Morocco, medinas and mountains.

Which Morocco to choose?

Morocco is big and the distances are deceptive: between Tangier and Merzouga there are more than 700 km of mountain road. In a week you will not see everything. What works is choosing one axis and sleeping two nights in each place.

• If it is your first time and you are flying, start in Marrakesh: the red medina, the Jemaa el-Fna square, palaces and gardens. Allow three nights.
• If you want the most authentic medina, go to Fez. Fez el-Bali has no cars and is still a working city: tanneries, madrasas and workshops.
• If you cross by ferry, the gateway is Tangier and Asilah, and two hours away is Chefchaouen, the blue medina of the Rif, for walking and slowing down.
• If you want sea and calm, Essaouira: a white walled medina, a harbour of blue boats and Atlantic wind, about three hours from Marrakesh.
• If you want mountains, Imlil and Toubkal, an hour and a half from Marrakesh, with walks among Berber villages and the highest summit in North Africa.
• If you dream of the desert, the southern route crosses the High Atlas via Aït Ben Haddou, continues through the Todra and Dadès gorges and ends at the dunes of Merzouga. It is three days minimum from Marrakesh.

Two combinations that work well in ten days: Tangier, Chefchaouen and Fez, all by train and bus; or Marrakesh, the Atlas and the desert, better with a car or a tour.

How do you get there from Spain?

By plane. There are direct flights of about two hours from Madrid, Barcelona and other cities to Marrakesh, and from Barcelona to Fez and Essaouira. Royal Air Maroc, Vueling and Ryanair, among others, fly them; routes change each season, so check what operates on your dates.

By ferry. From Tarifa the ferry goes to Tangier Ville, in the centre, in about an hour. From Algeciras, the ferries go to Tangier Med, about 45 km from Tangier, in an hour and a half: that is the option if you cross with your own car. In summer, with Operation Crossing the Strait, the ferries are full: book.

Paperwork. You need a passport valid for more than six months; the national ID card does not allow entry. For tourism you do not need a visa and you can stay up to 90 days. If you take your car, the entry is registered and you have to leave with it. Carry its documents and insurance valid in Morocco.

How to get around the country

The train links Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Fez and Marrakesh. The high-speed Al Boraq runs from Tangier to Casablanca in a little over two hours; from Fez to Marrakesh it is about six and a half hours by direct train. Where the train does not reach, the CTM and Supratours buses are comfortable and cheap: they go to Chefchaouen, Essaouira, Ouarzazate or Merzouga.

For the south and the Atlas, a car gives freedom, but drive by day: the Spanish Foreign Ministry advises avoiding the road at night, and there are lorries, animals and police checkpoints. Distances are measured in hours, not kilometres: from Marrakesh to Merzouga it is about 550 km and 9 or 10 hours.

In the cities, petit taxis are hailed in the street; ask for the meter or agree the price before getting in. Grand taxis run between towns, sometimes shared.

When to go and how much it costs

March, April and May, and October and November are the best months: mild days in the medinas and bearable nights in the desert. In summer the interior is an oven, but the Atlantic coast stays cool. In winter there is snow in the Atlas and nights near zero in the dunes.

Check the dates of Ramadan: it does not stop you travelling, but many restaurants in the medinas open only at nightfall. In 2027 it is expected from 8 February to 9 March.

The budget is low to medium. A simple riad and local food are cheap; what makes the trip more expensive are the charming riads, cars with drivers and luxury camps in the desert. The currency is the dirham and it cannot be obtained outside the country: withdraw from cash machines on arrival. Outside hotels and good restaurants, almost everything is in cash.