tcreath

I know this is the Europe board and my question is about Morocco, so I hope the fodors police forgives me.

I posted a question about suggestions of where to travel to Europe in February and a couple people mentioned Morocco. I always thought Morocco sounded cool but don't really know much about it. I did some research and was quite impressed so we are now considering Morocco for February.

DH is a little nervous and doesn't know "what we would do in Morocco for a week", which I think is kind of absurd but I think it's that he's just unsure of the whole idea. I guess my question is for those who love Europe, what did you think about Morocco? Is it easy enough to get around? We usually rent a car and drive but not sure if this is a good idea in Morocco. We love history, beautiful scenery and just relaxing in a pretty village or town.

The idea of Morocco is so new to me that I almost don't know where to start! I love Europe but perhaps, in a way, I would like to visit some place a little more exotic and different.

Thank you,
Tracy

JudyC

I spend most part of my winter in Europe, as generally speaking, it is much warmer than in Canada,and cheaper to travel to.

I spent two weeks in Morocco February 2007, really enjoyed it. If you are looking for history, sceneries, interesting although different food, you will have good time too.

I am not sure about just relax in a pretty town or village, as most of my travel is with lots of sightseeing.

tcreath

I guess I should rephrase that...I think my point was that we like to spend time in pretty towns that may not have a ton to do but are nice to look at and have nice atmosphere. We also like cities as well. We don't really do a lot of museums, but more sightseeing by walking around and kind of taking everything in.

Thanks for your response!
Tracy

logos999

Dirt and poverty, just like in most places of the "poor world". Otoh, friendly people and a breathtaking nature. Go for it.

Luisah

I spent two weeks in Morocco a couple of years ago and enjoyed it very much. My itinerary was Rabat, Fez, camping in the Sahara and Marrakesh. It's a beautiful country and I'm sure you'd enjoy your visit.

There are some trip reports on the Africa site. Look especially for Laartista. She and a friend went to Morocco and her report is a real treat to read. There are other good ones too and you'll get lots of ideas and information.

I liked the Cadogan guide book the best for background and tips.

<<We don't really do a lot of museums, but more sightseeing by walking around and kind of taking everything in.>>

There are plenty of amazing sights and lots to "take in", bring your camera.

floydvic

I have been twice, briefly, to Morocco and loved the experience.

I would suggest reading this account of a trip to Morocco:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34944264

On my first trip I took the ferry from Spain to Tangier and quickly took the train first to Rabat and then to Fez and returned by a first class bus to Tangier to catch the ferry back to Spain. On the second trip I flew roundtrip to Marrakech and spent a night in Essaouira traveling by a local bus line.

I found the country fasinating. I wasn't too thrilled by Tangier but loved just about every other place I visited. Fez and Marrakech are the two big tourist destinations and each is awesome in its own way but Rabat and Essaouria almost seemed more fun to me since they are maybe a little more laid back.

In general the people were nice and I still felt like I was really wandering into the exotic. I didn't drive so can't comment on that point but if using the buses try for the best level of bus available. There is very little difference in price. Of course, riding the local buses do offer a good observation of Moroccan life (it wasn't unpleasant but just had much more local flavor).

You might search out the many web sites where one can read about Morocco including virtual tourist
http://www.virtualtourist.com/.
Another web site is
http://www.hiptravelguides.com/morocco/

I am not an expert on Morocco but am certainly happy to address any questions you might direct my way.

Michael

As previously mentioned, we did the three imperial cities. In Meknès we hired a guide (they'll offer their services as you step our of your hotel)for the three days (it was cheap) and he guided us through the sites of Meknès and we also spent a day in Vorubilis. In Fez we hired an official guide for a day. We also did day trips by local bus. The three cities and their outlying areas provide enough interesting sights for 10 to 12 days. Add a couple of days and you probably can do an excursion to the desert.

The scenery around these three cities is much like southern California, and not particularly impressive.

The one thing that bothered my wife were the hawkers and hustlers who stuck to us like flies on exposed meat. Turkey is nothing compared to Morocco in that respect. But if you are with a guide, he makes it his business to keep the other would-be guides and vendors away from you.

