I’ve traveled a decent amount.
Southeast Asia, Central America, parts of Europe.
But Morocco was the first place that felt genuinely cinematic the second I stepped off the plane.
Marrakech hit me like a wall — sound, color, heat, movement — all at once.
And honestly?
I loved it.
There’s something about the chaos of the medinas that doesn’t feel threatening, it feels alive.
Like the city has a pulse you can actually feel under your feet.
The architecture is layered in a way that makes every corner feel like you’re discovering something that hasn’t been photographed a thousand times — even if it has been.
When I tackled my first full day in Marrakech, I made the classic mistake of trying to plan too much.
I had a list.
I had a map.
I had a schedule.
Morocco laughed at all three.
The best thing that happened to me was getting completely lost in the medina for four hours and finding the most incredible hole-in-the-wall lunch spot because I had no choice but to stop walking and eat.
That’s kind of the whole vibe here.
You have to let go just a little.
How to Actually Plan Your Morocco Trip (Without Over-Planning It)
Here’s what I’d tell my past self: give yourself at least ten days.
Less than that and you’re just speed-running a place that deserves your full attention.
The classic route I did — and honestly I’d do it again — was Marrakech, then the Atlas Mountains, then the Sahara, then up to Fes, then finishing in Chefchaouen.
It flows naturally and you’re not doubling back.
I booked my internal transportation through a private driver for a stretch of it — specifically for the Marrakech-to-Sahara leg — and it was worth every single dirham.
The roads through the mountains are stunning but they’re winding, and having someone who knows the route means you actually get to look out the window instead of gripping the seat.
For flights, I flew into Marrakech and out of Casablanca which made the route make geographic sense.
Casablanca as an exit city is kind of underrated — I gave myself a half day there and really enjoyed it.
Don’t skip it just because everyone says “there’s nothing to do.”
There’s plenty to do if you’re curious.
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Marrakech: What I Actually Spent My Time Doing
Let me be real — Marrakech is loud, it’s intense, and it will exhaust you by day two if you don’t pace yourself.
And I mean that in the best possible way.
Jemaa el-Fna square is the heart of the city, and yes, it’s touristy, but it’s touristy for a reason.
At night, that square turns into this wild, beautiful chaos of food stalls, musicians, and storytellers and you just have to be there for it.
The Bahia Palace genuinely stopped me in my tracks.
The tiled courtyards, the painted ceilings, the sense that you’re walking through something that took generations to build — I spent almost two hours in there and could have stayed longer.
If I had one personal tip for Marrakech: get up early.
Like, really early.
The medina before 8am is a completely different world than the medina at noon.
Quieter, softer, more golden light.
And the souks — leather, spices, textiles, ceramics — are legitimately overwhelming in the best way.
I bought a hand-stitched leather wallet and I still use it every single day.
Navigating the Souks Without Losing Your Mind (Or Your Budget)
Okay, so the souks.
This is where a lot of travelers either have the time of their life or come back feeling kind of frustrated.
My biggest piece of advice: go in with zero pressure.
The moment you look like you need something, the dynamic shifts.
Wander like you’re just curious.
Because honestly?
You should just be curious.
Bargaining is expected and it’s sort of part of the culture, so don’t feel weird about it.
A general rule I used: start at about 40% of the first asking price and let the negotiation happen naturally.
Don’t be aggressive about it.
Just stay calm, smile, be friendly, and be willing to walk away.
Half the time walking away gets you the actual best price within thirty seconds.
I also found that buying from smaller, family-run stalls rather than the big tourist-facing shops gave me better quality stuff and way more interesting conversations.
One guy spent twenty minutes explaining the difference between hand-knotted and machine-made rugs.
I didn’t even buy a rug.
But I learned something I still think about.
🗼 I Wrote a Book About My Japan Travel Catastrophes!
Before I landed in Tokyo, I thought I was the “Final Boss” of international travel. Spoiler alert: I WASN’T. 😅
🚅 I boarded the wrong Shinkansen and ended up in THE WRONG CITY. I confused locals with my “expert” bowing that was more awkward than accurate. I accidentally stumbled into a high-stakes Kendo practice thinking it was a tourist show. Sound like something you’d do?
“Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to Japan” is your shortcut to avoiding ALL my cringe-worthy mistakes. ✨ Inside, you’ll find practical, LIFE-SAVING tips on etiquette, transport, money, and hidden gems that will save you time, money, and a whole lot of confusion.
The Atlas Mountains Were the Part I Almost Skipped (Don’t Make That Mistake)
I almost didn’t build the Atlas Mountains into my route.
I figured it was just a “pass through” kind of thing.
I was so wrong.
The drive through the High Atlas — specifically through the Tizi n’Tichka pass — is one of the most visually stunning things I’ve ever seen.
Like, pull-over-the-car-and-just-stand-there stunning.
The Berber villages along the way feel like they exist outside of time.
Mud-brick architecture, terraced hillsides, kids running along dirt roads.
I stopped in a small village and had mint tea with a local family who ran a tiny guesthouse.
We didn’t share a language beyond a few words and hand gestures.
It was one of the warmest interactions I had the whole trip.
If you have the flexibility, I’d strongly suggest spending a night in the Atlas rather than just passing through.
The Ourika Valley is accessible and genuinely beautiful.
Waking up surrounded by mountains with nothing but roosters and wind for noise — after the intensity of Marrakech — felt like a complete reset.
The Sahara Desert: Yes, It’s Worth the Journey
Getting to the Sahara is a commitment.
It’s roughly ten hours from Marrakech, depending on stops, and the last stretch of road to Merzouga (the gateway town) feels like driving to the edge of the world.
And then you see the dunes and you instantly understand why people make the trip.
I did a sunset camel ride out to a desert camp and slept under the stars.
Yes, I know that sounds like every travel cliché ever written.
I don’t care.
It was extraordinary.
The silence out there is a kind of silence you don’t find anywhere else.
No traffic, no notifications, no background noise of modern life.
Just wind and sand and an absolutely unreal sky full of stars.
My personal tip: pay a little extra for a private camp rather than the big group camps closer to the road.
You’ll be further in the dunes, quieter, and the experience feels completely different.
I shared mine with maybe eight other travelers and it felt intimate and special rather than like a group tour.
Fes: The City That Feels Like Stepping Into Another Century
If Marrakech is Morocco’s heart, Fes is its soul.
And Fes is older, denser, and honestly a little more intense to navigate.
The medina in Fes — Fes el-Bali — is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world.
It’s a maze.
A beautiful, ancient, completely disorienting maze.
I hired a local guide for half a day and it was genuinely one of the best decisions I made the whole trip.
Not because I couldn’t wander alone — I did plenty of that — but because having someone explain the history of what I was looking at transformed the experience.
The tanneries are the iconic image of Fes and yes, they’re worth visiting.
Get to one of the terrace viewpoints above them in the morning when the light hits the vats.
It’s a working tannery — it’s been operating for centuries — and there’s something deeply moving about watching a traditional craft being practiced exactly as it has been for generations.
The Bou Inania Madrasa stopped me completely.
I stood in the courtyard for probably twenty minutes just taking in the carved plasterwork and cedar wood detail.
It’s free to enter.
Don’t miss it.
Chefchaouen: Overrated or Absolutely Worth It?
People debate this one.
Some travelers feel like Chefchaouen is too touristy now, too Instagram-driven, not “authentic” enough.
I disagree.
Yes, it’s popular.
Yes, there will be other travelers there.
But the town is genuinely, deeply beautiful and no amount of foot traffic changes that.
The blue-painted walls aren’t just for photos — they’re a tradition rooted in local Jewish and Moroccan history and the color has this incredible effect of making the whole town feel soft and cool even in the heat.
I spent two nights there and it felt like exhaling.
After Marrakech and Fes, Chefchaouen’s pace is slower, gentler, and the people in the medina feel genuinely relaxed.
Hike up to the Spanish mosque just above the town for sunrise.
Set your alarm, drag yourself out of bed, and go.
The view of the town waking up below you, wrapped in morning mist, with the mountains behind it — that’s the image I still keep as my phone wallpaper.
It costs nothing and it’ll stay with you for years.
Food: What I Ate, What I Loved, and What Surprised Me
Moroccan food is kind of incredible and I feel like it doesn’t get talked about enough in the broader “world food” conversation.
