Whether you are a visitor or a resident, the following is a list of the ten things you must do while you are in Morocco.

1) Visit the Sahara. Whether you go to Merzouga or another spot, the essential thing to do in Morocco is to visit the world’s largest desert of sand. You can ride a camel or take a 4×4 but you must see the Sahara.

2) Stroll through Chefchauen. The funky town of Chefchauen is painted blue because it has always been a refuge for those who move to the beat of a different drum. In this case Jewish refugees from Europe. It’s like being in a different world.

3) Ait Benhaddhu in the Draa Valley is a desert fortress that will make you think of Hollywood films, mainly because it has been in so many of them and yet this set is the real thing. There’s a reason Hollywood loves it so much.

4) Eat couscous with a Moroccan family. Sure, you can get couscous in a restaurant but it’s not until you are sitting around the table on a Friday watching the old folks make couscous balls that the experience truly has any meaning.

5) Get lost in the Fes Medina. Sure, everyone does it, but that doesn’t change the fact that almost getting run over by a donkey in a three foot wide stone alleyway that was built in 700 AD is an experience you’ll never forget.

6) Listen to the Call to Prayer at Sunset from a mountaintop looking over a fair sized city. One call to prayer is magical, but when you hear fifty all coming at slightly different times, it is otherworldly.

7) Wander around Tangier and imagine what it was like when the likes of William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and others were drugged out of their minds there back in the days when the ‘interzone’ drew desperados, drug addicts, homosexuals, and pedophiles.

8) Haggle good naturedly. Too many visitors don’t get the point that haggling can be fun. Pick a price you will be happy with and then see if you can get it for less. If you can’t, just don’t go over your target price. One thing is certain, keep smiling and never let them see you sweat.

9) Sit on the street somewhere eating chicken and fries and watch the locals wander past. We know, you would rather have a tajine and pay 100 dirhams for it, but give it a try. A chicken meal with fries and a drink can usually be had for between 15 and 40 dirhams and you will get to see what real life is like in Morocco. Plus, the roast chicken is almost always better than street tajines.

10) Have dessert for breakfast. This one is especially aimed at North Americans. Did you know that it’s fairly normal to have a piece of cake for breakfast? Step into a Moroccan boulangerie and order yourself a big piece of chocolate cake and an avocado milkshake for breakfast. While the average American might be surprised at using avocados in a milkshake, the average Moroccan would be just as surprised to see avocado in a sandwich with cheese…we’re not saying who is the odder of the two.

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My class at the American Language Center in Fes was terribly excited to have the opportunity to present travel advice to potential visitors of their city. Once again, I gave them the choice of me posting their work to MoroccoBlogs.com or Vagobond.com and they overwhelmingly chose Morocco Blogs. It seems that the students and many of their families already know and like this site and so this is where they want their work to be seen.

This series will showcase their advice to visitors of their city in Fes, Morocco. All work is published with the permission and consent of the authors.

Of course, not all of them had wonderful things to say….

Dear Visitor,

I’m very happy you are going to visit Fez. As you know, it is the oldest city in Morocco and one of the fourth biggest cities here. It’s a wonderful place and you have to visit the old Medina. It’s an interesting sight to see.

Take pictures of this exciting place and the nice people who live here. Of course, you should visit the many great Moroccan restaurants if you want to try great Moroccan food like bastila, couscous, tajine, rfissa, and harira. They are very delicious.

You don’t need to bring a lot of cash with you because everything is cheap here. There isn’t enough public transportation in Fes so you are probably going to walk a lot. You might also want to bring a gun or a knife because there are really a lot of thieves.

When you finish your visit to Fez, I hope you will tell me how you found it. Then, maybe I can come visit you in your country or city. Have a nice trip.

Mehdi
15 years old

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We’re proud to announce the winner of our June Travel writing contest. It was a hard decision as all of the entries had something that we loved about them, even the one that told us not to pick it. While they were all great, it was the images and scenes that were described by Miranda that stood out the most.

You can read her award winning entry below. Her prize is a two night stay in the Fes Medina at the luxurious Dar Othmane. Congratulations Miranda…if you ever want to write a guest post about Morocco or travel here, you are always welcome!

My favorite Moroccan destination isn’t so much a destination as it is a state of mind, though it does have a name and a place on the map.

My partner and I visited the ancient medina-city of Fes el Bali for the first time three years ago. Our love was still new and when we arrived it was like having travelled to the centre of someone else’s dream; we stood at the base of Bab Boujoloud, the gaping blue-green gate, our eyes hot, sweating diamonds onto a street paved with dust.

We held hands shyly as we explored; we learned the smell of each other’s sweat, the intimacy of shared anxieties and happinesses.

