Morocco offers an intoxicating blend of ancient medinas, desert adventures, and coastal retreats that capture every traveler's imagination. The best places to go in Morocco include the vibrant souks of Marrakech, the blue-washed streets of Chefchaouen, and the endless dunes of the Sahara Desert.
From the imperial grandeur of Fez to the cinematic landscapes of Ouarzazate, each destination tells a unique story of Berber heritage, Islamic architecture, and French colonial influence.
List of Contents
- 1. Marrakech: The Red City That Never Sleeps
- 2. Fez: Where Time Stopped in 808 AD
- 3. Chefchaouen: Blue Dreams in the Rif Mountains
- 4. Sahara Desert: Silence Louder Than Thunder
- 5. Essaouira: Where Atlantic Winds Write Music
- 6. Casablanca: Morocco's Economic Heartbeat
- 7. Atlas Mountains: Berber Villages Above the Clouds
- 8. Ait Benhaddou: Hollywood's Favorite Kasbah
- 9. Ouarzazate: Gateway to Cinematic Dreams
- 10. Tangier: Where Africa Kisses Europe
- 11. Meknes: The Versailles of Morocco
- 12. Rabat: Capital Sophistication
1. Marrakech: The Red City That Never Sleeps
Have you ever felt your heart race from pure sensory overload? That's Marrakech at sunset in Jemaa el-Fnaa square. Snake charmers weave melodies while henna artists paint intricate designs, and the aroma of grilled lamb mingles with mint tea steam.
I'll never forget watching a master craftsman hammer copper in the medina's narrow alleys, his rhythmic strikes echoing off 12th-century walls. The sound became my personal soundtrack for three days.
Stay in a traditional riad—these converted palaces offer rooftop terraces perfect for escaping the medina's beautiful chaos. Book dinner at Le Jardin; their courtyard dining under olive trees feels like discovering a secret garden in the heart of madness.
2. Fez: Where Time Stopped in 808 AD
Fez operates on medieval time. The world's largest car-free urban area sprawls across 9,400 narrow passages, some barely wide enough for donkeys carrying goods to centuries-old workshops.
The tanneries assault your senses—leather workers still use pigeon droppings and cow urine in processes unchanged since the Middle Ages. Your guide will offer mint leaves to mask the smell, but embrace it. This is authenticity distilled.
Visit the Al-Qarawiyyin University, founded in 859 AD—older than Oxford or Cambridge. Students still memorize the Quran in courtyards where scholars debated philosophy when Europe slumbered in the Dark Ages.
3. Chefchaouen: Blue Dreams in the Rif Mountains
Chefchaouen doesn't just photograph well—it rewrites your understanding of color. Every wall, doorway, and staircase wears shades of blue from powder to cobalt, creating an Instagram paradise that existed centuries before social media.
The blue tradition began with Jewish refugees in the 1930s, who believed the color brought them closer to heaven. Today, locals maintain the practice because tourism depends on it, creating an economic ecosystem built on beauty.
Wake early for empty streets. By 7 a.m., golden light transforms blue walls into purple shadows, and you'll understand why artists lose themselves here for months.
4. Sahara Desert: Silence Louder Than Thunder
The Sahara doesn't just show you vastness—it recalibrates your concept of infinity. Standing atop Erg Chebbi's 500-foot dunes at sunrise, I watched shadows create valleys where none existed at sunset.
Camel trekkings start from Merzouga village. Your Berber guide will navigate by stars his grandfather taught him to read, leading you to camps where mint tea tastes like liquid comfort after hours of rolling motion.
The desert's silence isn't empty—it's full. Wind reshaping sand, your heartbeat, distant camel bells. City dwellers often panic at first, then discover peace they didn't know they'd lost.
5. Essaouira: Where Atlantic Winds Write Music
Essaouira's medina faces the Atlantic like a fortress built to withstand both Portuguese cannons and relentless trade winds. Those same winds now power the world's best windsurfing conditions, transforming a former slave port into Morocco's coolest coastal retreat.
The Portuguese ramparts offer sunset views that rival Santorini, but with one-tenth the crowds. Local fishermen still haul nets at dawn, selling their catch in the same harbor where Orson Welles filmed “Othello” in 1951.
Try the grilled sardines at any port-side stall—they cost less than $2 and taste like the ocean distilled into silver perfection.
6. Casablanca: Morocco's Economic Heartbeat
Casablanca surprises visitors expecting Humphrey Bogart nostalgia. Instead, you'll find Morocco's economic powerhouse—gleaming towers, Art Deco architecture, and the Hassan II Mosque rising from the Atlantic like a spiritual skyscraper.
