Things to do in Morocco
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TOP SELLER
Best Of Morocco
15 days (Casablanca)
by Intrepid
Soak up panoramic views of the High Atlas Mountains, Explore the fortified city of Ait Benhaddou, Indulge your senses in the souqs of Marrakech, Kick back in…Not LP reviewed
- All things to do
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Patisserie-Glacier des Habouss
The magnetic appeal is irresistable on balmy evenings, when all strolls lead here for French éclairs (Dh7) and Moroccan pastries and ice cream. In the mornings, trekkers and locals alike line up for good fresh baguettes (Dh10), croissants (Dh2.5) and coffee.
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Pizzeria Veneziano
A bright, good-value place, Veneziano serves tasty thin-crust pizzas with some good local toppings like desert herbs and goat cheese, plus the usual pastas, real Italian espresso and a large menu of panachés (Dh15).
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Restaurant 3 Thés
The wrought-iron sidewalk seating and get-cosy interiors say Paris café, but the menu says tasty vegetarian tajines (Dh30), cheeseburgers (Dh35), meat tajines with figs, prunes and almonds (Dh55).
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Restaurant la Kasbah
With pleasant terraces overlooking the Taourirt Kasbah, this restaurant is inevitably popular with exhausted sightseers, and makes a well-spiced beef couscous.
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Saïd Mountain Bike
Saïd Mountain Bike keeps a fleet of 43 mountain bikes in top condition, and offers mountain biking–, mule- and dromedary-excursions into the mountains and desert.
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Supermarché
The Supermarché carries all the desert essentials: water, toothpaste, lip balm, packaged soups, cookies, film, vodka and argan anti-cellulite lotion.
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Supermarket
This large supermarket has imported European foods.
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Taourirt Kasbah
Unlike other Glaoui kasbahs, Taourirt Kasbah escaped ruin by taking a gig as a Hollywood backdrop in Star Wars and attracting the attention of Unesco, which has carefully restored small sections of the Glaoui inner-sanctum, including unfurnished reception areas and living quarters. You can also wander through the village inside the kasbah walls, and crafty bargainers may be able to cut some good deals in these backstreet shops.
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Al-Madina
The main attraction of this simple little café in the medina is its sunny seating area in the square in front of El-Kamra Tower. It’s a great place to sip a coffee, have a snack from the simple, Moroccan menu or drink a delicious freshly squeezed orange juice.
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Aplanos Gallery
Belgian painter Anne-Judith Van Loock created the Aplanos gallery with her Moroccan husband Ahmed Benraadiya, where foreign and local artists can exhibit.
reviewed
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Café Tanger
If the Symphonie is too flashy for you, head for this café where the predominantly male clientele sip coffee, suck their teeth and watch over the world.
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Casa García
Spanish-style fish dishes and fishy tapas are the speciality at this small restaurant. Go for succulent grilled fish or a more adventurous menu of octopus, eels, shrimp and barnacles, served with a glass of crisp Moroccan rosé wine on the large and breezy terrace. The paella is delicious too.
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Centre de Hassan II Rencontres Internationales
The main exhibition space in town is the Centre de Hassan II Rencontres Internationales, just inside the medina walls. This centre in a beautiful medina house displays a revolving exhibition of international painting and sculpture in its gallery (and at times, in the nearby El-Khamra Tower, a renovated Portuguese fortification on Place Abdellah Guennoun).
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Galerie Hakim
Zaïlachi artist Hakim Ghaïlan started the Galerie Hakim and exhibits mainly young Moroccan artists.
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La Symphonie des Douceurs II
During summer, this French-style patisserie is the best place for breakfast or an afternoon sugar fix. Devour pastries and ice cream in very civilised surroundings; for the rest of the year only drinks are available.
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Restaurant de la Place
Friendly, less formal and more varied than its neighbours, this restaurant offers a choice of traditional Moroccan dishes as well as the ubiquitous fish and seafood. The delicious fish tajine provides the best of both worlds.
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Restaurante Oceano Casa Pepe
Black-tied waiters lure in the punters from the street at this slightly more formal dining option, where fresh seafood tops the bill. Spanish and Moroccan wine, pata-negra ham imported from Spain, low lighting and soft music make it a more refined atmosphere, but the food doesn’t entirely live up to it.
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Restaurant Yali
This is one of the most popular of the string of restaurants along the medina walls. It serves up a good selection of fish, seafood and traditional Moroccan staples.
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Terrasse des Épices
Head to the roof for lunch on top of the world in a mud-brick bhou (booth). Check the chalkboard for the Dh100 fixed-price special: Moroccan salads followed by scrawny but scrumptious chicken-leg tajine with fries, then strawberries and mint. Reservations are handy in high season.
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Badi Palace
When 16th-century Sultan Ahmed el-Mansour was paving his palace with gold, turquoise and crystal, his jester wisecracked, 'It'll make a beautiful ruin'. That fool was a prophet: 75 years later the place was looted. Hard to picture the former glories of the now-barren courtyard, and the next-door garden is a royal mess with the king's security equipment - but the stork's-eye view atop the ramparts and periodic concerts here are musts.
reviewed
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Kairaouine Mosque & University
The largest mosque in Africa, the Kairaouine claims to be the oldest university in the world. A wide variety of subjects was taught here, which is why Fez became such a centre of learning, culture and religious tolerance. The mosque is open to Muslims only.
The complex has grown since its founding in 859 and has many beautiful elements such as the pavilions, mihrab and decorative plasterwork, cedarwood and zellij reminiscent of the Alhambra in Spain. It has a 10th-century square minaret with cupola. The mosque was expanded to its current size under the Almoravids in the 12th century. Surrounding it are several medersas.
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Café Alba
High ceilings, swish, modern furniture, subtle lighting and a hint of elegant colonial times mark this café out from the more traditional smoky joints around town. It’s hassle-free downtime for women and a great place for watching Casa’s up-and-coming.
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outdoor
One of Essaouira's best food experiences is the outdoor fish grills that line the port end of Pl Moulay Hassan. Just choose what you want to eat from the colourful displays of fresh fish and seafood outside each grill, agree on a price (expect to pay about Dh40 for lunch) and wait for it to be cooked on the spot.
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Bahia Palace
Imagine what you could build with Morocco’s top artisans at your service for 14 years, and here you have it: the Bahia Palace. Located near Place des Ferblantiers, La Bahia (The Beautiful) boasts floor-to-ceiling decoration begun by Grand Vizier Si Moussa in the 1860s and further embellished in 1894–1900 by slave-turned-vizier Abu ‘Bou’ Ahmed. The painted, gilded, inlaid woodwork ceilings still have the intended effect of subduing crowds, while the carved stucco is cleverly slanted downward to meet the gaze.
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Morocco Family Adventure
8 days (Marrakech to Marrakech)
by G Adventures
Wedged between the Mediterranean and the great Sahara, Morocco is essentially one massive beach. But there is way more to do here than just lie around and tan.…Not LP reviewed
from USD$749