knowing you were just sharing the wealth a little.

Koutoubia - the big mosque. Jemaa el Fnaa is a great place to view it.

Ibn Youssef School - also called Ben Youssef Madrasa. This place gets very busy, so be sure to come early. Most people hang out in the insta-famous courtyard, but it’s worth exploring all the nooks and crannies of the old school! There’s lots of little rooms to dip into, and they’re all unique.

Jemaa el Fnaa - the big square. Here is where you’ll find most of your tourist traps. Best to walk straight through.

House of Photography - although we didn’t get to see this place, we would have liked to! Apparently the rooftop is quite stunning too.

Le Jardin Secret - a place for our next trip. A couple locals were recommending this one. I wish we would have stopped in here over Jardin Majorelle!

Places to Eat in Marrakech

We found Mandala Society on the second day for dinner and went back every day afterwards. The food was the best in Morocco (kind of a fusion style? like modern Moroccan). We tried almost everything on the dinner menu and were not disappointed. Great for vegans/vegetarians.

The Marrakech Itinerary - Day 1 to 4

day 1 - settle in to your riad, and pick one site (ie, Bahia Palace) that’s close by to kick off your trip! That’s plenty for a first day.

day 2 - spend the morning wandering through the souks, making your way around the Medina in a clockwise direction. You can hit up Jemaa el Fnaa, Koutoubia and the Souk Semmarine on the way. Don’t be afraid to get lost. You’re not in a hurry, you’re just taking everything in. Download offline Google maps just in case. Choose another site for the afternoon (Le Jardin Secret, perhaps?).

day 3 - head to Ibn Youssef School first thing, and as it’s not too far from Dar El Bacha, visit there next! An afternoon at a café is a perfect way to rest your feet.

day 4 - with what time you have left, choose which site(s) are important to visit. You might be able to squeeze in another two or three. If you choose to visit just one, spend your remaining time either wandering through the Mellah from Place des Ferblantiers, or relaxing at your riad. Many riads offer spa services and have pools! Because Marrakech had so much to see, we chose to experience the hammam’s in Fes, as there are less sites to visit and the souks aren’t as expansive. But if you need a break - you do you!

The Terrible Tour (a Saga)

On our last morning in Marrakech, we left very early (I believe at 6:45) to be picked up at Place des Ferblantiers by our tour. Now, I am never one to book a tour - I truly enjoy my freedom when I travel, and can’t be bothered by strict tour schedules. Please take what I have to say with a grain of salt. Maybe you are perfectly okay without the freedom, and prefer the comfort of a tour guide - that is just not me. But from everything I was reading online, Moroccan roads are treacherous and it’s far too difficult to navigate traveling on your own without a guide. And I believed them (why do I believe the blogs?! …I say this as you’re reading mine haha).

Spoiler alert: it was a huge mistake.

I made notes the entire time because I’m crazy and wanted to share exactly what to expect of these tours as I couldn’t find much online. I am not typically one to complain, but with how these events transpired, I felt the need to. While we were able to get our money back, we unfortunately will never have our time back. I still feel like we need a do-over.

In anticipation for the trip, I had literally put in hours of research, and once we had decided a tour was the way to go, I sifted through dozens of these things (there are literally dozens out there) almost all offering identical itineraries. It was kind of a struggle to piece together what the tour would look like, as the itineraries were vague, all mentioning the same highlights. We ended up selecting the one with the best reviews (and it had thousands of 5 star reviews). Our goal was to see the sand dunes and sleep in the Sahara - whatever the rest of trip looked like, it didn’t really matter. In other words, the bar was low.