We spent our days walking imperfect circles, coming across sudden palaces, half-decayed, women scrubbing the rot of orange blossoms from the tiled floors. We never quite knew where we were and we never once felt lost.

From a good terrace we could see the curves of the city and look down onto the mysterious pear-shaped Medina and we could try to decipher it; but two thousand streets is too many to understand, and what would be the point anyway?

In the medina we were able to simply be; the air hanging always with a candid, unbridled pungency, the sky above open and honest and blue.

One night, full of meat and couscous from the Tajine, and cinnamon-spiced oranges, and chunks of hearty bread, we wandered with no aim but to quiet our bulging stomachs, and to enjoy the coolness that the dark brings. We took a turn away from the main drag, where late night merchants beckoned us into stalls full of leather bags and extravagant rugs, where children ran screaming past us and beggars rattled coins.

Suddenly it was quiet: we had come upon a small square, which once, perhaps, was fully enclosed, for along one side was a half-collapsed wall, and in one corner, a single, elegant archway. The ground was patterned with blue tiles.

We heard the echo of one last call to prayer; from our secret plaza, it sounded distant and foreign. We felt ourselves suspended in time.

Every day for a thousand years, I knew, the muezzin had sung from minarets for men to come and pray. Maybe this was the only way to mark the passing of hours here: by the clockwork of five Adhans a day.

Now it seems to me a sweet city of perpetual wandering. You are carried by the wind, driven by the whims of your own nostrils, by the way the light strikes a building; and the aimlessness of a day spent lost-but-not-lost in the medina is as beautiful as any mountain or medersa.

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My class at the American Language Center in Fes was terribly excited to have the opportunity to present travel advice to potential visitors of their city. Once again, I gave them the choice of me posting their work to MoroccoBlogs.com or Vagobond.com and they overwhelmingly chose Morocco Blogs. It seems that the students and many of their families already know and like this site and so this is where they want their work to be seen.

This series will showcase their advice to visitors of their city in Fes, Morocco. All work is published with the permission and consent of the authors.

Of course, not all of them had wonderful things to say….

Dear Visitor,

I don’t recommend you visit my city of Fes, Morocco. As you know it doesn’t have many view points and the night life is sooooo boring. However, if you want to come, you shouldn’t miss a tour in the old Medina and tasting some local Moroccan dishes.

One nice thing about Fes is that it has a very nice countryside around it. It’s located right in the middle of the Morocco and it is beautiful.

Mourad
Age 19

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My class at the American Language Center in Fes was terribly excited to have the opportunity to present travel advice to potential visitors of their city. Once again, I gave them the choice of me posting their work to MoroccoBlogs.com or Vagobond.com and they overwhelmingly chose Morocco Blogs. It seems that the students and many of their families already know and like this site and so this is where they want their work to be seen.

This series will showcase their advice to visitors of their city in Fes, Morocco. All work is published with the permission and consent of the authors.

Dear Visitor,

So, you’re going to travel to Fes! Don’t foret to bring your camera so you can take lots of pictures because there are museums and other places you won’t want to miss.

You’d better make a hotel reservation before you travel because sometimes the hotels are too crowded with tourists to find a room.

You won’t have to buy a map. We have lots of news shops here and they have maps for you. Also, don’t pack warm clothes because this month it will be warm. Don’t forget your passport, visa, money, and credit card.

I’m sure you will enjoy Fes a lot.

Yasmine
14 years old

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My class at the American Language Center in Fes was terribly excited to have the opportunity to present travel advice to potential visitors of their city. Once again, I gave them the choice of me posting their work to MoroccoBlogs.com or Vagobond.com and they overwhelmingly chose Morocco Blogs. It seems that the students and many of their families already know and like this site and so this is where they want their work to be seen.

This series will showcase their advice to visitors of their city in Fes, Morocco. All work is published with the permission and consent of the authors.

Dear Visitor,

I’m excited that you will visit my city. It is the fourth largest city in Morocco, but in my opinion it is the nicest.

In Fez, you must have a camera. I think it may be the law for tourists because there are so many beautiful places to visit. You’ll want to take your memories home with you.

When you visit the old medina, you will discover historic monuments and also don’t forget that Fez is surrounded by some simple and beautiful towns. You shouldn’t miss the countryside sight-seeing. You will enjoy it.

The weather in Fez can vary, you will come in summer so you have to know that it’s too hot, but you shouldn’t worry about it because there are many swimming pools and the neighboring cities are less hot.

I suggest you come in Spring since it’s better then than in the other seasons. I promise you that you will never regret visiting Fes.

Zineb
24 years old

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My class at the American Language Center in Fes was terribly excited to have the opportunity to present travel advice to potential visitors of their city. Once again, I gave them the choice of me posting their work to MoroccoBlogs.com or Vagobond.com and they overwhelmingly chose Morocco Blogs. It seems that the students and many of their families already know and like this site and so this is where they want their work to be seen.

