Fun things to do in Morocco

A fortified fishing town established as a trading port in the 18th century but with origins as far back as 7BC.

The walled old town is very pleasant to stroll around, you can climb up onto the ramparts and it has a very active medina with both locals and tourists. A maze of narrow alleyways can take some time to explore, full of interest with local crafts and artisan shops. The port is a very busy working area, and the local catch can be sampled at any number of food stalls nearby the port area.

The town has plenty of cafes and bars, lots of food choice and a good range of accommodation.

The beach area is also very popular.

Essaouira is very laid back and a nice contrast with some of the other Moroccan towns.

Another beautiful gorge made for viewing or walking.

A river runs along the valley lined with palmeraies and surrounded by pink and red rock faces.

Some great walks exist here and if you get right to the end of the valley, a stunning berber village - Tamtattouche awaits you.

The Dades Gorge is around 32kms long and is a striking rocky valley. A lush green valley contrasts with red rock hills and mountains intermingled with pink and white Kasbah's. Its a stunning setting and attracts many tourists and those treking amongst the hills.

Many choices exist along the valley for accommodation and most can find you a treking guide should you wish.

This is an old Kasbah restored for various films such as Gladiator, Jesus of Nazareth, Jewel of the Nile and previously used in Lawrence of Arabia. Its origins date back to the 11th century.

Today, tourists flock here, but many locals have left the Kasbah, the few remaining having arts and crafts stalls in their homes and you can visit other local homes for a fee of a few Dirhams. The mud red / rose brick colours and setting is spectacular, helped by Hollywood dollars, but its well worth a look.

You can climb through the streets and alleyways of the Kasbah, to reach the high point where a agadir (fortified ganary) awaits along with great views over the surrounding desert. The watch towers are well preserved as well.

There is a small riverbed to walk across (or the locals will hire you a donkey ride if you don't want wet feet) to get to the Kasbah

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The Roman ruins of Volubilis are an UNESCO World Heritage site. The site was first inhabited by traders from Carthago in the 3rd century BC. Volubilis became an outpost of teh Roman Empire in 40AD.

The mosaics 'in situ' are the most important part of Volubilis. Other things to see are basilica, the forum, the olive press, the triumph arch, the baths and the ruins of several houses with beauttiful mosaic floors.

When I visited in 2011 a new museum was been built, but not open yet.

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Meknes is the third imperial citie of Morocco. The oldest part of the city is founded in the 10th century. In the 17th century Moulay Ismail of the Alawite dynasty made Meknes his capital. He built 25 km walls around the city with impressive gates.

In 2011 I visited Meknes for the first time. The walls around the city with the monumental gates look very impressive. One of the most well-known gates is the Bab-el-Mansour.

I visited also the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the inmnese stables and the Agdal basin.

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The medina of Fes was the first medina I ever visited during my trip to Morocco in 1975.
The narrow alleys, the donkeys with huge loads we could harly pass, the stalls, the colours, the smells it was overwhelming.
We visited the colourful and smelling tanneries and had a look at the many dying pits. This area didn't hardly change since the medieval times. Only men do the dying and use the same traditional methods for centuries.

In 2011 I came back to Fes and stayed a few days in the medina. It was nice to have a lot of time to stroll in the souks. I also visit again the tanneries.

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Fes was the first big Morrocan city I visited in 1975 and I was overwhelmed by everything, the huge walls of old Fes, the decorated buildings, the souqs and especially the atmosphere.

Fes is the oldest of the imperial cities. I enjoyed to look at the marvellous buildings like the Royal Palace, the mosques and the Babs, gates to the medina. The blue faience at the outside of the gates is said to represent Fes, while the green on the inside represents the Islam.

In 2011 I came back to Fez and stayed in a riad in the lively medina during a long weekend.