11 Places not to miss in Morocco, what to see and know

Morocco is an intense country, both for its landscapes and for the culture of its people. When you arrive in this country, the feeling is that you are being slapped and you need a couple of days to get into the right mindset to enjoy it. Most likely, at the beginning of your trip, you will be catapulted, by plane, into one of the main inhabited centers: Fes, Casablanca, Marrakech, Rabat, etc. This shock therapy can be useful in speeding up the acclimatization process and, above all, some of Morocco's main cities are simply a must to visit. No more chatter. Based on the itinerary that I prepared and then traveled (if you wanna know more about the experience of driving, in this country, read this article), with Loretta, in the month of June, in 2022, here are the places in the North African state that you just can't miss!

Fes is a former capital of the country and, consequently, preserves a lot of history and tradition within its walls. The medina of Fes, its historic center, a UNESCO heritage site, is an intricate tangle of alleys, so narrow that, to walk through them, you will sometimes be forced not to enter them head-on. If the alleys are narrow, the medina itself is the largest and oldest in all of northern Africa. Inside, it can be difficult to take landmarks because even the minarets of mosques, which could act as a compass, are not always visible, precisely because of the narrow streets. Fes is bustling; tourists mix with the locals and negotiate with them a visit to the tanneries (an experience to do absolutely) or some purchases in the myriad of shops that color the souk. In Fes, there is no shortage of opportunities to familiarize yourself with typical food. On the street you can buy, for a few dirhams, the traditional Moroccan bread, the batbout. In the restaurants, among other things, you can eat couscous, vegetable or meat tajines or even the camel burger (try looking for the excellent “Mom's touch” restaurant, to taste it, in the medina). Dedicating a day or two of your itinerary to visit Fes will not be a stupid choice! If you need a tip on where to stay overnight, I recommend the Riad Hayat Fes, an ancient house turned into an accommodation facility and whose owners are the apotheosis of hospitality!

If you like animals, Azrou can be a great stop on the route from Fes to Merzouga (or vice versa). Near a centuries-old cedar, a colony of macaques run around, welcoming and entertaining you, at the entrance of a splendid forest. On the way to Azrou, if you look over the roofs of the houses, you might notice the large stork nests, as well as their inhabitants!

The two favorite places for tourists to visit the Moroccan Sahara desert are undoubtedly the erg Chebbi and the erg Chigaga, the first with dunes up to 150 meters high and the second up to 300. The erg Chebbi, near the southern city of Merzouga and on the border with Algeria is usually a little less out of the way, in itineraries, than its big brother Chigaga, which requires a detour. In both, however, it will be possible to practice almost the same activities: from the excursion in a dromedary, quad or jeep to the sandboard (a snowboard to slide on the ridges of the dunes). Personally, by visiting the erg Chebbi and, therefore, Merzouga, I was able to live the experience of the tour by jeep that leads to ghost towns, made of houses of mud and dirt, as well as to visit the nomadic tribes, in their desert of stones. A great place to sleep in Merzouga is undoubtedly Maison Hassan, run by the friendly Ibrahim who could guide you on the jeep tour and whose wife cooks the best tajine we have tasted in all of Morocco!

The gorges of the Todra River are very reminiscent of the siq of Petra, Jordan (of course, scaled down). The visit to the gorges, in itself, may not take much time but, if you decide to leave the village on foot and also go beyond the gorges, towards the top of the adjacent mountain, you will absolutely not regret an experience that will take all day. Starting from the town and along the river, you will cross splendid cultivated fields whose branches, here and there, open up with a view of the high walls that mark the entrance to the gorges. Cross and pass the latter and, perhaps, after drinking an orange juice at a table by the river (literally ON the river), you will find, on your left, the beginning of a challenging trek (about 3 hours to get to the top) that will take you to enjoy the view over the whole area.

The hairpin bends of the Dades Gorges can be explored more comfortably by car rather than on foot. The experience, therefore, will not take much time but it will be interesting, anyway. On the path that leads to the apex, a place where you can enjoy the famous view from above on the hairpin bends, stop to look at the Monkey Fingers, rock formations on the natural walls that line the river and whose shapes are reminiscent of the hands of monkeys. In the afternoon, you should have enough time to visit the Roses Valley. Be careful, however, if you arrive in Morocco from the end of May onwards, the valley will lose the characteristic color given to it by the flowers, because they have already been harvested, and will become just another valley, like many you will see in the country. So, skip this stage if the period is not the right one!

