Things to do in Morocco
-
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
-
Royal Palace
The Royal Palace is to the north of the Quartier Habous (Nouvelle Medina).
reviewed
-
Fish Stalls
For ultra-fresh, no-nonsense fish, try one of the many fish stalls at the entrance to the commercial port.
reviewed
-
A
Hotel Parador
While it’s easy to find kif in Chefchaouen, it’s hard to find a beer. The small bar at the Hotel Parador, is fine.
reviewed
-
B
Hammam Ziani
Sparkling clean and decidedly modern, Hammam Ziani is an upmarket hammam offering the traditional steam room and gommage (scrub) and massage, as well as a Jacuzzi and gym. Its off Rue Verdin.
reviewed
-
Rue Chaouia
The best place for a quick, cheap meal is Rue Chaouia opposite the central market. The line of rotisseries, stalls and restaurants serving roast chicken, brochettes and sandwiches for around DH20-30 stays open until about 02:00.
reviewed
-
C
Café Restaurant La Noria
This café is tucked away in the Bou Jeloud Gardens next to an old waterwheel – a delightful retreat from the bustle of the city. The shady courtyard is perfect to relax in, and in addition to drinks and juices, there’s a good dining menu if you’re peckish.
reviewed
-
D
Borj Eddar
This restaurant overlooking the sea has a menu of excellent fresh fish and seafood dishes. The next door Restaurant de la Plage has a similar menu and the same views. There’s little to choose between them: both have glass-fronted terraces overlooking the ocean.
reviewed
-
E
Mezzanine
Scoring highly on the fashion meter and for late-opening, this new bar is the hippest thing in the medina – more Ibiza than Moulay Idriss. The terrace overlooking Jnan Sbil gardens is a good place to chill with a beer or cocktail, and there’s tapas too if you want some finger food.
reviewed
-
F
La Bodéga
Hip, happening and loved by a mixed-aged group of Casablanca’s finest, La Bodega is essentially a tapas bar where the music (every-thing from Salsa to Arabic pop) is loud and the Rioja (Spanish wine) flows freely. It’s a fun place with a lively atmosphere and a packed dance floor after 10pm.
reviewed
-
G
Restaurant Marrakech
A charming restaurant that goes from strength to strength behind thick wooden doors. Red tadelakt walls and dark furniture, with a cushion-strewn salon at the back add ambience, while the menu’s variety refreshes the palettes, with dishes like chicken tajine with apple and olive, or lamb with aubergine and peppers (there’s also a set three-course menu).
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Casa Bernard
From the Domus Romana, walk south along Triq San Pawl for around 200m to reach Casa Bernard. You’ll be personally guided through this privately owned 16th-century pallazzi by one of the home’s charming owners, who will explain the history of the mansion and the impressive personal collection of art, objets d’art, furniture, silver and china.
reviewed
-
H
Marhaba Restaurant
This canteen-style place is adorable – its essence is cheap and cheerful – and is loved by everyone, judging by how busy it is of an evening. While you can get tajines and the like, do as everyone else does and fill up on a bowl of harira, a plate of makoda (potato fritters) with bread and hard-boiled eggs – and walk out with change from Dh15. We defy you to eat better for cheaper.
reviewed
-
I
Le Pub
The dark mirrored windows and bouncers on the door make you wonder what you’re letting yourself in for, but Le Pub is a welcome change if you’re feeling tajine fatigue. The menu is split in two – half offering continental dishes, the other branching into a Moroccan take on Chinese and Thai dishes. We preferred the oriental dishes over the pasta, but there are some good steaks too. As befits the name, alcohol is served.
reviewed
-
J
Medersa Bou Inania
A short walk down Talaa Kebira from Bab Bou Jeloud, the Medersa Bou Inania is the finest of Fez’s theological colleges. It was built by the Merenid sultan Bou Inan between 1350 and 1357. The medersa underwent extensive restoration a few years ago, and the results are amazing: elaborate zellij and carved plaster, beautiful cedar mashrabiyyas (lattice screens) and massive brass doors.
reviewed
-
K
Afric'n Chic
This easygoing 'Afro-Brazilian Moroccan' hot spot run by a Brazilian-French couple draws local crowds for the happy hour. By the time the live samba and bossa nova kicks in, you'll be feeling the vibe, if not buying the odd 'Afro-Brazilian Moroccan' tapas standbys as baked Camembert, salmon tartare and Thai salad. Say what? Stick with the fun international crowd and Moroccan mint caipirinhas at the bar, and drink those borders away.