This series will showcase their advice to visitors of their city in Fes, Morocco. All work is published with the permission and consent of the authors.

Dear Visitor,

I want to tell you about the amazing sight-seeing in my city of Fez. As you know, Fez is a wonderful city so I’m sure you will bring your camera.

You won’t regret it. Also, don’t forget to bring good shoes for walking since you will probably visit the old medina and a lot of museums. In the Medina there is the al-Karaouiyine and of course the famous blue gate Bab Boujloud, Bauananiya.

I think you’d better bring your credit cards for buying the wonderful Moroccan gifts and memories. the Moroccan foods such as Chhiwat, Couscous, Tajine, and our most famous, pastilla.

I advise you to bring your swimsuit for the pools at the hotels, but don’t worry about medicines or a first aid kit since we have a lot of pharmacies. The spacious riads of Fes have big gardens, exciting parks and lots of huge rooms with fantastic architecture.

You will find Fassi people to be very friendly and honest, just please don’t be arrogant with us!

I think this will be the best place you have ever seen. Don’t miss Fez. Believe me, you’re going to enjoy it.

Salma
Age 15

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My class at the American Language Center in Fes was terribly excited to have the opportunity to present travel advice to potential visitors of their city. Once again, I gave them the choice of me posting their work to MoroccoBlogs.com or Vagobond.com and they overwhelmingly chose Morocco Blogs. It seems that the students and many of their families already know and like this site and so this is where they want their work to be seen.

This series will showcase their advice to visitors of their city in Fes, Morocco. All work is published with the permission and consent of the authors.

Dear Visitor,

I’m so glad you’re going to visit Fes. Fes is more than just the Spiritual Capital of Morocco, it is our home! It’s a very beautiful city, perhaps the most beautiful in the world.

Fes is filled with museums such as Moulay Idriss, the Batha Museum, and al-Karaouyine. the most amazing place in Fes is the old medina. Fes has the most famous of Moroccan foods such as our couscous, tajines, and harira. You should try them …

The weather in spring is the most delightful and I recommend (of course) that you should bring your camera. Fes is a very nice city. I love it so much and am so happy you want to visit my hometown! I hope you love it too.

Imane
age 17

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My class at the American Language Center in Fes was terribly excited to have the opportunity to present travel advice to potential visitors of their city. Once again, I gave them the choice of me posting their work to MoroccoBlogs.com or Vagobond.com and they overwhelmingly chose Morocco Blogs. It seems that the students and many of their families already know and like this site and so this is where they want their work to be seen.

This series will showcase their advice to visitors of their city in Fes, Morocco. All work is published with the permission and consent of the authors.

Dear Visitor,

I’m so happy that you have decided to visit Fes. It’s the spiritual capital of Morocco and of course it is also a very beautiful city.

In Fez, you will find traditional Moroccan clothes, shops, plus tasty and delicious Moroccan foods like Tajines and the famous Fassi Khiliaa candies.

You absolutely must visit the old medina, The weather is good, sunny in the summer and cold in the winter so you should bring suitable clothing.

In addition, there are many beautiful neighboring cities around Fes such as Sefrou, Immouzir, Sidi Hrazem, Moulay Yacoub, and of course Ifrane.

I promise you won’t regret coming to this exciting and beautiful Moroccan city. Don’t forget your camera. I’m sure you are going to have a wonderful time.

Sincerely,

Hajar, age 25

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My class at the American Language Center in Fes was terribly excited to have the opportunity to present travel advice to potential visitors of their city. Once again, I gave them the choice of me posting their work to MoroccoBlogs.com or Vagobond.com and they overwhelmingly chose Morocco Blogs. It seems that the students and many of their families already know and like this site and so this is where they want their work to be seen.

This series will showcase their advice to visitors of their city in Fes, Morocco. All work is published with the permission and consent of the authors.

Dear Visitor,

I’m excited you are going to visit Fez for the first time. As you probably know, it is the spiritual capital of Morocco. It is full of beautiful places that reflect an ancient lifestyle driven to its maximum. It’s a city of old civilization filled with beautiful monuments, and wonderous crafts.

It’s a city where discovering the ancient medina without a camera is out of the question.

Fez is usually hot so it’s a good idea not to bring long sleeved shirts and to wear shorts. It’s true that there are no beaches but there are many nightclubs.

You will experience elegant architecture and the finest hotels where sky, sea, and blue pools reflect the African sunshine.

You will live privileged moments. Fassi people love music and we open our doors to you so you can hear the magical sounds of the Gnawa masters, Issawa, and our incredible Festival of Spiritual Music which happens every year.

We welcome you!

Ghali
Aged 16

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