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Holidays in Morocco

Morocco Main Guide | Places to visit | Things to do

Morocco is located on the northern coast of Africa, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The country has at times been dominated by France and Spain, and some customs are retained from the colonial era. For example, even though the Dirham is the official currency of the country, other monetary units are in use in various parts of the country, including francs, pesetas and rials.

English is fairly commonly spoken, and French is the language of business, though the official language of Morocco is Arabic. The capital is the city of Rabat, though the largest (and most famous) of Morocco's cities is Casablanca.

Morocco Facts At A Glance

Area: 446,550 square km.

Climate: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Terrain: Mountainous on the north coast and interior are mountainous, but with rich coastal plains

Population: 32.7 Million

Languages: Arabic.

Currency: Dirham

Time Zone: GMT

International Dialling Code: +212

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Places to visit

The country consists of several quite different regions. The North Atlantic Coast, from Tangier to Casablanca, is popular for surfing and has several popular seaside resorts with good beaches.

The North of Morocco lies on the Mediterranean coast, with several resorts on the fine beaches there. Inland lie the Rif mountains. The major cities in the region are Tangier, Chefchaouen, Ouezzane and Tetouan.

The North Atlantic Coast runs from Tangier to Casablanca, with great beaches ideal for surfing and many popular resorts including Moulay Bousselham, Larache and Asilah. The capital, Rabat, lies in this region.

The South Atlantic Coast centres on Agadir, the most popular resort in Morocco. The town of Essaouira is well known for the excellent windsurfing to be found there. Tafraoute is a nearby walled city famous for its market.

Central Morocco offers a range of holiday experiences including skiing in the Atlas mountains and a visit to the mausoleum of the Sultan Moulay Ismail. You can also explore the impressive Roman site at Volubilis.

South Morocco is largely barren desert, through which three lush river valleys wind. The city of Ouarzazate is the capital of the region and a good place to explore from.

Things to do

Each of the cities of Morocco has something different to offer.

Agadir is the largest and most popular of Morocco’s coastal resorts. It was largely rebuilt after severe earthquake damage in 1960. The resort offers some of the best watersports in the country, and with 300 days of sunshine a year there is plenty of time to enjoy them. Agadir is also well placed to act as a base for excursions into the Atlas mountains.

The Kasbah in Agadir is well worth a look. It was built in 1540 and heavily damaged in the 1960 earthquake. The Jardins de Olhao celebrate relations with Portugal and especially with Agadir’s twin town of Olhao, and also house a small museum of traditional Moroccan costume.

Casablanca is the largest of Morocco’s cities and its economic centre. It is the most cosmopolitan city in Morocco, with good nightlife. In many ways it is very Westernised, but retains much of Morocco’s long traditions as a great Islamic city. The Hassan II Mosque, the third largest religious building in the world, is especially impressive. It can hold 25,000 worshippers and took 10,000 people five years to build!

The Parc de la Ligue Arabe is, as the name suggests, strongly influenced by French tastes, though the plants growing there are distinctly African. Nearby is the Yasmina amusement park.

Marrakech is one of the greatest and most famous cities of North Africa. Lying on the edge of the desert it is an oasis of palm trees and red mud-brick walls. The city was founded in the 11 th Century and has been an important cultural and religious centre ever since.

Marrakech consists of the historic old city and the new town. The heart of the city is the Djemma El Fna, a huge square where you can see acrobats, storytellers and musicians performing, especially at night. The shopping in the Souks is good; you can watch the local craftsmen at work and buy their wares.

Marrakech has several mosques, of which the most famous is the Koutoubia Mosque. It is also the tallest. The oldest is the Ali Ben Youssef Mosque which dates from the 12 th Century. The city also boasts two famous palaces: Palais el-Badi and Palais de la Bahia. The former is now in ruins but the latter has been extensively restored.

While in Marrakech you really must visit the Museum of Moroccan Arts and the Museum of the Friends of Marrakech. The Saadian tombs, burial grounds for generations of Sultans are well worth a visit.

The city has several excellent gardens to stroll and relax in, or you could take a tour of the city in a horse-drawn carriage to see the sights without tiring yourself out.

To the northeast of Marrakech are the Ouzoud Falls, which are highly spectacular. The Ourika Valley will also reward a visit.

Rabat, capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, is a mix of Arabic, North African and European influences. The city is very old, though it has only been the capital of the nation since 1913. The city has been a haven for pirates in the past, but today is the capital and location of the Royal Palace.

The Hassan Tower, part of the great mosque was intended to be 86m high, but only ever reached 44m. It is still an impressive structure. Nearby is the Mohammed V Mausoleum, a monument to the Sultan who led the country to independence. As if these grand structures aren’t enough, the Kasbah is home to the Oudaias Museum of Moroccan arts.

Rabat is also home to 14 th-century ruins which in turn lie on the site of the Roman city of Sala. It has a fine archeological museum. To see how people have lived in Morocco for centuries, visit Rabat’s twin town of Salé.

Tangier is one of the oldest cities in Morocco. It was an important trading post to the Carthaginians and Phoenicians and later the Romans. In recent times Tangier has been a cosmopolitan international city. Many visitors to Morocco arrive in the port of Tangier.

Tangier is a great place to just wander around and soak up the ambience, or gaze out across the Straits of Gibraltar to the north. And while you’re wandering, you can always browse through the shops of the Petit Socco and the Grand Socco. The Dar-el-Makhzen palace, founded in the 17 th Century, is a fascinating building in its own right. Today it houses museums of Moroccan art, Antiquities and the Kasbah Museum. The nearby Sultan’s gardens are worth a visit while you’re there.

Other attractions in Tangier include the Mendoubia gardens, the Sidi Bou Abid mosque and the Forbes Museum, where the battles of Waterloo, the Somme and the battle of the Three Kings are recreated in miniature.

In the surrounding area you can watch the sunrise from Cap Malabata or the sunset from Cap Spartel, the extreme northwest extremity of Africa’s Atlantic coast. The ancient Roman site of Lixus is also close to Tangier.