In case you ever find yourself looking at a Sahara desert tour from Marrakech to Fes, here is an exact rundown (with time stamps) of our day to day (I just copied and pasted from my notes app, so please enjoy as they get more passive aggressive as time goes on lmao - PS if you’re not here for the drama, please feel free to scroll past to my recommended itinerary):

Day One

07:40 - picked up (late)
08:00 - leave Marrakech after other pick-ups
09:30 - Atlas mountain stop for bathroom break (15 minutes)
10:20 - highest viewpoint stop (3 minutes)
10:45 - stop for essential oils demo, which was not on the itinerary, encouraging you to buy souvenirs (15 minutes)
12:20 - stop for mandatory tour (that we pay 2€ extra for per person) at Ait Ben Haddou, with no time to explore on our own (40 minutes)
13:00 - mandatory lunch (they wouldn’t let us walk around to find somewhere else to eat) €30 for two vegan meals (the most expensive on the trip) got food poisoning from salad within an hour (1.5 hours)
15:15 - quick stop (5 minutes) at entrance of Atlas Studios for one classic tourist photo, but not to go in as tour had suggested
16:55 - stop at a souvenir shop in Roses Valley outskirts for bathroom break (why did we not stop downtown just two minutes down the road? much cooler and more to see) roses were not even in season (15 minutes)
18:40 - arrive at decrepit hotel, freezing rooms, one thin blanket, bathroom dirty
20:00 - buffet dinner, cannot eat, sick in room, food poisoning is in full force

Day Two

07:20 - breakfast, still unable to eat, still sick to stomach
08:40 - 20 minutes late for departure due to a disruptive couple
09:00 - scenic stop overlooking valley, not the best scenic spot compared to ones we drove past (5 minutes)
09:15 - “hike” (easy slow walk that could have taken 5 mins) through a portion of the Dades Gorge with new tour guide (35 minutes)
10:10 - walk through Berber fields and village (45 minutes); see carpet demo (not on itinerary, want you to buy carpet) (45 minutes)
12:30 - lunch outside Ait Hammou (1.25hours) at another sub-par yet expensive tourist place, still unable to eat
14:15 - stop for henna & dressing in costumes for a borderline cultural-appropriating tourist photo (another thing not on the itinerary, also being encouraged to buy clothes and souvenirs) (40 minutes)
- drove through Erfoud, capital of dates and festival, would be great place to stay or eat?
16:35 - stop at hotel on edge of Sahara (drove past stunning dunes to mini sad dunes) to organize self for camel ride and overnight stay (10 minutes - very rushed); walk to camel ride
17:00 - ride camel, camels do not look well taken care of but there is no option B
17:30 - sand-boarding (mandatory, freezing, cold, no sunset as cloudy)
18:15 -19:15?????
(LOL um, should probably explain: during this time, our guide just set up camp in the sand listening to Bob Marley and tried to make a fire out of grass, instead of taking us to the camp. All of us were very cold as it was 4 degrees in the desert and were unprepared).
19:30 - arrive at camp
20:15 - eat (finally able to nibble bread)
21:40 - mandatory music and dance around fire. Stayed for one song, but left. Too cold and tired and sick.

Day Three

07:15 - start at??? (no one tells us what is going on with rain and we are left to wonder while having gotten up so early - no sun rise in desert and quick camel ride back to van is the only option in the rain)
08:00 - leave on wet camels, camels seat is not on properly, ride in pain, lied to us about fast way, as journey is longer than yesterday’s ride (1 hour)
09:20 - leave in new van after changing wet clothes at hotel, no other coat and sweater, must wear wet coat and sweater
09:30 - random stopping to pick-up and drop-off people, new driver does not speak any English, no new tour guide, van is leaking from roof, van is freezing, no wifi, no chargers, no explanation
11:05 - driver stops, no explanation at this grand canyon looking place, at 11:10 honks horn to leave, no heat on bus, all damp and freezing, windows are completely fogged over while driving in mountains, scared for life
??? - got driver to turn on heat, kept turning it back off
13:50 - stopped for lunch, went past beautiful town, stopped at a dive, just passed, chose not to eat as too expensive and same bad tourist food (1 hour)
16:30 - literally stopped for 10 seconds at the worst spot, not in a parking place after driving in between all the actual parking spots with monkeys close by, and then kept driving when none of us got out the vehicle because we were confused and had no explanation as to what we were doing, driver literally did not say one word
- realized we missed seeing the monkeys, one of the advertised highlights of the tour.
16:50 - driver pulls into town and stops and just says “10 minutes for pictures,” I say “for what? Where are we?” “Ifram,” says the driver. So we literally just drove past the monkeys to stop in a town we know nothing about, with no explanation, no bathrooms to be found, nothing scenic to take pictures of, no wifi to google what’s up????
- saw piles of blankets in the back of the van during stop and even though we were freezing, no offer for us to have them, driver keeps turning on A/C to defog windows even though heat would work better
18:25 - pulled into Fes, driver asks for our “orders” aka addresses to hotels
18:30 - drops us off way before our hotel, and refuses to take us there