The tagines are slow-cooked, deeply spiced, and fall-apart tender in a way that makes you want to eat them every single day.
I kind of did.
Lamb with prunes and almonds in Fes was the single best thing I ate the entire trip.
I’m still thinking about it.
Msemen — a flaky, pan-fried flatbread — served with argan oil and honey for breakfast became my morning ritual.
Every riad seemed to do their own version and I never got tired of it.
Harira soup, especially in the evenings, is this warm, hearty, tomato-and-lentil situation that costs almost nothing from street vendors and tastes like it took all day to make.
Eat street food.
Be sensible about where you eat it — look for busy stalls, fresh ingredients, high turnover — but don’t be so cautious that you miss the actual flavors of the country.
Some of my best meals cost less than two dollars.
What to Pack for Morocco (That Nobody Actually Tells You)
Packing for Morocco is sort of an art form because the country covers such different environments.
You might be in dry desert heat one day and cooler mountain temps the next.
My honest packing advice: layers are everything.
A lightweight linen shirt, a warmer layer for evenings and the Sahara (it gets cold at night), and comfortable walking shoes that can handle cobblestone are non-negotiable.
For men specifically: long pants are a better choice in the medinas out of respect for local culture, and honestly they protect you from the sun anyway.
Bring a day pack that closes securely.
Not because Morocco is dangerous — it’s genuinely quite safe — but the medinas are dense and keeping your stuff close is just smart.
A small scarf or light layer to cover up when entering mosques or religious sites is worth having in your bag.
And please, bring more cash than you think you need.
A lot of smaller vendors, riads, and restaurants are cash-only and the last thing you want is to be stuck negotiating a beautiful rug purchase with an empty wallet.
ATMs in the major cities are reliable.
Outside of them, less so.
🗼 I Wrote a Book About My Japan Travel Catastrophes!
Before I landed in Tokyo, I thought I was the “Final Boss” of international travel. Spoiler alert: I WASN’T. 😅
🚅 I boarded the wrong Shinkansen and ended up in THE WRONG CITY. I confused locals with my “expert” bowing that was more awkward than accurate. I accidentally stumbled into a high-stakes Kendo practice thinking it was a tourist show. Sound like something you’d do?
“Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to Japan” is your shortcut to avoiding ALL my cringe-worthy mistakes. ✨ Inside, you’ll find practical, LIFE-SAVING tips on etiquette, transport, money, and hidden gems that will save you time, money, and a whole lot of confusion.
Where to Stay: My Riad Obsession Explained
Staying in a traditional riad changed the entire texture of my Morocco trip.
For anyone who doesn’t know: a riad is a traditional Moroccan house built around a central interior courtyard.
From the outside they look like plain doorways in a medina wall.
You step inside and it’s like entering a completely different world.
Cool tiles, intricate plasterwork, a fountain, citrus trees, rooftop terraces.
My riad in Marrakech had a rooftop terrace where I had breakfast every morning and it was genuinely the highlight of my day before the day even properly started.
The ones in Fes are often larger and more historic-feeling.
Some have been in families for generations before being converted into guesthouses.
Budget for a mid-range riad if you can.
You don’t need to go luxury — the mid-range options are often small, family-run, and wildly charming — but staying in a generic hotel outside the medina means you miss a big part of what makes Morocco feel like Morocco.
Booking early matters, especially in peak season.
The best-reviewed riads fill up fast and for good reason.
The Stuff Nobody Warns You About (But Should)
Let me be honest with you for a second, because that’s the whole point of me writing this.
Morocco is incredible.
It’s also an adjustment.
The first-time pressure from touts in tourist areas is real, especially in Marrakech.
People will offer to “help” you find a place, guide you through the medina, show you their cousin’s shop.
It’s not malicious — it’s economics — but it can feel overwhelming if you’re not prepared for it.
My approach: be polite, firm, and just keep walking.
A simple “no thank you” said with a smile and a wave gets you far.
Don’t be rude about it.
Don’t be a pushover either.
Also: the time difference between cities is manageable but distances are longer than a map makes them look.
Build in buffer time for getting between places.
And one more thing — the toilet situation in some of the older medina areas is, let’s say, rustic.
Carry small change for pay toilets and keep a small pack of tissues on you.
It’s a tiny thing.
But you’ll thank me.
