In November 2015 we traveled to Morocco for a 9-day whirlwind visit. We joined a tour group for 7 days of the trip. It was our first time ever traveling with a group as part of a tour and we were not really sure what to expect from this style of travel but we found it to be very organized and liked that it allowed us to see quite a bit of the country in a relatively short amount of time. For our first visit to Morocco, it worked out really well. We were able to visit Rabat, Fes, Marrakech, Casablanca, and Salé in the relatively small window of time we had available for the trip.
Rabat
We flew into Rabat, which is the capital of Morocco in the afternoon. We went out exploring on our own on foot despite being very jet lagged and managed to check out the souks in the medina, explore the Oudaya Kasbah, and have dinner at a local restaurant. Rabat is not an overly popular international tourist destination so is relatively low key. That also meant not many people we encountered outside our hotel spoke much English. We got by with a lot of pointing and our cheat sheet cards in Arabic for ordering food that was vegan-friendly. Click here to download your own copy of the very handy vegan translation cards, which include 93 languages. These can be laminated and carried in your pocket or wallet.
By our second day in Rabat we were caught up on rest and explored the city on foot at our leisure before meeting up with our tour group in the evening. We enjoyed delicious fruit smoothies, did a little shopping in the medina, and went to a museum. In the evening we met with the tour manager at our hotel to get acquainted with the other travelers in the group and learn how things would work with the tour.
On our third day in Rabat we took a morning tour of the city, including the Royal Palace, Hasaan Tower, and Oudaya Kasbah (again). Next we went to Chellah, which is a medieval fortified necropolis near Rabat that happens to be home to many storks and a bunch of adorable cats.
After leaving Rabat we made a stop for a tour of the ancient ruins of the Roman city of Volubilis and then continued on to the city of Fes. I told Rob he can check visiting Roman ruins off his wish list now. The area actually did look similar to Italy in Volubilis.
Fes
We arrived in Fes in the evening and checked into the Barcelo Fes Medina hotel, which is in the more modern area of Fes. We had some dinner in the city and enjoyed some Moroccan wine at the hotel in the evening , which we found to be pretty decent.
In the morning we went on a guided group tour of the world famous Fes medina, which we learned is home to some 250,000 people today. This medina had a medieval feel with no cars or motorbikes inside but lots of donkeys transporting large loads about. I read somewhere it’s the largest car-free urban area in the world.
The medina is an enormous 900-acre maze and I don’t imagine we would have ever been able to find our way back out without a guide, even with a map. We then stopped in to see Medersa Bou Inania, a renown theological college that also has its own mosque.
Non-muslims are not generally allowed inside most mosques but we were allowed to peek in from outside and take photos with permission on occasion.
We saw people making everything from copper pots to knives to carpets and almost anything old school you can imagine in the medina. There is endless shopping in the medina for everything from jewelry to carpets to formal wear in the traditional Moroccan style to scarves and beautiful fabrics. And of course the famous rug shops where you can spend a small fortune to purchase a handmade a work of art for your floor at home.
Visiting the Fes medina was a major highlight of our time in Morocco. It was like traveling back in time and it is hard to believe it even exists in this state in today’s modern world.
In the evening in Fes our tour arranged for our entire group to have dinner at a local Moroccan family’s personal home. They prepared the dinner for all of us and were very gracious hosts in their home, which was a spacious walk-up apartment. The meal was delicious consisting of several courses of appetizers, soup, tagine, and fruit for dessert. It was one of the best meals we had in Morocco. I wish we could have stayed in Fes longer but we definitely enjoyed our short time there and I would highly recommend going to the medina for an old-world experience like no other.
Marrakech
In the morning it was time to leave Fes and make the lengthy journey to Marrakech. This was a long ride by bus but we stopped for breaks along the way and saw some nice scenery of Moroccan valleys and the Atlas Mountains.
When we finally arrived in Marrakech, we checked into the Suite Novotel. With a Louis Vitton store next door to our hotel, this was by far the most upscale city we visited in Morocco. After check-in Rob and I headed straight to the chaotic main square, Djemaa El Fna to find some dinner and explore a little. It’s a huge square full of restaurant stalls, dancers, jugglers, singers, storytellers, and other street entertainers. It is very much tourist-central and everyone wants to sell you something and will gladly accept a tip for taking a photo of or with them. We found some really inexpensive and flavorful couscous in the square for dinner and walked around the medina souks a little bit.
