Northern Morocco

Find here in many photos, lots of useful information and a travel diary for a cultural holiday in the exciting Morocco.

Travel information and travel tips for Morocco

Why go? Morocco is a country full of attractive, both natural and cultural. The dry climate adds a good reason for a vacation here. Obviously the inexperienced traveler must be aware that it is an Arab country with economic problems (but those who do not have them, in this period!).

When? Morocco includes beaches, snowy mountains and deserts. In most of the summer country, the proverbial seven shirts are sudden, not to mention the underpants (what an ugly image), so, even if it depends on your intentions and from your travel itinerary, in general it is better to go to half seasons. In winter the climate can be moderated cold, wet and rainy on the northern coasts and mountains.

How to move? Morocco can be conveniently shot by car. A rental car, in fact, allows you to travel roads that cross extraordinary landscapes stopping from time to time to admire the view or take a walk, improvising your travel itinerary. Traffic is a nuisance only in the city (where to play the horn once every two to three seconds is necessary), while all the streets can present sudden holes ... but for freedom, this and more.
To rent a car here at the best prices for your travel itinerary I absolutely recommend by Search And book this link .
How much? The flights to Morocco (Marrakesh or Fez) from Europe are very cheap thanks to low-cost airlines (even 50 euros for a A/R flight). The cost of living is low: you can dine decently with 5 euros, well with 10.
Keep in mind that in what it costs I take into account the whole journey ... from the middle for the airport of departure to the drink passing through Meals and Souvenirs.
For an idea on hotel prices in Morocco Click here to compare the hotels and find the most convenient accommodation. In general, you can say that it will be an economic holiday!

Where to go? Northern Morocco presents the beautiful cities of Fez, Rabat and Meknes, in addition to the characteristic village of Sefrou and the surrounding rural areas. Furthermore, ancient mosques and ruins would be able to infuse an effective passion for history and culture even in a tired dromedary.
Other destinations? First read by This other travel itinerary Moroccan .
Furthermore, to lovers of surfing and totarella can affect the Moroccan coast from Essaouira to Agadir. There are other historic cities like Casablanca or Tangier. Northern Morocco has a Mediterranean charm, while the Atlas chain has spectacular high mountain landscapes.

Travel Diary in Morocco

For my first time in Morocco, I took advantage of a convenient low-cost flight to Fez (or even Fes) to take a weekend trip a lot. Booked in advance a rental car and a room in a hotel (Ryad Bahia) of Meknes.
. Our accommodation was in the middle of the alleys of Meknes , but we decided to dedicate the first day of our travel itinerary in Morocco at the nearby Fez. We then took our rental peugeot and reached the historic imperial city.

Fez went into a plain between the hills. Approaching, the top view of the city was remarkable, with that agglomerate of so dense houses that seemed impossible to be there even only a couple of ways between them .
In fact, there were no ways, but cramped alleys , including we were accompanied by a guide that had approached us.

It was Friday, the day of celebration and prayer, so the city was more peaceful than usual, given the almost total absence of the market stalls. He walked better, but the spirit of the city was lost a little (a bit of a mistake in this holiday). We noticed trouble of men and, separately, women who came out of the mosques.

Every so often, our guide a bit fundamentalist commented on the fact that too many Moroccan women no longer wore the veil and that the costumes were struggling on the copy of Western ones.

In the characteristic, immense and labyrinthine historic center of Fez we remained particularly affected by the dyes, of extremely smelly places where the skins are tanned. They used natural colors, like the dung of I don't know which animal. All this should have convinced us never use anything in leather, but instead we bought a blue smudge.
Lunched in a recommended place from the guide (which surely took his tip, but we paid little). In the afternoon the holiday continued along alleys and squares of the Medina, between a mosque and a medesa (Koranian school). We were invited to enter a carpet shop, beautiful and strabordant of hanging fabrics, in which we did not buy anything by offending sellers and driving.
After the trip, we left by car for Meknes, playing the horn climbed to scan the Children from the street. Driving was a fun, halfway between a game and a party.

Saturday we visited the alleys of Meknes , then, in a trip on a horse-drawn baby cheeses - a really too tourist activity, but it was fun - I turn between imperial buildings, mausoleums and doors between the mures (like The beautiful Bab Mansour), admiring these remarkable works of Arab architecture. We remained particularly amazed by imperial stables , with huge stone columns.

In the afternoon I turned for the lively market and the medina. Meknes liked it a lot and we were happy to have her as our vacation base. Dinner was great, once again. Not very varied, Moroccan food, perhaps, but with always remarkable flavors, probably due to the very strong spices.
The next day we got a breakthrough to our travel itinerary in Morocco and left by car for Rabat, 130 kilometers away. Strangely it was a beautiful road so we used just over an hour to walk it.

Also Rabat was an imperial city, but grew significantly from Fez and Meknes. First, it was on the sea; Second, being the Moroccan capital, it was more dynamic and modern; Third, the Medina was not made of sand-colored buildings, but of white houses with blue doors. He knew of Greece more than by Morocco .

The first impact with Rabat was the Tower of Hassan, an impressive minaret, with the elegant religious buildings and surrounding gardens. We then dedicated ourselves to the historic center, which, with its beautiful views of the sea, the river and on the city on the other side (salé), appreciated a lot. It was interesting to note that between modern and dynamic Rabat and the traditional, closed salé there was an abysmal difference.

Near Rabat there is The Necropolis of Chellah, or Hall Cologne, of Roman origins (with phoistick, even older) elements) , and fortified in the Middle Ages by the Arabs. It is a spectacular place, due to its position in the hills, in the midst of nature, with rowed towers and millennial columns on which the birds nested.
The coast north of Rabat instead is typically oceanic with long sandy beaches; The rifissimo sunset was amazing!

Monday was the last day of our intense holiday. By car we headed to the amazing country of Moulay Idriss, perched on a hill . It was an ancient sacred city, with an important mausoleum. We enjoyed the beautiful views of the city, so we wandered for the steep vicoletti and for the animated market.

We resumed the car and drove up to Volubilis . Here, in the open countryside, there are spectacular ruins of an ancient Roman city. There are still buildings, temples and even the mosaics in the open air.

We were very satisfied, but our travel itinerary in Morocco was not yet finished! We finally resigned for Sefrou, a town Berberbed on the slopes of the Atlas mountains , the last destination of our vacation. From a panoramic point we could see snow-capped peaks. Sefrou was very characteristic, with the medina, the walls and the fruit and vegetable market.

> Then we visited the countryside around Sefrou. In particular, numerous caves were diggated in the limestone rock in the surrounding hills, caves that had been housing in antiquity. (Ok, this cultural note does not have a precision own pedantic, but I don't remember everything).

The holiday was ending and we had to head to the airport, but there were no directions! Maybe it was a tactic to retain tourists. We were already thinking of prolonging our travel itinerary, when, to the sound of attempts and asking for a senior who barely knew how continent was found the right way. We arrived in time at the airport, we delivered the car, surprisingly without damages, and returned to Italy.
was a memorable vacation for the places visited and for the sensations that offered us. I remained the desire to return to visit Morocco, a poor country, but that can give a lot. And, indeed, In Morocco, I went back .
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