Morocco: when to go and how to plan the route

Morocco is close enough to feel easy and varied enough to defeat a badly planned itinerary. There are three ingredients: the imperial cities, the High Atlas and the desert, plus the Atlantic coast if you have time. The season decides how well they fit together. The number of days decides how many you can keep.

The seasons

Spring, from March to May, is the best time. The Atlas passes are open, the valleys are green, the desert is warm rather than punishing and the cities are pleasant to walk even in the afternoon. Autumn, from late September to November, comes a close second.

Midsummer is hard inland. In July and August Marrakech and Fes often approach 40 degrees and sometimes exceed it, and a walk through the medina becomes an endurance test. If summer is your only option, shift the trip towards the coast, Essaouira and the mountains, see the cities early in the morning and in the evening, and keep the desert to a short stop.

Winter, from December to February, is underrated. Days in Marrakech are pleasant, but you need a jacket in the evening. Desert nights are very cold, and between November and March snow often falls on the Tizi n'Tichka pass, sometimes slowing or closing the road.

Check the Ramadan dates too. The country is still easy to visit, but many places outside the hotels close during the day, opening hours change and life moves to the evening. In 2027 it is expected to fall roughly between 8 February and 9 March: the exact dates depend on the sighting of the moon.

Three routes, depending on your days

The usual mistake is trying to fit Fes, Marrakech, the Sahara and the coast into one week. From Marrakech to the Merzouga dunes is around 560 km: you need at least three days, with a night in Ouarzazate or the Dades Gorges and one in a desert camp. The Tizi n'Tichka pass, at around 2,200 metres, deserves a full day rather than a transfer. If you are short of time, the shorter alternative is the Zagora dunes, about seven hours' drive from Marrakech: lower, but within reach in two days.

• 7 days: Marrakech (3 nights), then Ait Ben Haddou and the Zagora dunes (2 nights), back to Marrakech or a night in the High Atlas. Without the desert: Marrakech and Essaouira, two and a half hours apart.
• 10 days: Marrakech (3 nights), the loop over the Tizi n'Tichka, through the Dades and on to Merzouga (3 nights), then north to Fes across the Middle Atlas. That is about 460 km, eight or nine hours on the road: better split at Midelt or Ifrane. Fes (2 or 3 nights).
• 14 days: the 10-day route, plus Chefchaouen (around four hours from Fes, 1 or 2 nights) and a few days in Essaouira at the end, to finish by the sea.

Medinas and guides

The medinas of Fes and Marrakech are real mazes. In Fes cars cannot enter and some alleys are wide enough for one person and a mule. On a first visit a guide is the difference between a maze and a city. Book one through your riad or hotel and check for the official badge: licensed guides do not stop tourists in the street.

Be wary of anyone offering to help you "for free" or telling you a street is closed: it often ends in a shop or with a demand for money. Download an offline map and, if you get lost, ask in a shop or a café.

Riad or hotel

A riad is a traditional house built around an inner courtyard, often with a garden or a fountain. Inside the medina it puts you at the heart of the city, with few rooms and an intimate feel. The downside: cars often cannot reach the door, a porter takes your bags on a cart, and rooms can be small, with steep stairs.

Hotels outside the medina, or in the Marrakech palm grove, offer more space, big pools and car access. A good solution is to alternate: a riad in the cities, a hotel or kasbah along the desert road.

Courtesy, bargaining and dress

• Always ask before photographing people. Some will ask for a tip, some will say no.
• In the souks prices are bargained over, calmly and with a smile. Look in several shops before buying and never feel obliged: you can always say thank you and walk away.
• Dress modestly away from the resorts. Covered shoulders and knees work everywhere, and in light fabrics it is cooler than you might think.
• In the mountains and the desert, always carry a scarf and a light jacket.

Fridays and mosques

Friday is the day of communal prayer. Around midday the mosques fill up and some shops in the souks close for a few hours.

Non-Muslims cannot enter most mosques in Morocco: you admire them from outside. The best-known exception is the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which can only be visited on a guided tour. Times change with the season, on Fridays and during Ramadan, so check them before you go. Shoulders must be covered and shorts are not allowed.

In short

• Best time: March to May and late September to November.
• Summer: the coast and the mountains, cities only in the morning and evening.
• Desert: at least three days for Merzouga, two for Zagora.
• Only one week: choose between the desert and the northern cities, not both.