Morocco Vacation Guide

The local currency is the dirham. You cannot buy or sell it outside of Morocco, so you'll need to covert it on arrival. No commission is charged to change money, and you will be given a slip which is required to change any remaining dirhams back into the original currency. Banks and foreign-exchange offices are readily available, as are ATMs (cash in local currency only). Do not change money in the streets. It is illegal.

For the most part, Morocco is a cash society. Credit cards are sometimes accepted at large hotels and for big purchases. Most restaurants do not accept credit cards. Some banks will cash traveler's checks, but most businesses will not.

Monday-Friday 8:15-11:30 am and 2:15-4 pm. In summer, Monday-Friday 8 am-3 pm. During Ramadan, 9:30 am-2 pm.

The standard, value-added tax rate in Morocco is 20%. There are reduced rates of 7% (applied to banking services, leasing, gasoline) and 14% (applied to hotels and transport services).

Although there are no hard-and-fast rules about tipping in Morocco, know that first of all, tipping is not required and secondly, tipping too little (less than 5 dirhams) may be seen as an offense worse than not tipping at all. Rounding the bill up a bit, rather than giving a certain percentage, is the most common practice (especially in taxis). For most services, start with 10 dirhams and then adjust upwards based on the situation: for instance, if you have a lot of heavy luggage or if you're dining in a group.

Morocco's best seasons are October-December and March-May, when temperatures average in the low 70s F/24 C. January and February can be cool and rainy—bad beach weather—and only the best hotels have central heating (because of the generally moderate or warm climate). The summer shouldn't be ruled out: Although the average summer temperature in Marrakesh and Fez can be around 100 F/38 C, the coastal cities (Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier) remain comfortable (low 80s F/27-29 C), if somewhat humid. South of the Atlas Mountains, temperatures increase greatly.

Light clothing that "breathes" is recommended for warmer months, and clothing that you can wear in layers is recommended for colder months. Take a sweater year-round for evenings in higher elevations and the desert, and take warm and waterproof clothes December-March. Comfortable, sturdy footwear is essential, and a hat and sunglasses are also good ideas. In most situations, both men and women are expected to dress modestly, which means covering your shoulders, upper arms and chest. Shorts, tank tops and bathing suits are acceptable at resorts and the beach but not in most other settings. If you plan to do some nightclubbing, it's best to go for chic rather than the grunge look.

Checking your e-mail shouldn't be a problem thanks to an abundance of Internet centers, especially in the larger cities. In most cases, you sit down at a workstation and then pay at the end of your session—usually around 5 dirhams per hour. At some centers you can plug in your own laptop or connect via Wi-Fi. Hotels, especially first-class ones or those owned by large chains, sometimes offer Internet access via Wi-Fi or modem, either free or for an additional charge.

The Moroccan postal service is sufficient for regular postcards and letters. For packages, especially if you'd like to have a tracking number, it's best to go with a known carrier service, such as DHL or UPS, which have offices in the larger cities.

Morocco's fast-growing media landscape is dominated by Arabic newspapers. French is the predominant foreign language. There are several French dailies, and the weekly magazine Telquel is a good source for local news in French about politics and culture. There are no major English-language publications.

Pay phones are available in high-traffic areas such as central business districts and around train stations and post offices. You can pay with coins or prepaid cards (which you can buy at tobacco and newspaper kiosks). Teleboutiques, or phone centers, are much easier to locate. The phones there are either coin- and card-operated or metered. You can also send and receive faxes at most of them.

Cell phone coverage is generally good in and around the cities. You may experience problems in the south and east of the country or in the mountains. If you plan on making a lot of calls, you might consider buying a phone with a local prepaid plan, or simply a SIM card if you already have a compatible phone.

When making a local, fixed-network call, simply dial the number. When calling a cell phone number anywhere in the country, dial 0 before the number. When calling a fixed-network number elsewhere in the country, dial 0 plus the city code before the number. When making an international call, dial 00 plus the applicable country and area codes before the number.

