Advice on traveling to Morocco in December?

Question

Lots of questions! My friend and I (both females) are 22 and 20. We are planning a trip in December right before Christmas. We decided on Morocco since it is rich in culture and history- we really want to experience everything. We want to be with the locals- local markets, clubs/bars, restaurants etc. We want to buy lots of souviners, and we really want the experience the nightlife! We are not exactly sure which cities we want to visit. We are planning a 7-10 day trip.

1. Would you recomment the ferry from Tangier to Spain (Tarifa or Gibraltar)? What are Tangier, Tarifa and Gibraltar like?

2. Is there anything in Algeria/Western Sahara worth crossing the border for?

3. What should two young American women dress like (weather anh cultural factors)?

4. Which cities should we definitely spend time in (Marrakech, Fez, Rabat, Casablanca etc.) and how long should we spend in each?

5. What are the main languages spoken and could we just get by with English?

Thanks!!

Answer 1

tangier is so relaxing .

im moraccan , im from casablanca and i would tell u now

if you go to morocco go to casablance , the nightlife there is so much fun . and the food is so good ,and the boys are cute /

u should try wearing  jalaba and khaftan

French , arabic , spanish , and moraccan is slang arabic .

Answer 2

1. I don't know why you need to get to spain if you are going to morocco from US? You can fly to Casablanca (aeroport Med V), there is no need to cross any other countries. If you have other reasons to go to spain, then yes, a ferry (around 3 hours for fast ones) would get you from Tarifa to Tangiers. From there you can visit your destination city (tangiers or casablanca) during that day, there are many things to see around (it has been few years i didn't go to morocco, but i heard there are many tourist development project all around)

2. You don't need to go to Algeria or Western Sahara, there are cities in the south and southeast that are worth seeing and partly into desert (werzazat, nadour, agadir)

3. Just dress properly. Morocco is a schisophrenic country, you know. Outside beaches and tourist areas, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt is sufficient to melt into the crowd.

4. Morocco is very diverse, so to optimize your exposure I suggest you loop cercle (casablanca, tangiers, fes, ouarzazate, agadir, essaouira, marrakech, jadida), but you will need to spend no more than 1 day in each city. And if you decide to follow the suggested path, then you should definitely start with the eastern part as soon as possible, because transportation and logistics are not well developed in that region.

5. It would be good if you can understand some french, otherwise, normally, in tourist spots you will always find people struggling with english to communicate with you. If and when you want to buy stuff, you should bargain, all the time. If you get a price, then ask for half of it, then walk your way up until you think is a good deal. If you think it's not a good deal, just walk away, the marchant would call you back 90% of the time.

For the more traditional moroccan life, you don't need to worry. As soon as you move a little bit away from tourist spots, you will find that everywhere. However, don't lose the lead and don't venture much since it's your first visit. People are normally nice, but you have to draw a perimetre to where you go and know your way back (to the hotel). Prudently follow the locals' crowds.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

i think you should buy a travel guide for morocco, a recent one.

just dress like you would normally dress here in the usa, just take a jacket because it wil be cold and rainy.

Answer 4

you should just fly there its easier.There is no point going to algeria the Sahara is amazing you should go and see it. If you are going to a modern part then wear what you want if you are going to an old fashioned part then don't wear short skirts and things like that. Visit Marrakech, Agadir, Fes. A few days in each should be enough! Main launguages are arabic, and french, you should be able to get by with english if you go to touristy places like the ones a mentioned above as they are used to english tourist. Enjoy your holiday!