How to spend two weeks in Morocco

I am planning a trip with my boyfriend to Morocco for two weeks this summer.

As neither of us have been there I was hoping for some insider tips for must see places. Ideally we would spend some time in the city soaking up some culture, art, architecture, people spotting and some time on the coast soaking up some rays. We would rather avoid really touristy areas but up for any good suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

Rachel

RTFF

I get tired of the posters who keep saying they want to visit Morocco but want to avoid "touristy areas." And isn't it a bit strange to want to soak up culture, art, architecture and visit must-see places, yet want to avoid "touristy areas?"
LISTEN UP: the reason Marrakech, Fes, Merzouga, Essaouria, Zagora, etc., have become "touristy" is because they are interesting! Why would anyone want to go to a dull, uninteresting place that has no scenic or cultural value? I doubt there are interesting "undiscovered" areas in the entire country. If there are, I have never found them.
So, when you go to Morocco, go to the "touristy" areas and find out for yourself why they continue to attract so many people year after year. But if you insist, this summer head for one of the remote, scorching-hot desert towns and see what there is to see: not much.

Easy Marocfan, don't get so upset.

It really depends at what you entry and exit points are for Morocco.

I went last January and only spent about ten days, but took the ferry from Spain to Tangiers and only spent about a day there, which was plenty. From there we took a bus up into the Atlas mountains and stopped in a town called Chefchouen, this is a little off the "beaten path" so to speak and is truly amazing. High enough up to stay cool at night, and all the buildings are drenched in a lapis luzurli blue. The women washing their clothes in the nearby stream by hand and plenty of goats seen wandering through the alleys. **Note catching a bus from here onwards can take all day as many of the buses are full leaving Tangiers

Next to Fez where we spent a couple days doing the touristy stuff, but the souqs and tannery cannot be missed. Yes there will be tons of tourist groups, but like Marocfan said, thats why they're there, its incredibly interesting. Plenty of mosques and the like to keep you buys, and the villa nouvelle is a great mix of french and morocco styles.

From Fez you can go over to Casablanca and down to Essaouira, we choose to take a night train on to Marrakech, nice city and the "circus" going on day and night in the main plaza is, while, touristy simply amazing, not to mention its transformation at dusk. From here it is really easy to do a Sahara "trek" once you take a bus to Oarzate (sp?).

Hope this helped, let me know if you have any questions!

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<hr>Ideally we would spend some time in the city soaking up some culture, art, architecture, people spotting and some time on the coast soaking up some rays. We would rather avoid really touristy areas but up for any good suggestions<hr></blockquote>

Well you are in luck my friend! There are a number of cities and lots of coastline. Casa is not touristy, and it is right on the Atlantic coast. Avoid the H2 mosque, the corniche and the ancien medina, and you might not see a single tourist.

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<hr>I get tired of the posters who keep saying they want to visit Morocco but want to avoid "touristy areas." And isn't it a bit strange to want to soak up culture, art, architecture and visit must-see places, yet want to avoid "touristy areas?"<hr></blockquote>

With all due respect, I don't think there's anything wrong or 'strange' with wanting to avoid 'touristy areas'. There are countries out there that are not touristy and yet have so much more to offer (e.g. Iran, Pakistan) than Morocco, which is much too overrated in my opinion. I just came back from my second trip to Morocco, and unfortunately it has become even more touristy than my last visit, so I'm afraid OP will not be able to avoid seeing tourists during their stay there.

Casa is definitely less touristy, but is not interesting aside from the Hassan mosque and the city's special Europeanised atmosphere (you'll find some of the most fashion-conscious Moroccans there). Rabat is probably less touristy than Casa, and I found people there friendlier and the beaches quite beautiful (esp. near Sale). Chefchaouen is more touristy but is not hassle-filled like Marrakech or Essaouira and cheaper in terms of accommodation and other expenses; it's also got a beautiful bluewashed medina and a fantastic landscape--it was my highlight during my first visit to Morocco.

Ourazazate is also not too touristy, although many tourists go there just to visit the nearby Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO world heritage site. You can get to Ait Ben very cheaply by local transport (less than 20 dirhams) instead of by chartered taxi (200-300 dirhams), which is what many people do. I stayed at Ait Ben for three peaceful days and met some friendly Berber people, so I recommend Ait Ben. It's possible to visit most of these places in two weeks, just as long as you avoid staying too long at the touristy places (e.g. Marrakech--skip it if you can!).

Skip Marrakech? Get serious. That is some of the worst advice I have ever read in this forum.

Marrakech is no more touristy now than it was a thousand years ago. The difference is just in scale. It has always been the crossroads of several trade routes, and a place where the traders and gawkers from the bled came to be fleeced by the snake-charmers, pickpockets, and fellows of Dr. Miracle.

No one in their right mind should skip Marrakech - it's the heart of Morocco.

Ainzerka is right; I remember a friend of mine in Tinerhir suddenly saying "I love Marrakech!" when I was talking about going. And you can see exactly the same thing Ainzerka describes on a small scale throughout southern Morocco. And, anyway, it's very easy to get away from other tourists. So much so I've actually been told I couldn't enter certain parts of the old city. It just takes the Rough Guide map and a bit of confidence. The tourists are part of the spectacle.

Thanks for all your advice peeps - although I might clarify that when I said not too touristy I was just trying to suss out how to go to the coast without ending up in a Moroccon version of Ibiza, we're all tourists after all so I'm not sure why people have such strong reactions to my comment.....

that aside (I hope) Rabat and Essaouira sound like good recomendations from the descriptions so thank you Giugo :)