Morocco is the gateway to Africa, it is rather quiet to travel around, economic and despite being an Islamic country there are no particular codes to be observed except, as with any journey, to dress appropriately for the locations (the veil is not absolutely necessary). Here are the practical tips for organizing a road trip.
- The first thing to know are the documents needed to travel to Morocco: a valid passport is required.
- Moroccan summer time is one hour behind the Italian one.
A curiosity:In Morocco the time changes 4 times during the year. In addition to the regular variation from solar time to legal and vice versa, before Ramadan the solar time is reset, so two hours less than in Italy, after the Ramadan end party it changes again until September / October. It is not difficult to follow but if you find yourself for example in the medina of Fes you may notice that at 10am the activities are still closed, this because traders often choose to rebel against summer time. For the tour operators in morocco this is the best option now.
The local currency is the dirham which, however, cannot be imported or exported, so the only way to change money is within the country. You can withdraw directly to ATM or exchange at the airport (change is better than money exchange). Everywhere the euro is accepted, but it is not favorable for us because the dealers will divide the figure by 10, when the official exchange rate is higher instead.
Transportation
The transport network is good: the train connects the main cities and alternatively you can choose local or tourist buses. Prices are cheaper than Italian ones. In the city you can take petit taxis (with more or less 20 dirhams they will take you everywhere)
The hassles that you can have are the attentions of traders and “guides”, people who will offer to accompany you to the cities and who expect to be paid for this, to which after a few days you will get used to responding without being rude. In the Morocco tours this happens to be the best deal.
Marrakech
Marrakech is a difficult city to tell, it’s an experience to live.Initially intimidating but soon you will discover that there is nothing to fear. Getting lost in the cramped and crumbling streets of the Medina and its souks, the pressing attention of Moroccan merchants, the traffic without rules between cars, mopeds, bicycles, buggies and mules are just some of the memories you will take home. For that you can have the morocco desert tours in the best cost.
Koutoubia Mosque
You will be captured by the beautiful mosques, by the green gardens, by the mountains of colored spices, mint, by the call of the muezzin that rises above the buzz of the city!
Majorelle Garden
This warm, dizzying, dirty, charming atmosphere is certainly best told by the beating heart of Marrakech, the place from which to discover the city, Piazza Jamaa el Fna, by day a great open-air market and at night theater for musicians, storytellers and snake charmers.
Essaouira
Not to be missed as a day trip from Marrakech, reachable by car or tourist bus, is Essaouira (on the Atlantic coast), the local medina and the port with the fishermen’s market is worth a visit.
The road you will cross to reach it will make you discover a fascinating desert area and the curious phenomenon of goats climbing on Argan trees, to eat their fruits. This whole tour happens to be perfect in this sense.