The mosque accommodates 105,000 worshippers and features the world's tallest minaret at 689 feet. Non-Muslims can tour the interior, where Italian marble meets Moroccan craftsmanship in breathtaking harmony.
Skip Rick's Café (the tourist trap) for La Sqala, a restaurant built in an 18th-century bastion where locals lunch on tagines while Atlantic waves crash meters away.
7. Atlas Mountains: Berber Villages Above the Clouds
The High Atlas aren't just Morocco's backbone—they're a cultural divide between Arab plains and Berber highlands. Villages like Imlil cling to slopes at 5,700 feet, where terraced fields create green staircases climbing toward 13,000-foot peaks.
I spent a night in a mountain guesthouse where my Berber host served tagine cooked on a wood fire while snow-capped Toubkal glowed pink in alpenglow. His family had farmed these slopes for seven centuries, speaking Tamazight as their ancestors had before Arabic arrived.
Mule treks to Toubkal base camp start at $30 daily, including meals and accommodation in villages that exist beyond road networks.
8. Ait Benhaddou: Hollywood's Favorite Kasbah
This fortified village appears in more movies than any other Moroccan location—”Lawrence of Arabia,” “Gladiator,” “Game of Thrones.” UNESCO protects it not for Hollywood fame, but because it represents the last intact example of pre-Saharan architecture.
Climb to the granary at sunset. The view across the Ounila Valley explains why caravans chose this route—natural fortification, water access, and sight lines stretching to both desert and mountains.
Only five families still live within the kasbah walls. Tourism supports restoration, but traditional mud-brick construction requires constant maintenance using techniques passed down through generations.
9. Ouarzazate: Gateway to Cinematic Dreams
Ouarzazate earned the nickname “Morocco's Hollywood” after hosting productions from “The Mummy” to “Kingdom of Heaven.” Atlas Film Studios offers tours where you can walk through fake Egyptian temples and Roman forums built for million-dollar movies.
The real magic happens at sunset from the Taourirt Kasbah. This former Glaoui palace commands views across palmeries toward the Anti-Atlas Mountains, where light turns adobe walls into gold and shadows into purple velvet.
Local film crews work as extras for $10 daily when international productions arrive. Check with hotel concierges—you might witness history being fabricated for future entertainment.
10. Tangier: Where Africa Kisses Europe
Standing at Cap Spartel, you can see Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar—just nine miles of water separating continents. This proximity shaped Tangier's identity as Morocco's international zone, where writers, spies, and adventurers gathered throughout the 20th century.
The Kasbah Museum occupies a former sultan's palace with views across the strait. Paul Bowles wrote “The Sheltering Sky” in these medina alleys, capturing Tangier's expatriate bohemia in literary amber.
Take the late afternoon ferry to Tarifa, Spain, for €35. You'll experience the world's shortest international sea crossing while watching two continents drift apart in your wake.
11. Meknes: The Versailles of Morocco
Sultan Moulay Ismail built Meknes as his imperial capital using 25,000 Christian slaves and an ego rivaling Louis XIV. The result: 25 miles of ramparts enclosing palaces, granaries, and stables for 12,000 horses.
Bab Mansour gate stands as Morocco's most beautiful entrance—intricate mosaics and marble columns frame the medina like a jeweled doorway. Beyond it, the medina operates at human scale, unlike Marrakech's tourist-focused chaos.
Visit Volubilis Roman ruins, 30 minutes north. These 2,000-year-old mosaics remain perfectly preserved in Morocco's dry climate, creating time travel opportunities between imperial eras.
12. Rabat: Capital Sophistication
Rabat balances political power with cultural refinement. The Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V anchor the city's historical identity, while tree-lined boulevards and ocean-facing terraces create Mediterranean elegance.
The Kasbah des Oudaias offers authentic medina experience without tourist pressure. Blue and white houses cascade toward the Bou Regreg River, where traditional boats still ferry passengers to neighboring Salé.
Modern tram lines connect ancient medinas with new districts, symbolizing Morocco's successful balance between preservation and progress.
Morocco doesn't just offer vacation destinations—it provides transformation opportunities. Whether you're haggling in Marrakech's souks, tracking stars in Sahara silence, or watching Atlantic waves crash against Essaouira's ramparts, these best places to go in Morocco will recalibrate your relationship with adventure.
Pack light but dream heavy. Morocco rewards the curious, challenges the comfortable, and creates memories that outlast passport stamps.
Your tagine awaits. Your desert stars are aligned. Your blue-washed photographs are ready to make friends jealous.
The only question remaining: which Morocco will you discover first?
