Morocco: What I Wish I Knew Before Going.
8/20/20263 min read
If you are reading this, then you are probably thinking of going to Morocco for quite some time now.
I am here to say that you definitely don't have to think twice. If you have never been to Morocco-type countries, Morocco will for sure be a unique experience.
I have visited Jordan and Egypt before Morocco, so bazaars and deserts did not have the same impact on me as was the case in Jordan. But we are not here to talk about Jordan (a true gem of the East if you ask me), you will have to read another blog about that.
Traffic and renting a car
Morocco is really special and versatile. The thing I was surprised by the most was how the traffic is not hectic at all. I highly suggest renting a car, especially when going to Ait Ben Haddou and the Atlas Mountains and/or Megdaz. Other routes you can discover by train. It's really not a hassle to drive a car around, people are respectful on the road. Driving thtough the Atlas in a car is something else. The scenerey is breathaking and you feel as if you are on a movie set. Alone in the mountains with landscapes changing every few minutes.
When renting a car, look for local ones with great reviews. In my Travel Guide, I have linked the company I rented from in 2025. They ask for no deposit and no credit card, which was perfect!
Transportation between cities
I was also surprised by the quality of the trains. Trains were clean, had a bathroom you could use with no problem, were fast and had a service for drinks and snacks going by every half an hour or so. I found that really convenient.
I suggest using a train while traveling between cities such as Marrakesh–Casablanca, Casablanca–Rabat, etc. Tips about purchasing tickets are also in our guide, but in short: don't buy tickets via Trail Ninja. They take massive provision and you will end up paying 2/3x more than the actual price.
Other than that, Morocco felt safe. Unlike Egypt, I did not have the feeling people were following me, looking too much or being annoying.
Baazar
Don't even think about paying with card. This you probably assumed from the start, bazaars usually work with cash. Price you see = doesn't have to be the final price. Feel free to bargain, they love it! Now off to the not so great part.
While walking throught streets of Bazaar you will enter Meat section. If you don't like meat, are vegan/vegetarian, or simply are a bit sensitive to food, maybe you could skip the meat section. It has a smell but more than that, you could se varios things you don't want to see.
Money exchange
This you can easily do when arriving to the Marakesh airport. I would probably do it there rather than in the city. You don't neet to convert all the money you got prepared for the trip. Convert 40% of the budget, that should be fine. Of course, if you plan on buying a lot of souvenir at Bazaar, consider converting more money/cash. You can use your card when paying for your accomodation in most cases (upon arrival, if you did not pay in advance), while eating in bigger restaurants, when shopping in supermarkets (ones that have prices listed below the product haha). So in most palces you should be good. If you still end up being short on cash, I advise using Al Barid ATM. We used it with a Revolut card and ended up not paying provision. This probably changed in the meantime, but still, it's a good backup.
Part two of: What not to miss while travelling to Morroco will be published on Friday :) See you then.
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