The medina is a shopper’s dream as long as you don’t mind haggling. The first price offered was usually at least four times what the vendors were hoping to accept, but if you smile and keep going they will gladly bargain with you. Although they can be on the pushy side, most of the vendors and restaurant folks were very friendly and welcoming. They are just hustling and trying to make a living. Some neat items available to buy included spices, lanterns, ceramic dishes, clothes, slippers, and jewelry. We found spices and some beautiful handmade lanterns as well as some other goodies for gifts.
We took a half day tour to the Saadian Tombs and the Koutoubia Minaret, and the beautiful Bahia Palace, before splitting off from the group to explore on our own. This was Thanksgiving day so we sought out Earth Cafe, a vegetarian restaurant in the medina I had read about before our trip. We had a delicious meal of pumpkin and veggie filled spring rolls, rice noodles with veggies, and fillo pastry stuffed with zucchini, dates and herbs. It was exciting for us to have so many options to choose from on the menu, which has a specific vegan section.
We spent pretty much all afternoon wandering in the square and shopping, shopping, shopping in the medina. There are a lot of street vendors with a variety of animals, including monkeys clearly being used as entertainers and for photo opportunities with tourists which was sad to see. Be aware that any photos taken by or with any of the street vendors in the square will come with the expectation of a tip so don’t be in or take a photo of anyone you don’t know unless you are prepared to tip.
For our last night in Marrakech we found a restaurant with an amazing view of the square from the rooftop terrace, which made for a pleasant escape from the chaotic street level activity while still being able to observe all the action below. Food-wise you can find just about anything your heart desires as street food in the square, including a multitude of snail stands, which seemed to be very popular but none for us thank you. Vegetable Tagine is a popular vegan-friendly local dish that is widely available.
Casablanca
We arrived in Casablanca and checked into the Novotel Casablanca City Center hotel. We noticed some heightened security in Casablanca as our hotel had metal detectors at the entrance and they searched our bags when entering. Our visit was very shortly after the 2015 Paris coordinated terrorists attacks took place so I am not sure if the level of security we saw was typical for the area or heightened due to recent world events. We never felt uncomfortable or unsafe during our time in Morocco. Casablanca is a very busy port city and is the commercial and financial capital of Morocco so sees many international visitors who are not tourists. The city also had many skyscrapers, which we hadn’t seen anywhere else so far. While there we visited the Hassan II Mosque, which is very impressive and worth the trip to Casablanca to see. Non-muslims can go inside the mosque with a guided tour, which is what we did. It is the largest mosque in Morocco and was designed to be a stunning architectural showpiece.
The mosque was completed in 1993, can accommodate 25,000 people inside, and cost around $800 million to build. A decent portion of that came from donations from Moroccan citizens. The beauty, craftsmanship, and detail inside and out was truly stunning. The tour was very educational and a great experience. Nearly all the materials of the Hassan II Mosque are from Morocco, with the exceptions of the imported white granite columns and glass chandeliers from Italy.
For the end of the group tour we all went to dinner at a restaurant on the coast in Casablanca and enjoyed a very nice meal together, which was a lot of fun. The next day in Casablanca we explored on our own, and found some local markets that had a variety of food and spices for sale. We purchased some saffron to take home for gifts.
There actually is a Rick’s cafe in Casablanca. It wasn’t actually in the movie of course but was built as a tourist stop in the famous city. We didn’t actually go inside but grabbed an obligatory photo when passing by.
Salé
There is a train that will conveniently take you from Casablanca to Salé, which is just over an hour ride. We reserved the Chefchaouen Suite at The Repose riad for the last night of our trip. The Repose has a gorgeous interior behind a very unassuming front door in the medina. The receiving area has a beautiful mosaic fountain and we were served tea and snacks upon arrival, during which we had the chance to chat with our host a little bit. The Chefchaouen Suite was quite spacious and decorated entirely in blue just like the town it was named after.
We explored the town and saw a beautiful sunset over the giant cemetery looking across the water toward Rabat. The small medina had a very authentic feel and we did not see any tourists around. We bought paper cones of roasted chickpeas sprinkled with spices as a snack and walked around admiring all the markets with plentiful fresh fruit and veggies.
We retreated to our riad in the evening where we had an amazing three-course dinner prepared by our hosts and dined on the rooftop terrace under the stars. It was a wonderful way to spend our last night in Morocco. Our trip was fast paced due to our time limitations so we covered a lot of ground fairly quickly but it was very doable and we had a fabulous time. If we’re ever able to return to Morocco I would love to check out the Sahara, Tangier, Chefchaouen, Agadir, and Essaouira.