Thoughts on the Tour…

First off, I truly wish there was a better outline available online of the itinerary. So many of the things that we were supposed to see on the trip were just a quick stop or a drive by, but it had been hard to know what to expect as to how long we would see certain things, and that definitely led to some disappointment. I did not realize how long we would actually spend on the bus (which is obviously partially my fault for not looking up the driving distances between these places), but if you want to see the Sahara, expect to spend a lot of time on the road. And speaking of the road, they were not bad at all. Obviously like any city, the driving in Marrakech and Fes was insane, but if you left early in the morning (like we did) you avoid the traffic altogether. Everywhere else, there was hardly any traffic, and the roads were just about smoother than back home in Alberta. I was expecting it to be 4x4 conditions the entire drive from the sound of other blog posts, and that was simply not the case.

To put it lightly, the restaurants needed a refresh. I mean, I got food poisoning from the first lunch place we stopped at, and was up sick all night, after going to bed without dinner, and was not able to eat until dinner the following evening. No one wants to be fed the same tasteless appetizer, main, and dessert for three straight days, especially when lunches weren’t included. If we have to pay, we should have a choice. It was so disappointing to drive past these beautiful, vibrant towns that I’m sure had great local food places, only to be taken to these decrepit tourist restaurants on the outskirts.

The scenic lookouts could’ve also been better. As photographers, we couldn’t help but be a little disappointed every time we passed a stunning lookout, only to stop at one just a little down the road that was a lot less beautiful. I think the tour operator could’ve revamped the stops (bathroom breaks included). Honestly, if any of the tour operators read this post, please hire me, I’ll drive around and choose places people would be thrilled to stop at.

Something that was obviously out of everyone’s control was the weather. We just happened to arrive in the Sahara during a rainstorm after three solid years of drought. Very good for the locals, not so great for us. We couldn’t help but be disappointed that our starry night in the desert was completely clouded over. It also didn’t help that the weather forecasted was in the 20’s (celsius) and we had packed accordingly. I don’t think it got above 12C on any of the tour days. Morocco was just not built for the cold, including the hotel we stayed at, which was worse for wear. Even though the common areas were nice, the rooms were dirty and dated, and yes, very, very cold. But my complaints with the tour had nothing to do with the weather, just with the lack of preparedness for the situation. It felt at so many points that our guides were just unsure what to do and were relying on us to be wowed by the sunshine.

In hindsight, I definitely should have researched more about the ethical treatment of camels, and I have learned my lesson not to trust tours blindly. I knew right away with how these camels looked that they were mistreated. Upon further research, based on the photos we had taken, I saw these camels had ropes tied around their jaw, and from my research, while this makes them easier to control, camels’ jaws are very sensitive, and tying a lead rope like this can not only cause a ton of discomfort for the animals, but can actually break the jaw completely. If you’re going to ride a camel, please do your research. There are many resources available online. Learn from my mistake.

Back to the tour: on the morning of the last day, we lay awake in our tent as we listened to the sound of rain falling, shivering, wondering if anyone would come to tell us the plan. No one came. Eventually, we begrudgingly put on clothes and shivered our way to the big tent for breakfast, where we were all left standing and waiting. A cold selection of pancakes and toast lay out to be eaten. No one came. 15 minutes after we had been told that we were leaving and to not be late, our guide wandered in and spoke Spanish to the one Spanish speaking couple on our tour, and as they left the tent, the rest of us followed along. The guide mentioned as we were walking to the camels that he would take a shortcut, 10 minutes, but I guess he must have been joking, as we ended up riding the camels in the rain for an hour. A couple of us had camels with seats that were not properly outfitted, they were falling off and very uncomfortable. They seemed to be wooden blocks, and not proper saddles. And as for the rain, I just wished the tour operator had been prepared. If the camel ride could not be avoided or shortened, plastic rain ponchos are a cheap way to keep everyone dry and happy. While it was nice to have a place available to change after, many of us did not have clothes to change into, as we traveled light. And this could have been okay, but we were then put on a van for nine hours that was freezing - and we had nothing to distract us.