On several occasions, in Morocco, you will find yourself admiring vast palm groves. One of the most extensive is certainly that of Skoura, a place of passage, along the road that goes from the Dades gorges to the fantastic ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou. Loretta and I decided to stay overnight in a B&B a stone's throw from the palm groves, to break the journey to Marrakech. The stroll we did, on foot, in nature, did not last more than 45 minutes. Decide, based on your itinerary if it is worth stopping for the night, taking a quick trip or, if you have already stopped in some palm grove and you are not particularly interested in the size, whether to skip this stage.

Ait-Ben-Haddou is an ancient fortified city (or ksar) that will catapult you on the set of films such as, among others, "Jesus of Nazareth", "Lawrence of Arabia", "The Gladiator" and "The Mummy" and TV series such as "Game of Thrones". The site, a World Heritage Site, is undoubtedly worth a visit, although this does not take a lot of time.

After the quiet stages of villages and isolated places, Marrakech, with its crazy traffic, will throw you another slap and will take you to high levels of concentration, if you decide to drive in its streets or if you decide to go into its souk (a practically infinite market). Shops piled one on top of the other, from Moroccan clothing to spices, from costume jewelery to minerals, in the souk of Marrakech you will find everything, but remember to haggle and you can easily get to pay less than half of what they ask you! In the main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa, you can also find fortune tellers, cobra charmers, monkey trainers, musicians and acrobats. If you don't mind a cultural visit, along with hundreds of other tourists, the Al Bahia palace might be worth a visit.

Mount Toubkal, sadly known for the murder of two Scandinavian tourists, a few years ago, is today back to being a safe place (there are police checkpoints and a guide is mandatory) where you can test your strength and your physical stamina. The peak is the highest in all of North Africa, with its 4167 meters. Reaching its summit is the most rewarding trekking experience I have ever had and it is a real venture that needs to be prepared well!

The town of Essaouira overlooks the Atlantic and its medina, colorful, full of shops and surrounded by high walls, opens up, at a certain point, on the harbor with its crowded boats and stalls full of fish. Cats and seagulls infest the area, jumping out of the nets resting on the piers to grab a small fish. If you want to experience the genuine port and fish market experience, this is the place. You don't have to be a fan of the genre, to be dazzled by the sight of the port of Essaouira, trust me! Then, the city gives you the ability to change menus. At this point of the journey, you'll be tired of tajines and a good meal of fish is what is best. Finally, in Essaouira there is no shortage of beaches, even if the most common way in which tourists visit them is by crossing them by quad, dromedary or horse. Essaouira was also where Loretta and I decided to indulge in the typical Moroccan spa, the hammam. Although I do not recommend the same hammam I've been in, I think that having the experience, in a good spa, is a must.

Known as “la ville bleu”, due to its particular color in different shades of blue, Chefchaouen is a MUST. Tourists line up to have a photo taken on a staircase that went viral on Instagram a few years ago. Don't worry, you won't have to wait too long or, if lucky, you might even find yourself in front of the completely deserted staircase! Beyond the viral angles, Chefchaouen makes the camera shake at your neck with every turn of your head and has your SD card full in no time!

If I had spent a few more days in Morocco, I might have visited one or more of these three cities. However, leaving them aside was a decision that Loretta and I took with good reason. Satisfied by Fes and Marrakech, as regards the visit to large urban centers, and having to spend the days available with intelligence and in line with our preference for naturalistic and less chaotic areas, we preferred to go straight, with about 8 hours of road and highway, from Essaouira to Chefchaouen, to return to close the circle in Fes. In addition, the attractions of Casablanca and Rabat (even according to some Moroccans we met with) do not deserve the stress of the chaos they subject you to. As for Tangier, it is the city known for being the most "westernized" city in Morocco. As far as we were concerned, we were much more interested in seeing Morocco, rather than the part of it that most resembles us. Having said that, the three cities could be stages for those who have more days available!

If you are traveling with your boyfriend or girlfriend, as an unmarried couple, and you're worried of doing it in a muslim country, read this article. Have a good trip, then and, if the article was useful to you, leave a like, a comment or share it! If you want to be informed of the release of similar articles, subscribe to the NEWSLETTER. If you want to live with me, in real time, the experiences of my travels, follow me on Instagram and/or on Facebook.