Carta_Pisana

I went to Marrakech and Essaouira in Sep 07 - I was there for 10 or 11 days. In the public spaces Marrakech was exciting, exhausting, vibrant, chaotic, relentless - stepping into the riad I stayed at was soothing, relaxing, luxurious, serene. The Atlas mountains have waterfalls, streams, olive groves and hiking trails. I really enjoyed Essaouira - being in the medina was not as intense as Marrakech and the seafood is wonderful. The Jam El Fnaa in Marrakech at night is an incredible experience. I very much want to go back - to the desert, definitely to Fez and a couple nights in the Atlas Mountains.

StCirq

Oh for heaven's sake, logos, go away!

I've been to Morocco several times. I LOVE that country! I've rented a car and driven there (not for the faint-of-heart, but not a big deal outside of the cities), I've taken trains and public transportation, and I've hired a driver (last time in 2001 it cost about $30 a day, a real bargain).

A week is barely enough to scratch the surface of the country, and for that short a time I'd recommend you skip Casablanca altogether (except that you'll probably land there), and concentrate instead on Marrakesh, Rabat, Fez, Agadir, and Essouira. Even that is a LOT of moving around in a week, so maybe do some research and cull from that list.

If by chance you're interested in cooking, the culinary courses put on by La Maison Arabe in Marrakesh are lots of fun. Even if you don't go to their cooking school, it's a marvelous hotel!

I'd also recommend visiting a hammam, going up into the Atlas Mountains and seeing the Berber villages, and learning some haggling skills.

MY trip report, "The Road to Marrakesh," from my last trip to Morocco, is up on Slow Travel if you're interested.

tower

Hi TC:

Now, you know I won't set you wrong. Remember all of our "talks" regarding Croatia...well, Morocco is everything Carta Pisana (above) says it is...and more. It was a most memorable visit for us (twice for me). Here are some scanned pix of one of my visits...pre-digital camera days..hopefully thay will come out good for you, and whet your appetite.(I can scan many more when you want photos of specific places in Morocco)

Yes, on our most recent visit, we drove everywhere...no problems...Clifton did the same. Go to his trip report. The pix include a route map of our itinerary. We sampled Moroccan food for many years right here in L.A....so there were no surprises...and we loved it.

The lodgings were excellent...and the sights all over the vast country were most appealing. We covered about 1500 miles in two weeks...starting with a driver at the docks in Tangier (we came by ferry from Spain) who took us to Fes...one of the most colorful and exotic cities imaginable...rented our car when we were ready to leave...drove into the Sahara portion, and also spent some time in the Atlas villages...enjoyed Ouarzazate and surroundings, followed by Marrakech (what fun!), and then collapsing in lovely oceanside Essaouira (where Orson Welles "shot" Othello)..we spent very little time in Casablanca, a bit more in Rabat.

Both Roz and I, knowing a little about the way you enjoy travel, highy recommend Morocco...and you're picking a good time to go.

PLus, the USD is strong over the Maroc dhiram (unlike the € and the &pound.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Morroco

Stu t.
rozstu1@aol,com

tower

TC...I see my post landed after St. Cirq...so she pretty much seconded what Carta Pisana said...we're all on the same page, except for Logos..and St. C had the proper words for him/her.

Try to stretch the time to 10 days or two weeks. It will be a memorable experience for you...DH will come around!

stu T.

logos999

StCirq, what's your point? That it's not poor and dirty? Well it is but no reason not to go there.

StCirq

logos:

I don't often deal in prejudicial generalities like "poor" and "dirty," and people who do offend me. I could also cite you hundreds of pages of very specific information about Morocco, gleaned from my professional work, much of which would refute any typical notions of "poor" or "dirty," but you're not worth my time, and I don't really care - nor do I think anyone who reads this board cares - what you think about Morocco.

logos999

Gee, we're in a bad mood today...
Poverty is what you should expect, it's just the way it is down there. Just go to Marseille and ask why people left. C'est la vie!

Carta_Pisana

The contrast between rich and poor can be startling - riads that are thousands of dollars a night and children picking through garbage for food. Walking through the medina, one moment the fragrant scent of mint, next the pungent scent of manure. Light and dark, dribbling fountains, people shouting, crowds, solitude - Marrakech seems to intensify everything. One's own personal space in the medina is miniscule - I was shoulder to shoulder with mules, taxis, trucks, scooters, chickens, people. For something really exhilarating - hire a guide and ride on the back of his scooter through the medina. But stepping into the riad - mint tea, cookies, splashing fountains, candle light, beautiful flowers, plush fabrics, peace. I felt safe - yes, I was "befrinded" and urged to buy carpets - but thats Morocco (and Turkey). Berber, French, Moroccan - it's a unique synergy - I look forward to my next visit.

