4 min
What Things Actually Cost
Not the budget/mid-range/luxury breakdown — the actual prices Moroccans pay
Not the budget/mid-range/luxury breakdown. The actual prices, in dirhams, that Moroccans pay.
18 stories
Before You Go
The things you wish someone had told you before you landed. Practical, honest, written by someone who lives here.
3 min
Why the Tea Is Poured from a Height
It is not showing off — it is chemistry
The arm rises. The stream falls half a metre into the glass without spilling. It is not showing off. It is chemistry.
4 min
The Road Rules
The rules exist — enforcement is a different conversation
The roads are good. The drivers are creative. The police checkpoints are frequent. Here is what you need to know before you rent a car.
3 min
The Overnight Train
Fall asleep in the north, wake up in the south — the ticket costs less than dinner
Tangier to Marrakech. Departure 23:25. Arrival 09:01. You fall asleep in the north and wake up in the south. The ticket costs less than dinner.
4 min
Where to Hear Gnawa
Not the hotel lobby — the real thing, if you know where and when
Not the hotel lobby. Not the restaurant floor show. The real thing — if you know where and when.
4 min
Seven Days, Ten Days
Two itineraries — one for the short trip, one for the trip you wish you had booked
Seven days gives you a taste. Ten days gives you a country. Both start in Marrakech, because everything in Morocco starts in Marrakech.
3 min
The Night in the Dunes
Camel, dune, dinner, stars, sunrise — and what nobody mentions about the toilets
The brochure shows a tent under the stars. Here is what actually happens, hour by hour, from the moment you arrive at the edge of the sand.
4 min
The Safety Question
The question every first-time visitor asks and the answer nobody gives straight
Morocco ranks 24th on the Global Peace Index. The U.S. State Department rates it Level 1 — the same as France. The real risks are not what you think.
3 min
What to Wear
Not what Moroccans wear — what you should wear so Morocco feels easy
Cover your shoulders. Cover your knees. Bring layers. Everything else is negotiable.
3 min
Your First Hammam
You will be scrubbed by a stranger and leave feeling like you have new skin
You will be naked. You will be scrubbed by a stranger. You will leave feeling like you have new skin. Because you do.
3 min
The Cooking Lesson
You start at the souk and you end with a tagine you made with your own hands
It begins at the market. The teacher walks you through the vegetable souk, the spice souk, the olive souk. You buy what you will cook. Then you cook it.
3 min
The Visa
Citizens of 65+ countries enter visa-free — here is what you actually need
If you hold a passport from the US, Canada, UK, EU, or Australia, you do not need a visa. You get 90 days on arrival. Here is what else to know.
4 min
Nine Hours to the Sand
Nine hours, one mountain pass, a thousand kasbahs, and the dunes at the end
The Sahara is not next to Marrakech. It is nine hours away, over the highest road pass in North Africa. The drive is half the experience.
4 min
Five Reasons to Leave Marrakech for the Day
Mountains, waterfalls, a stone desert, a surf town, and a valley that smells like roses
You do not need to leave Marrakech for a week to see what surrounds it. Five of the best are less than three hours away.
4 min
When to Come
It depends on where you are going — the country has five climates
March to May. October to November. But it depends on whether you want the coast, the mountains, or the desert — because Morocco has all three at once.
3 min
Why Friday Is Different
The souks close, the city stops, and then the smell of couscous
The souks close. The streets empty. A city that never stops moving stops moving. Then the smell of couscous.
4 min
The Fes Medina Will Swallow You
Nine thousand streets, no map, and the best thing that can happen to you
Nine thousand streets. No grid. No map that works. Getting lost is not the risk — it is the point.
3 min
The Unwritten Rules
Start at half, walk away once, and know when the game does not apply
Start at half. Never go first. Walk away once. And know when the game does not apply.
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