Located on the tip of North Africa, just opposite Spain in continental Europe, is the beautiful African country of Morocco.
The trip to Morocco will take you to an adventure of lifetime – landing in the romantic capital of Casablanca, followed by the red city of Marrakech, the ancient city of Fez, the blue hues of otherworldly Chefchaouen, and finally to the historical Rabat.
Casablanca
After flying in to Casablanca, take a break at the hotel and find your feet in Morocco.
Highlight of the trip:
Hassan II Mosque: Located in Casablanca, the Hassan II Mosque is the third-largest mosque in the world! One-third of the Hassan II Mosque is built on the sea, and it is the only one in Morocco that is open to foreign tourists. When you enter the mosque, you need to take off your shoes and touch the warm marble floor with bare feet.
The Souk District: A traditional market founded by the French in the 1930s. There are many small craft shops, bakeries, and cafes where you can explore and find a variety of Moroccan souvenirs.
Marrakesh
Ben Youssef is a college that has studied and taught the Quran for more than 600 years. In terms of status, it is the largest Quran Institute in North Africa. In terms of architectural achievements, it is one of the architectural masterpieces of Morocco’s heyday. Here, you will feel the atmosphere and exquisiteness of Islamic architecture.
The Koutoubia Mosque is a landmark in Marrakech, located next to Djema Square in the city center. However, the mosque is only open to Muslims, and ordinary tourists cannot visit.
For ordinary tourists, Marrakech’s most attractive feature is its night market. Every night, Djema Square is filled with a variety of stalls, offering a range of food, drinks, and everything else.
The Bahia Palace is an elegant palace built at the end of the 19th century. It boasts numerous gardens, and the interplay of light and shadows complements the beautiful Islamic landscape.
In the “Red City,” the blue Majorelle Garden adds a charm of a different kind. The garden features a small bridge under which water flows and exotic flowers grow.
The garden also features the Marrakech Museum of Islamic Art, which hosts a collection of textiles from Mr. Yves Saint Laurent’s personal collection, as well as a large collection of ceramics, jewelry, and paintings.
Located close to Marrakech, the town of Oukaïmeden is a famous ski resort in Morocco and often gets crowded during the snow season.
Known as “the most beautiful village in Morocco,” Ait Ben Haddou Village is the most preserved ancient village in southern Morocco. Here, you can also buy crafts with an artistic and ethnic style. The village can be reached from Marrakech as part of a day trip.
The Todgha Gorges, located near Tinerhir, are only 10 meters wide, but they are more than 300 meters high. Walking down the canyon is one of the best things to do, with yellow-brown peaks and small rivers running through the valley.
Fez
One of the most visited travel destinations in Morocco! The old town of Medina in Fez has over thousand years of history and is known as the “City of Maze.” The hundreds of lanes in the old town are narrow and twisted, with more than 360 mosques hidden in them.
Traveling through these alleys, sometimes there is no road in front, but as long as you step into a gate, cross a rooftop, or even push the back door of a small shop, it will instantly appear. If you observe a strong repelling smell during your escapades in these by lanes, it comes from something of a very old tradition of dyeing leather.
The leather dyeing house tour itself is free, but there are merchant shops that will pull you up to their balcony overlooking the leather workshop and ask for tips, around 2-3 Dirhams per person.
Chefchaouen
To conclude, Morocco, ranked as one of the top destinations in the world by Lonely Planet, is like a story straight out of the book “One Thousand and One Nights”. Just open it, and every day is a different “Arabian Nights”!
Very popular on social media is the blue city of Chefchaouen. The old town of Chefchaouen was built on the middle of the mountain, retaining a relatively primitive style. Most of the houses in the old city were painted blue, and many tourists come here because of this blue touch.
Chefchaouen was not blue at first, but when the locals heard that blue could drive away mosquitoes, they painted the whole city blue.
In addition to the blue, another major feature of Chefchaouen is the ubiquitous cats. These furry animals are very crafty but lazy, found lying around on the blue streets, sometimes even stalking the tourists.
Interestingly, the town was built in 1471, and the small fort in the Medina of the old town still exists today.
Rabat
Rabat is the capital of Morocco, one of the four great imperial cities, situated on the Atlantic coast. Rabat is less popular than Casablanca and Marrakech, but there are also a lot of historical monuments to see. The most worthwhile thing is the tomb of Muhammad V. This mausoleum is built on the site of a giant mosque.
The Kasbah of the Udayas, on the Cape of the North Atlantic, is another “blue city” in Rabat that can be somewhat compared to Chefchaouen. With the sound of the Atlantic Ocean in the background, you have a fantastic view of the waves crashing against the shore of this historical city.
The Rabat Archaeological Museum is Morocco’s largest museum, encompassing the civilizations that have developed in Morocco since the prehistoric Paleolithic and Neolithic eras.
The history of the Medina’s Old Town Market dates back to the 17th century. The small items sold in the market are emanate a local vibe.
The Moroccan shopping center in Casablanca is the second largest shopping center in Africa!