The final events of the tour were the icing on the cake. Some of us who were heading to Fes (instead of back to Marrakech) were led to a different, new van, with a new driver. Right away, I knew something was off. Our old tour guide had to explain that we were unable to sit in the front row of the van because the roof was leaking. After driving around for an hour or so, with no explanation, and no new tour guide, I had lost hope that this bus situation was temporary. The leaky roof was letting in cold air, there were no chargers or wifi as promised, and after we had asked multiple times, the driver would only turn the heat up front on for a couple of minutes before turning it off, we assume because he was too warm. Later he was blasting the cold A/C to get rid of the foggy windows (and as Canadians who drive in the cold and the wet all the time, it is much better to use heat to defog). It honestly felt very unsafe and like our driver did not know what he was doing as he was driving with his windows completely fogged-over some of the time. Later when he opened the trunk, we saw there was a whole pile of blankets. Why were these not offered after we had said repeatedly that we were freezing? This leads us to the monkey stop.

We were so looking forward to stopping and seeing these Azrou Cedar Forest monkeys as it was the only scheduled highlight of this nine hour drive, but the whole situation was very confusing. The driver pulled over not near any of the other vehicles in the area, just on the side of the road. He opened the door for a couple of seconds, didn’t say a word to us, and Calin, my fiancé, asked “are we getting out?” but the driver did not reply. Calin tried to take a photo of a monkey nearby, but the driver started driving off when no one else got up (we were all very confused). The driver did pull over again where there were more monkeys, but it was only momentarily, as he got angry at another car and drove off. We did not have a chance to stop him when we finally realized that we would not be seeing the monkeys.

When we arrived in Fes, the driver pulled over and said “give me your orders” - we could only assume he meant addresses to the hotels (a hotel drop-off was included in the tour). He pulled around the corner at the beginning of the old town, stopped the van and opened the door and pointed at Calin and said “you.” We didn’t understand at first. We were looking at the map and we told him no, that we were still far away, and showed him the map, but he pulled out our luggage and told us to pay the guy who was standing next to the bus with a cart to take us and our luggage to our riad. And trust me, the amount of English he was suddenly able to speak was shocking. At this point, Calin and I were so upset and confused that we just walked away and carried our luggage the 20 minutes to our riad.

Now that I’m scarred for life from taking a tour, I hope I can save you from having to do so. Please believe me when I say that I think you’re capable of renting a car and seeing the Sahara on your own, if you so desire. I believe in you.

The Sahara Excursion - Day 5 to 7

I’ve plotted all of these stops on Google Maps, and I think this is a reasonable amount of things to see that gives you enough time to stretch your legs on your way to see the Sahara. If you wanted to skip some of these sites and head straight for the desert, you could definitely do that too, just expect a very long first day of driving.

day 5 - leave Marrakech bright and early to miss out on the traffic. Drive through the Atlas Mountains on your way to Ait Ben Haddou, stopping at any scenic lookouts you desire. There are many places to pull aside. Once you reach Ait Ben Haddou, spend an hour or so wandering through this iconic village, used as a filming location in things like Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), and Game of Thrones. Next stop: if you’re a film buff, you may want to venture into Atlas Studios - the world’s largest cinema studios by land size. If you have an extra day, Ouarzazate wouldn't be a bad place to hang out, there’s lots to see (especially if you love films). Otherwise, I think the city would make for a great lunch stop! Dadès Gorge is your last stop of the day, and it’s ranked one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Take your time driving these winding roads. Rest for the night somewhere in Tinghir.

day 6 - Another early start, head into the Todra Gorge for more incredible examples of the Moroccan landscape. The Tinghir valley is filled with amazing views, so have your camera handy. Onwards to Erfoud, as I mentioned in my log, it would make a great place to stop for lunch. You won’t want to linger long, as heading to the Merzouga Dunes is a top priority! Stay at an ethical desert camp if you want to hang with a camel, and camp under the stars. Spend the rest of your day playing around in the sand, and enjoying an evening around the campfire.

day 7 - wake early for sunrise in the Sahara, before heading on your way. You’ve got a long drive before you make it to the Azrou Cedar Forest. This National Park is full of Barbary Apes. They’re not shy at all, and can often be little thieves, so keep your belongings in your vehicle. End your day in Fes, and get a good night’s sleep!