Most international flights arrive and depart from Mohammed V Airport (CMN), which is 20 mi/30 km south of Casablanca (buses and trains link it to the city). However, several low-cost airlines now offer flights between various European cities and Casablanca, Marrakesh, Fez and Tangier. Domestic flights from the main hub in Casablanca serve most large cities, particularly Marrakesh, Agadir and Fez. International charter flights also serve Marrakesh and Agadir.

A variety of ferries and hydrofoils connect Morocco with Spain and Gibraltar. Service between Tangier and Algeciras, Spain, is the most frequent, but service between Tangier and Tarifa, Spain, is another possibility. A major container port under development to the east of Tangier should ease some of the burden on the Tangier port, making it a bit less hectic for passengers. The Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the African mainland are also connected to Spain by ferry and/or hydrofoil service, in addition to some air services.

Air-conditioned trains connect major cities, and they are generally the most comfortable way to travel around the country. We found second-class trains to be generally acceptable. On long trips, particularly those that include night travel, you'll want to take the supplement trains because they are faster and more comfortable.

Buses connect most cities (those to smaller towns can be uncomfortable and crowded). The company CTM has comfortable and clean buses and offers express service between many cities. The highway system is fairly good, and there are several rental car companies to choose from, though they are all fairly expensive.

There are two types of taxis, which are clearly marked: grand taxis (used for longer, fixed distances between towns or to the airport; the driver waits for the car to fill up before departing) and petit taxis (for individual trips within a city). All petit taxis have meters (be sure the meter is started when you set out). You can hire a petit taxi by the hour for multiple stops (rates generally start at around 80 dirhams an hour). Rates for grand taxis depend on the length of the journey and the number of passengers in the car. Come to an agreement about the fare with the driver before departing. Sometimes you can arrange to buy up the remaining spaces in a shared taxi, if you're in a hurry, but this practice may be frowned upon. Chauffeured cars are also available for out-of-town trips or tours.

Tourist Offices

Morocco: Office National Marocain du Tourisme (ONMT—Moroccan National Tourist Board), Angle Rue Oued El Makhazine et rue Zalaga, BP 19 Agdal-Rabat. Phone 212-3767-4013. Fax 212-3767-4015. http://www.visitmorocco.org.

Canada: Moroccan National Tourist Board, 1800 Rue McGill, Suite 2450, Montreal, PQ H3A 3J6. Phone 514-842-8111. Fax 514-842-5316.

U.S.: Moroccan National Tourist Board, 20 E. 46th St., Suite 1302, New York, NY 10017. Phone 212-557-2520. Fax 212-949-8148.

Morocco Embassies

Canada: Embassy of Morocco, 38 Range Road, Ottawa, ON K1N 8J4. Phone 613-236-7391. Fax 613-236-6164. There is also a consulate in Montreal.

U.S.: Embassy of Morocco, 1601 21st St. N.W., Washington, DC 20009. Phone 202-462-7979. Fax 202-265-0161.

Embassies in Morocco

Canadian Embassy, 13 bis Rue Jaafar as-Sadik, Agdal-Rabat. Phone 212-3768-7400. Fax 212-3768-7430.

U.S. Embassy, 2 Ave. de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat. Phone 212-3776-2265. Fax 212-3776-5661. There is also a consulate in Casablanca.

Morocco: The Traveller's Companion by Margaret and Robin Bidwell (I.B. Tauris). Excerpts of historical travel-writing about Morocco.

The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles (Ecco Press). A tragic story of three U.S. travelers who visit Morocco after World War II.

For Bread Alone by Mohamed Chroukri (Saqi Books). An engaging autobiography, translated into English by Paul Bowles, that describes the author's path from a childhood of poverty and illiteracy to becoming a teacher and writer in Tangier.

Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood by Fatima Mernissi (Perseus Books). An autobiographical tale of domestic life in 1940s Morocco.

Return to Childhood: The Memoir of a Modern Moroccan Woman by Leila Abouzeid (University of Texas Press). The author followed up her popular novella and collection of stories, The Year of the Elephant, with this autobiography, which details her family life set against the backdrop of Morocco's struggle for independence.