Clifton

Hey Tracy -

Wow, there's so much to Morocco. But I have noticed that an above average number of people have come back feeling something more or less that satisfied. Most of Europe, you know... you eat, you drink, you sightsee and for the most part you're an observer for awhile. Not in Morocco! You will become part of the activity whether you like it or not. We find it a lot of fun and when we crossed over from Morocco to Spain at Algeciras, we really *missed* it. Spain would have been fine any other time, but for it to be at the tail end of a trip, it just felt so suddenly disengaging... I mean, people going about their business and - shock - *ignoring* us. lol. In Morocco, people are generally friendly and have a deal in mind for you. Or they're very direct and have a deal in mind (think "hey buddy, I'm gonna sell you a watch/carpet/this rock I found&quot. It can be a lot of fun - but learn right away to say no without hesitation or a glance sideways. You will need it as a skill.


Ok, that out of the way - Morocco is nothing short of mind blowingly exotic. Well, I can't come up with many places that would be more so. Marrakesh's main square in the day or night - acrobats, cobras, fortune tellers and lovely jubbly (you'll see). Actually though, as cities go, I like Fes better. More mysterious, more authentic. Immersion into a 1000 yrs ago - and not just the buildings.

We got to Essouaira, Marrakesh (decent train from Casablanca to Marrakesh, bus to Essa and back). Rented a car after Marrakesh and drove over the mountains through the valley of thousand kasbahs - and slept in one. Then to the desert at Merzouga for camel riding. To Azrou in the mountains which was our favorite place athough there's nothing tourist about it. But liked the people and the weekly livestock market where a sheep was being tied onto the top of a Fiat taxi and large hand woven rugs were $20 (but the used one we bought still smelled of donkey, haha). Then to Fes, where we did a day trip to Volubilis, which was ok.

But for scenic relaxing small towns with just a little to do - we liked Chefchouen best in that regard. Lovely town, but a 4 hr bus ride north from Fes. It's like a Andalusian "white" village, although the bldgs are actually white on top, while the building bases and "streets" are blue as they wind up the hillsides.

One thing you won't do in Morocco is run out of things to do. But yes, you will see some poverty. It is a developing country after all. But poor and dirty didn't sound like a very fitting label to stick on the place.

Marighita

We visit only Tangier, as a day trip from Costa del Sol, so I could not speak about whole the country.

However, I understood that the aggressive street vendors and the hustlers are the same in all Morocco, and they bothered us all the time.
So, I am here in minority, and I have the same impression like Logos : poor and dirty, this including also the residential part of Tangier.

jgg

We were in Morocco last March. We traveled with our kids who were 11 and 14 at the time. When my husband first came home from hearing about a friends trip and said "Maybe we should go to Morocco" I thought he was nuts. But after starting to research it, I thought "wow" and planned the trip. We did 5 nights in Barcelona then 8 in Morocco (Marakkech, the Sahara (Merzouga) and Fez). It was one of our favorite trips. If you are up for it, I think a night in desert is "must do". Definitely the highlight of our trip.

Here is a link to my trip report (incl. pictures): http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34974589

tower

ah, there you are Clifton..hope all is well with you guys...keep on truckin' and travelin'..it ws about two years ago when we first traded notes on marvelous Maroc...a shame so few Fodorites have sampled it....Tracy will, for sure!

stu Tower

tower

jgg:

(TC won't mind a bit of hijacking)

went back to read your report which brought back all the wonderful memories of our first visit 8 years ago..great pix, and I could relate with each one. For example happy to hear the Al Fassia is still operating..amazing that it's still
run by woman..we loved it and have sent several friends.

As I said in my post above, we did
not yet have digital back then, so my pix are the scanned variety. Take a look and you'll see almost every Moroccan site you visited. Problem is, we're letting everyone know the best kept secret of Maroc!

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Morroco

Stu T.