Cities and Regions in Morocco
Morocco is a unique country where you can combine a stay on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts with visits to ancient imperial cities, vertiginous snow capped mountains, palm groves and oasis, expansive rocky plains and the sandy desert of the Sahara.
Picking the right region, or for many travelers the right combination of regions, to visit in Morocco is important to getting the most out of time spent there. So do take time to plan and pick well.
Below is a taster of what each region offers. This is only a starting point for further reading but people often find it useful.
Marrakech and the region
People who visit Marrakech think that it is an exceptional city for a number of reasons. For good reasons, they are happy to spend all of their Morocco holiday in the city and enjoy its attractions.
However, the region surrounding the City offers an interesting option for visitors seeking a sanctuary to hide away and relax away from city life but still within a short transfer from the airport. The nature of many of the hotels in the region outside Marrakech reflects this demand in their understated luxury, focus on peacefulness, and high service levels.
The region is also an attractive location from which to shuttle in and out of the city some days, while on other days visiting the Atlas Mountains to do some trekking.
To view riad and hotel accommodation options in Marrakech, click here.
Fes and the region
The high-walled city of Fes is the cultural and intellectual heartland of Morocco with its palaces, gardens, souks, mosques and other buildings of note. It was the capital of the medieval Merinid empire and remains the spiritual heart of Morocco.
Fes is also the closest thing you can get to medieval times and culture within 3 hours from the UK and Europe (in contrast to the luxury of some very good quality hotels). Fes is not quite as easy as Marrakesh to reach for visitors on a short break but if you have longer, many people feel that Fes is the more rewarding and unusual place to visit.
The city is also a good base from which to explore the surrounding region that offers the Atlas Mountains, the spa towns of Moulay Yacoub and Sidi Harazem and the calmer imperial city of Meknes.
To view riad and hotel accommodation options in Fes, click here.
Atlas Mountains
Viewed from Marrakesh, the Atlas Mountains are an elegant, snow-tipped backdrop. When you get closer, you realise that this is one serious mountain range. Staying in a hotel in a mountain village is often a thrill in itself, even before doing any of the mountain trekking or other organised activities that are on offer. The most visited area is the Toubkal National Park that surrounds Djebel Toubkal, at 4,167 metres North Africa’s highest peak.
There are many, many places on offer to stay in the Atlas Mountains and the hamlets along the way. In the main, these hotels tend to cater for the passing traffic and are not particularly interested in providing any accommodation of particular interest or quality. These are fine if you just want a base and bed while you do your trekking.
However, many of our users prefer the small number of hotels that do seek to offer something more comfortable and with pride.
To view riad and hotel accommodation options in the Atlas Mountains, click here.
Beyond Atlas to the Desert
If you descend down from the Atlas Mountains traveling eastwards, chances are that you are on route (on the N10 from Ouarzazate) to towns such as Erfoud and Rissani. These best known entry points to the great western Erg of the Sahara desert on the eastern flank of Morocco.
If you are on this road, this is a journey that should not always be rushed unless you are pressed for time. There are a number of places along the way that have very good hotels and experiences on offer. Ouarzazate, Skoura, Tineghir and Zagora and the lush palm groves of the Drâa, Todra, Dades and Ziz valleys are some examples of these. Do take time to have a good look at the hotels and riad options in this area.
Once you reach the Sahara desert, there are all manner of accommodation choices including kasbahs, castles, riads and villas. And, out into the desert via 4x4s or camels, you can enjoy elaborate, comfortable and magical tent camps.
To view riad and hotel accommodation options in the region beyond Atlas to the Desert, click here.
Tanger and the Mediterranean
Tanger, or Tangiers as it is still called in the UK, made a name for itself as travel destination in the 60’s and 70’s. Following this hey day, many people feel that the town lost its way somewhat by failing to update and innovate. More recently however it has started to enjoy something of a revival of interest as a result of some successful marketing initiatives by the town, the renovation of some of its former shining star hotels, and its rediscovery by travel magazines in their search for unusual seaside towns for us not so far from home.
Sitting at the peak of Morocco, Tanger has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. And along Morocco’s Mediterranean coast are a number of small towns and villages offering a good section of good hotels. These are no doubt set soon to become increasingly popular as the coastline comes onto the radar of the travel industry. However, until this happens, the hotels in this region are a reasonable priced and undiscovered alternative to the more obvious European Mediterranean seaside resorts.
The Atlantic Coast – Rabat, Casablanca, El Jadida, Safi, Essaouira and Agadir
Starting from Tanger, Morocco’s Atlantic seaboard runs for well over 1,000 miles southwards, towards the edge of the Western Sahara, punctuated by the towns and cities of Rabat, Casablanca, El Jadida, Safi, Essaouira and Agadir. And, in between these towns, hundreds of miles of expansive, largely uncrowded sandy beaches.
As a City, Casablanca tends to disappoint probably because many first timers arrive with something of a Bogart-Bergam preconception (and who can help it!). There are good hotels in its ancient medina and outside in the City so do have a look at these in our selection. But do be aware that Casablanca is very much the principal commercial centre of the country and for most travelers it no match for Marrakech and Fes.
Rabat, El Jadida, Safi, Essaouira and Agadir, however, are seasoned and established holiday destinations, which offer an excellent selection of accommodation and activities for most tastes. If you are looking into a stay to enjoy the fresh sea and air, beaches, surfing, windsurfing and ocean fishing of the Atlantic coast, do spend some time looking at all the hotel choices for the region.
For riad and hotel accommodation options along the Morocco coast, click here.
The South and the Western Sahara
The South of Morocco (from Agadir downwards to the edge of the Western Sahara) is an area of wonderful natural beauty and atmosphere. Expansive, unspoilt, nomadic, unpopulated and in many ways undiscovered, this is a region of weird red rock formations against the green palms of small oases, of white sand beaches edges by cliff faces and of long deserted wind-swept dusty roads.
In short, this is more of a traveler’s destination rather than a tourist’s. But for a traveler, the region offers a chance to get off the beaten track. Perhaps surprisingly for a remote region, it offers some good quality, clean and willing hotels offering a certain ‘desolate luxury’. If all this is indeed your kind of thing, most people have an unforgettable time there.
Do be aware that there are some parts of the Western Sahara in the deep south of Morocco, particularly those close to the borders with Algeria and Mauritania, which should be treated as off-limits as they have not been officially fully de-mined from previous border disputes. Unless you are traveling in areas where it is clearly “explored territory” (i.e. where there are hotels and other tourist amenities), then you should take time to read up further and plan in detail to make sure that you are safe. If in any doubt at all about your route, contact the Moroccan Embassy in London on 00 44 (0)20 7581 5001.
For all riad and hotel accommodation option across Morocco, click here.