Morocco is a country that had always been on my bucket list, ever since I saw Patsy and Edina go there in an Absolutely Fabulous episode back in the 90’s. While I didn’t have a particular desire to sell my daughter into white slavery or smoke hash, it did look incredibly exotic. You can, of course, see Morocco in movies, in The Amazing Race, in that Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna about the con artist Anna Delvey (which had a memorable episode set in Marrakech), etc.
Particularly if you haven’t done Egypt or a similar ancient Muslim culture, it’s a must-see. But there are specific things to consider when traveling there.
First, unless you’re flying to Morocco to stay in one of the hugely expensive 5-star hotels in Marrakech (like the Aman or the Royal Mansour), where you’re in a cocoon of serene elegance, taking a cruise is the best option. (For 2024, Brand g offers an Atlas Class luxury yacht cruise that includes four days in Morocco.) This allows you to see the highlights while returning to your comfortable home base. Morocco can be cacophonous and a tad overwhelming, so getting to see the most memorable sights and then retreating to the serenity of a lovely American-style cruise ship gives you the best of both worlds.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
- Morocco’s most fascinating cities, Rabat and Marrakech are inland. Tangier and Casablanca are port cities, so you just get off the ship and you’re right there. Tangier and Casablanca don’t have nearly the memorable number of sights that Rabat and Marrakech do. Casablanca, for example, although famous from the Bogart & Bacall movie, is, with the exception of the Hassan II mosque, pretty much a big who cares. Now, there’s no way around it, Rabat and Marrakech require long bus rides; generally 2 -2.5 hours each way. This makes for 9-11 hour tour days. (You can, of course, sleep on the buses or demand to helicopter in. Let me know how that second one goes.) But they’re worth it.
- Morocco is heavily Muslim. When you’re with a group like Brand g, you’re in a bubble and there’s nothing to worry about. As with Egypt, we never felt in the slightest bit threatened or nervous. But, as with Egypt, it is not a country I would personally travel to alone as a gay person or gay couple. Tourism is important to them and you’re fairly unlikely to be hassled, but we’ve heard stories from gay folk traveling alone of moments that made them feel judged and highly uncomfortable, and who flies that far to experience that?
BEST SIGHTS
- The religious complex in Rabat that includes the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammad V. This is a spectacular example of Moorish architecture. The 12th century tower and the surrounding 348 (!) columns were the beginnings of what was to be the largest mosque in the world. The mausoleum is a truly beautiful marble-clad building guarded by the Moroccan version of the Buckingham Palace guards, with whom you can get a great photo. Rabat is on the Atlantic Ocean, and this complex abuts it, which makes for a beautiful setting.
- The medina in Marrakech. Once again, I must stress the importance of traveling here with a group. Medinas (which means “old town” and is typically the business/shopping center of the city) in Morocco can be busy and loud and full of people trying to lure you into buying something. (Think the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.) But these medinas are highly memorable and unquestionably worth seeing, particularly Marrakech’s, with its massive Jemaa el Fna square, where snake charmers and tribal music groups perform from afternoon to night. There are also wonderful, high-quality restaurants here, where you can dine on Moroccan fare and watch fairly amazing belly dancers (we had one who balanced a lighted candelabra on her head).
3. The Hassan II mosque in Casablanca. This is a “new” mosque since it was completed in 1993. It’s nearly 700-foot minaret (tower) speaks to the massive size of this complex, which covers 22 acres and can hold – between the mosque and the outside courtyard – 105,000 worshippers. The walls are hand-crafted marble and the roof of the mosque is retractable. The courtyard features 41 fountains. If you’re not Muslim, you cannot just wander in, so go with a tour.
TIPS
- As we’ve mentioned, the two most memorable cities are Rabat and Marrakech. If you’re on a cruise – like Brand g’s that includes four days in Morocco – and you have the option of multiple long tours, consider doing the long tours to these two cities, and taking the shorter half-day option in the others. (In Tangier, for example, rather than taking the long tour to Chefchaoeun, aka The Blue City (which is simply a less well-cared-for version of Santorini’s whitewashed town, where they clearly had a sale on blue paint), take the half-day Tangier tour. Likewise, in Casablanca, take the half-day tour, which takes you past Rick’s, the famous café from the Bogart/Bacall movie, and into the Hassan II mosque, which is a sort of modern Muslim version of the Vatican.
- Four 9-11 hour tour days back to back is a LOT. My husband and I are intrepid sightseers, and we had originally booked all four long tours. By day two, we ended up changing one of them to a half day because it was just too much. If you’re taking a cruise like Brand g’s Spain, Morocco and the Canary Islands, you’ll also want to spend time on the gorgeous World Navigator ship, so making one or two of these Morocco days a 3 or 4-hour tour will allow for that.
- Morocco is in the African desert, so it’s warm and dry. (Very low humidity.) Many of the religious monuments do request that you wear long pants, which, if it’s a temperate day, is an easy request to honor (and please do respect their culture and accommodate this request. Those lightweight nylon pants that you can get at many stores – like Eddie Bauer – are perfect for this sort of touring.) But, if it’s a hot day, you can wear shorts and you will not be refused entry. For men, wear longer ones, like a 9” length. Save the bedazzled hot pants for another day.
- Don’t bother trying to get Moroccan currency for your visit. You cannot get Moroccan dirhams from U.S. banks. Fortunately, U.S. dollars are widely accepted there. If you wish to buy something at a market and the price is in Moroccan Dirham, just divide by 10 in order to pay in U.S. dollars. (It’s 10 dirhams to one dollar.)
- Bring small bills for tips and the occasional restroom. For example, say you wish to take a picture of a snake charmer and his cobras. These people survive on tips, so they will expect you to give them a token, like 50 cents or a dollar. Same with restrooms. Not all charge a fee, but some do, so it’s always good to have change on hand.
Ready to make Morocco your bucket list bitch? Brand g’s 2024 Spain, Morocco and the Canary Islands cruise has extremely limited availability remaining (but know that there are ZERO bad cabins on these luxury yachts).
