Eighteen things that will surprise first-time visitors to Morocco

The Kingdom of Morocco is an extraordinary destination, and it may be tempting, albeit challenging, to pack all the highlights into one visit. Try, but don’t try too hard, because you’ll quickly realise after your first taste of tagine that you’ll be back.

Chefchaouen, Morocco’s blue city.Credit: iStock

From a unique take on tacos to a mysterious blue city, here are 18 highlights sure to delight and surprise first-timers.

The culture is diverse

Over the centuries Morocco has been shaped by the cultures of Amazigh (Berber), Arab, African and European peoples. Most of the population is Muslim, with Christianity and Judaism practised by a small percentage.

You’ll get free olives

Morocco is an olive lover’s paradise. Credit: Getty Images

In some countries, when dining out, it’s common to receive complimentary nibbles to tide you over before the main event. In Morocco, anticipate that freebie to be a small bowl of cured olives. After all, it is one of the world’s top olive producers.

It’s home to Africa’s first fast train …

High-speed Al Boraq trains offer 30 Casablanca-Tangier services a day.Credit: iStock

City hop with ease and at high speed onboard Al Boraq. Named after a mythical winged horse-like creature, it is the continent’s first high-speed railway, travelling at up to 320 km/h. The comfortable, double-decker train links west coast cities Casablanca and Tangier in just two hours and 10 minutes, stopping at Kenitra and Rabat along the way.

… and the world’s largest car-free urban area

Visiting the Medina of Fez is like taking a journey back through the centuries. Cars? What are those? The medina is considered the largest car-free urban area in the world, with some streets in its chaotic network just over half a metre wide. Donkeys and carts rule the roads and are used to haul goods around the historic quarter.

Its lavish homes are mostly hidden

A tiled colonnade in a Marrakesh riad.Credit: iStock

Traditional houses, or riads, reveal themselves like advent calendars, each intricately carved Moorish door opening to a different realm of Middle Eastern architecture. The word “riad” derives from the Arabic word for garden, with each house typically built around a central courtyard or garden, ornate with colourful tiled mosaics of geometric and floral patterns. Many feature a roof terrace, with all floors overlooking the riad’s secreted opulence.

Google Maps will only get you so far

Relying on Google Maps to tell you where to go? The app will only get you so far in some places, such as the Medina of Fez (also known as Fes el Bali). The 9th-century city is a labyrinth with more than 9000 unnamed lanes, 40,000 dead ends and thousands of pale-tangerine buildings within its ancient walls. Google Maps can often go into a tailspin, as many streets are too narrow or small for the app to capture, so when in doubt, ask a local to point you in the right direction.

It’s home to one of the world’s oldest universities

The University of al-Qarawiyyin, and its affiliated mosque, is among the world’s oldest higher learning institutions. Credit: iStock

The University of al-Qarawiyyin is the world’s oldest continuously operating educational institute, having been founded as a mosque in 859 AD by Tunisian-born Fatima al-Fihri.

You can see another continent from Tangier

The ancient city of Tangier.Credit: iStock

In Tangier, it’s all about location, location, location. The hillside coastal city, famed for its largely white appearance, is where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean converge. Travel from Morocco’s Tangier to Spain’s Tarifa along the Strait of Gibraltar on a one-hour boat ride. Thirteen kilometres separates the two countries at the strait’s narrowest point.

It has its own version of Venice Beach

Move aside LA’s Venice Beach – Moroccans like to flex their muscles seaside, too. Every Sunday Casablanca’s bustling seafront promenade, La Corniche, fills with food vendors, families, older men playing the board game pachisi and darting scooter riders enjoying life by the Atlantic. But no one works as hard for the view as local fitness fanatics nonchalantly training along the concrete thoroughfare, using makeshift horizontal bars and the seawall for push-ups.

Drinking tea is an important pastime

Tea occupies an important place in Moroccan culture and is considered an art form.Credit: iStock

Drinking peppermint tea in company is a social pastime in Morocco, regardless of hour or location. The country’s favourite brew is a mix of green tea and fresh mint leaves with an optional sugar cube. In a time-honoured tradition, tea is served in a performance-like manner. A long-curved spout pot is used to pour the tea from at least 30 centimetres high into a small glass, causing the tea to foam.

Moroccans love tacos

Moroccan tacos more closely resemble a pressed burrito.Credit: Getty Images

Banish any thoughts of Moroccan tacos being remotely like their Mexican counterparts. Morocco’s beloved fast-food meal is filled with grilled meats, fries, vegetables and salads, doused in sauce, wrapped and toasted in a wheat tortilla resembling a flat burrito.

There’s a mosque with a 60-storey-high minaret

Hassan II Mosque juts out over the ocean in Casablanca.Credit: iStock

Casablanca is home to the Hassan II Mosque. Designed by French architect Michel Pinseau and completed in 1993, it took six years to build the magnificent waterfront landmark spanning nine hectares. Named after a former ruler, it is a blend of ancient and modern Islamic craftsmanship: zellige (mosaic tilework), engraved wood and stone with arabesque shapes, cedar wood ceilings with gold leaf, marble floors and a 210-metre-tall minaret towering over the ocean. A must visit.

Couscous is the meal for Fridays

For centuries, couscous has been a staple dish in the Moroccan diet, particularly on what has been dubbed “couscous Fridays” when, after midday congregational prayers, many seize their spoon to feast on the fluffy grains.

It has a blue city

Chefchaouen, in the Rif Mountains, is known for its blue-washed buildings.Credit: iStock

Chefchaouen is not like any other Moroccan city. Located in the Rif Mountains, the ancient town is famed for its buildings bathed in blue. Some say the bright hue brings the sea to the mountains. Others say blue deters mosquitos. Regardless of the real reason, its vibrant appearance makes the city an Instagram favourite and keeps the tourists coming.

One town is a Hollywood hotspot

Ait Benhaddou has been a location for film and television productions.Credit: iStock

Hollywood loves Morocco. The country’s epic scenery has provided backdrops for hit films and television shows, including Gladiator and Gladiator II, and Game of Thrones, which all filmed in the 11th-century UNESCO heritage-listed town of Ait Benhaddou in the High Atlas mountain range.

Woman are challenging cultural norms

Food traditions are kept alive by women-run co-operatives.

Women-run co-operatives are challenging cultural norms throughout the country. Traditionally, women have been restricted from entering the workforce, but calls for gender equality and globalisation are helping drive change. Co-op Tawesna Association runs Tawesna restaurant, serving authentic Amazigh cuisine in Ait Benhaddou.

Part of the world’s largest desert is within its borders

The Erg Chebbi sand dunes.Credit: iStock

The world’s largest hot desert, the Sahara, stretches across 10 countries including Morocco. Desert village Merzouga is the best jumping-off point for a trip to Erg Chebbi, a series of giant sand dunes reaching up to 150 metres in height and constantly shifting due to wind.

Marrakesh’s night market is the greatest show on Earth

Djemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakesh is one of the world’s greatest night markets.Credit: iStock

No visit to Morocco is complete without visiting Marrakesh’s Djemaa el-Fnaa. Come before sunset and see the city’s enormous public square transform into a bustling night market, attracting a mix of performers, including storytellers, shifty snake charmers, monkey handlers, bottle fishers and bell-ringing water-sellers of a bygone era. Join locals feasting at a food stall, grab a fresh juice and let the pulsating energy rub off on you. Trust me, once is not enough.

The writer travelled as a guest of Intrepid Travel.