reviewed
-
L
1001 Nights
In the 1950s Tangier's kasbah was the setting for a legendary café called 1001 Nights, which was established by Brion Gysin, the artist who introduce the cut-up writing technique to William Burroughs. The café was famous for its house band of trance musicians - the Master Musicians of Jajouka - who later released a record produced by the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones. Long-closed for renovation, no one seems to know if it will ever reopen.
reviewed
-
M
Parc de la Ligue Arabe
Casa's biggest open space is the Parc de la Ligue Arabe. It's a good place for games and walks, has a choice of small cafés and the Yasmina amusement park.
Parc de la Ligue Arabe, has an essentially French layout, although the flora is more faithful to its location in Africa. Cathédrale du Sacré Coeur, built in 1930, is a somewhat neglected former cathedral. It's also an unexpected sight in the heart of a Muslim city and is symbolic of modern Casablanca's essentially European genesis. Sitting on the edge of the Parc de la Ligue Arabe, it reflects the best of the more adventurous architectural products of the Art Deco era. Deconsecrated some time ago, it has been…
reviewed
-
N
Le Grand Café de la Poste
Once a French colonial hotel and favourite café of the dread Pasha Glaoui, this place has recently been restored to its flapper-era, potted-palm glory. Mediterranean chef Cyril Lignac and Moroccan Sana Gamas create a seamless blend of cuisines in signature dishes: roast chicken with wild Berber thyme and olives, and a stellar salad with local goat cheese and citrus-herb vinaigrette that will have you smacking your lips for days after.
reviewed
-
Kasbah Le Mirage
For family adventures with built-in holiday card photo ops, go for a camel ride. Camels usually camp out in the Palmeraie; a 15-minute traipse-about is Dh30 to Dh50. Kasbah Le Mirage organises dromedary rides through the Palmeraie with Moroccan pancakes at the end.
reviewed
-
O
Catanzaro
Where are we, exactly? The thin-crust, wood-fired pizza says Italy, the wooden balcony and powerful air-con suggest the Alps, but the spicy condiments and spicier clientele are definitely mid-town Marrakesh. Grilled meat dishes are juicy and generous, but the Neapolitan pizza with capers, local olives and Atlantic anchovies steals the show.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
P
Dar Moha
Chef Mohammed Fedal gives tastebuds a tweak with clever variations on Moroccan ingredients: a ‘zellij’ of grilled seasonal vegetables with Berber herbs, a pear topped with saffron sorbet and toasted almonds. The set Dh220 lunch menu is a more traditional feast, with dish after irresistible dish of orange-flower scented cucumbers and spice-rubbed grilled lamb chops. Alcohol is served here.
reviewed
-
Q
ACR Libraire d’Art
Splashy coffee-table books about Moroccan gardens, arts and architecture in French and English, plus handy DIY books on cookery, mosaics and tadelakt (lime plastering).
reviewed
-
R
MarraBook Café
Paperback books in French and English on the ground floor, photo exhibitions upstairs, tea and coffee on the terrace and welcome calm around the corner from the Djemaa.
reviewed
-
S
Ali ben Youssef Medersa
When faced with something too magnificent for words, Moroccans say allahuakbar, meaning God is great – and allahuakbar describes the Ali ben Youssef Medersa. Look up in the entry hall, and feel suddenly small under intricately carved cedar cupolas and mashrabiyya (wooden-lattice screen) balconies. Enter the medersa’s (theological college) courtyard, and you’re surrounded by Hispano-Moresque wonders of five-colour, high-lustre zellij (mosaic) and ingenious Iraqi-style Kufic stucco, with letters intertwined in leaves and knots.
reviewed
-
T
Koutoubia Mosque
Five times a day, one voice rises above the Djemaa din in the adhan, or call to prayer: that’s the muezzin calling the faithful in all four cardinal directions atop the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque The Koutoubia minaret is the ultimate Marrakshi muezzin gig. This 12th-century 70m-high tower is the architectural prototype for Seville’s La Giralda in Spain and Rabat’s Le Tour Hassan, and it’s a monumental cheat sheet of Moorish ornament: scalloped keystone arches, jagged merlons (crenellations), and mathematically pleasing proportions. Originally the minaret was sheathed in Marrakshi pinkish plaster, but experts opted to preserve its exposed stone and time-tested…
reviewed