Where to Stay in Fes

Upon arriving in Fes after the chaos of our last day on the tour, we were greeted warmly by a lovely lady named Imane, who then brought us Moroccan mint tea and cookies. Our riad was pleasantly tucked away in a more quiet location in Fes el Bali (the old town), still central, but peaceful. Our room was spacious, but cozy, and the bed made you just melt away. Everyone at the riad was incredibly friendly and helpful. The views from the rooftop were stunning, and Fes’ different landscape was very apparent. My favourite part was the central courtyard, and being able to dine there every morning for breakfast. Book your stay here.

Things to Do in Fes

Place Lalla Yedounna - one of my favourite spots in Fes was this artisan museum. It says on Google that it's temporarily closed (although it was all open to the outside), and I haven't been able to find anything about it online. Each building was covered in beautiful tiles, every one with their own colour-way. And each building housed different artisans crafting things like carpets, metals, clothing, etc. Being so close to the tanneries, it's definitely worth a visit.

Fes el Bali - the old city within walls. If you’re a tourist, you probably want to stay in this area. The new city is very cool too though, and worth checking out if you have time.

Bab Boujloud - this is the blue gate to old city. There are many gates just like this one (although with green tiles) and aren’t surrounded by people trying to take you on a tour (although if you’re looking for a licensed guide, most of these men have badges).

The Royal Palace - while you can’t enter the inside, as the King of Morocco and his family still reside here, the outside is truly awe-inspiring.

Bou Inania Madrasa - 14th century university and mosque, absolutely stunning. One of the few religious centres non-muslims can enter.
Marinid Tombs - on a hill towering above Fes el Bali to the north. Fantastic views of the city from ancient ruins.
Chaouwara Tanneries - the tanneries that you see all over the ‘gram. It’s a little treacherous to get to (by way of all the scammers), but pretty interesting to check out. There’s nothing else really like it. Because we went in winter and it was quite cold, we didn’t experience the strong, harsh smells that everyone had warned us about. In order to see the tanneries, you need to enter one of the leather shops along the outskirts (we read the best views were from shop #10). We read that it’s pretty expected that you either buy something from within the shop (that’s overpriced due to the convenience of being next to the tannery) or that you tip the shop owner that takes you up to his balcony. Luckily, just as we arrived to the shop, a large tour group was entering. We managed to sneak in with them, and hang out on the balcony as they were getting the spiel. This allowed us to check out the tannery without being heckled.

Jnan Sbil - stunning gardens just outside the old city gates. It was a relaxing escape to some green after our stint in the desert.

Place Seffarine - one of the most interesting areas of the souks. The square is filled with metal workers, and the sound of hammer on tin rings throughout. If you’re looking for beautiful copper wares, this is the place to go.

Riad Laaroussa - I was a little nervous to experience a traditional hammam (public nudity isn’t really a thing in Canada), so we booked a trip to a private one instead. We got a taste of a traditional bath treatment, in a very hot sauna, and ended the visit with a spa massage. It was just what we needed to end the trip on a good note. I would highly recommend Riad Laaroussa, the whole process was very comfortable and welcoming and we walked away completely rejuvenated. They provided us with disposable loin cloths and cozy robes and slippers for the experience, and started us off with some Moroccan mint tea. The hammam was almost completely dark, and we were instructed to lay on these hot stone slabs as the room filled with steam. Then, two ladies came in and exfoliated us entirely. We were gifted two exfoliating gloves upon leaving, which I still use, as they are excellent for getting the job done. After the exfoliation process, we were splashed with warm water, and rubbed with argon oil. We barely managed to stay for the 10-or-so minutes afterwards to relax on the hot stones, as our Canadian selves were dying from the heat. We were given wonderful smelling shampoo to wash up with, and had a water and date break, before resuming the massage portion of our treatment. The massage was just like any other spa massage I’ve had, but with the most amazing jasmine oil. I would go back to Morocco just to experience this again!

Places to Eat in Fes

Veggie Pause - delicious vegan & vegetarian options.
Nacho Mama - some of the best Mexican we’ve had outside of North America (which is hard to come by).
Cinema Cafe - an expat restaurant with good healthy dishes.

The Fes Itinerary - Days 8 to 10

day 8 - you’ve had a busy few days driving around, now is the time to relax. Take a stroll through the gardens, and book an evening spa treatment!
day 9 - wander through Fes el Bali, visiting at least one of the old gates. Make your way through Place Seffarine and some of the other souks, heading to the tanneries. Be sure to stop by Place Lella Yedounna while you’re in the area. Stroll back a different way than you had come, take time to get lost. The Fes souks are a lot less touristic than the ones in Marrakech, and you can still see things like camel heads on hooks, and calves feet just laying about.
day 10 - spend your last day in Morocco hitting up any of the sites you don’t want to miss, like the Royal Palace or Bou Inania.

Safety

By far my most asked question about visiting Morocco is just about safety and my experience as a woman. Disclaimer: I did a lot of research ahead of time, and now in hindsight, all of the advice was extremely Eurocentric/American. I honestly wish I hadn’t played into what I read in the blogging sphere as much I had.

Another few things to note:

• my experience was dressed as I am in the above photo. I wanted to be very respectful of the culture.

• my fiance Calin was also ALWAYS next to me, so my experience will not be the same as women traveling alone or with other women. I don’t think we were separated once. We also both wear engagement rings (him too) so our experience as a hetero- “married couple” might be different than other couples.

• during my only other experience in a similar-ish culture (Türkiye), I had blonde hair at the time and that definitely attracted more attention.

• an Arabic tattoo is very prominent on my hand and I have been asked many times if I am Arabic and have been spoken to in the language.

• I would consider myself a smart traveler, and I never do things that would put myself in unsafe situations no matter where I am; ie, I don’t walk around at night, I never look lost and am excellent with directions, I never engage strangers when they converse with me, I am highly aware at all times, we never wear backpacks and keep everything in our front pockets or my crossbody bag which I always have a hand on, we tend to avoid areas that are known for tourist scams (like the base of the Eiffel tower in Paris, or Djemma el Fnaa in Marrakech).

I saw many families with small children, and although I think it would be challenging in other ways (like with just how busy it is, and how the treacherous sidewalks would be for pushing strollers - but I think that’s with most cities), I only saw families being treated kindly and with accommodation. 

I also saw many women traveling alone, or with other women, and who were dressed a lot less conservatively than me, especially in Marrakech. Tourists were wearing tank tops, crop tops, shorts, dresses above the knee, leggings with shorter shirts not covering the bum, jeans, etc. Not that I think you should necessarily dress as you would without consideration of the culture, and not that I can speak to how these women were treated wearing those things, but I can confidently say I was one of the most conservatively dressed.

Also from what I saw of locals, in Marrakech and Fes especially as it's a university town, younger women rarely had their hair covered, and in Fes, they were dressed as I would dress at home. (Also everyone in Fes was dressed very stylishly and I loved it). The older women were more covered, and in the smaller towns closer to the Sahara everyone was.

ALL that to say, my experience is my own due to a number of factors, and I can’t say what your experience might be like. As a women, I felt completely fine. I had not one remark towards me that made me uncomfortable, and my treatment did not vary from Calin's.

For safety in general, as I say when I travel most places, the most unsafe I have felt while traveling is in the United States. Walking through LA, Venice Beach, Seattle, Chicago, etc, and even more recently with how things have been post covid in downtown Calgary, I felt safer in Morocco. There is safety when it is normal to walk everywhere, and safety in numbers. In America, where car is king, when you are a pedestrian, often the only other people who are walking are unwell, and there are miles before you see anyone else.

There is also a prominent police presence in Morocco (and not that that ever makes me feel safer tbh), but the police are there for the tourists. From our discussions with Moroccans, as tourism is so important to the country, the police are there to act in the best interest of tourists, and hang out in the touristic areas. This is unfortunate for Moroccans in my opinion, but it is the way it is. They have strict policing around tourist scams, they have set cab fares to and from the airport, they can only drive tourists with a specific license, and they can only give street tours or walk with tourists if they have a license for it.

In the Medina

Now all that being said, we found walking around in the Medinas to be exhausting. We were approached many times a day with the same phrases (they became so repetitive we joked it felt like approaching NPCs in a video game):

“this way to the Medina”
“the way is closed”
“(insert tourist sight entrance) is closed, come this way”
“where are you going, I can help!”

these are scams.

I'm not saying that there aren't some nice people who are genuinely trying to help, but nine out of ten times, they are looking to give you a "tour" and will demand payment at the end. We had read about this online before our trip and were prepared, but we were not prepared for how many times a day this would happen.

Let me let you in on a secret:

Medina means "old city" or refers to the old part of town.
we were literally always already in the medina.
the way is never closed. and the main tourist entry is never closed. They just want to show you around the long way and get paid.

as I mentioned, they are cracking down on these, and they do need a license to be able to take you around. All of the people who approached us seem to be young boys looking to make a quick buck. And while it might be tempting to pay for help in the thousands of winding alleyways, it's not good to encourage this behaviour. From what we've heard these boys will often be taken to jail, but the amount of money they make encourages them to continue. So no matter how lost you are, just say no.

There are almost 10,000 alleys in Fes el-Bali (the old city). You will get lost. Walk with confidence ahead - and swallow your pride if you have to turn around.

While most of the time after a firm 'no,' these scammers will leave you be. But as I mentioned, this can happen more than ten times a day, and there were a couple instances when some of these young boys (I would say all were between 14-23) wouldn't take no for an answer:

• one of them followed us all the way to our riad, after we repeatedly told him ‘no thank you,’ ‘we know where we are going,’ and ‘we don't want a tour.’ He kept at it. I think in this case if you weren't headed to your hotel, the best thing would be to walk to a restaurant or to a policeman if you can find one.

• another group of younger boys kept at us, and even after we told them to leave us be as we just wanted to take some photos and weren’t trying to go anywhere in particular, they still wouldn't leave us alone - so we just left.

• one guy kept trying to get us to go to the tannery in Fes, and even though that was our plan, we didn't want to follow him in and pay him, as he was being overly persistent. It was slightly inconvenient, as we had to walk around until we found a different entrance.

• there was another group of younger boys who told us the way was closed, and it wasn't, but it was the wrong way to where we were going, and so when we walked back past them, they laughed at us and then followed behind us saying ‘donkey’ repeatedly, which is apparently an insult. They eventually just turned around and went back in the direction we had come from.

• and on a day when this was probably the 20th time we were pestered, a guy started following us after asking to show us the way, and I told him right off because I was so exhausted. He kind of walked away sheepishly and said something like ‘okay, you didn't have to be so mean about it.’ I did feel bad about snapping, but I was really exhausted by the end of the trip with the constant pestering.

On top of all the scam behaviour, we were also constantly flooded with questions and small talk (ie, where we were from, shop owners asking us to come into their shop as they “have nice things,” having to barter, people telling us to ‘smile because we're in Fes/Marrakech.’). As a person with AuDHD, it was major sensory overload; but even just as a Canadian (we're generally pretty reserved and keep to our own business in public), this culture was a lot. I understand its meant to be welcoming - but as someone who is used to having only four people per square kilometre in my home country, it grows tiring.

at the end of the day, a difference in culture is not a lapse in safety.
and that is the problem with most of the blogs I read prior to this trip.
you can be out of your comfort zone, culturally, and still be safe.

Final Thoughts

Congrats if you made it all the way through this post! I know it was a doozy. Obviously, I still wasn’t able to fit in all the details from this trip, so if you have any questions about the itinerary or my experience in Morocco in general, feel free to reach out, or leave a comment below. Overall, Morocco is a stunning country that deserves a lot more time than we were able to give. We didn’t go to half of the places that I wanted, including Chefchauoen, or along the coast. Driving through the country was honestly such a treat, we were in awe of the ever-changing landscape and variety of ecosystems. But, the more I’ve travelled, I’ve had to shift my mindset, as to not exhaust myself on every adventure. I am manifesting this won’t be the last time I’ll visit.

PIN for later: