Top 5 tips for travel during Ramadan in Morocco


Top 5 tips for travel during Ramadan
Ramadan Mubarak! With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan underway, now’s a good time to learn to say ‘Happy Ramadan!’ – especially if you’re considering travel at the end of July or during August to countries with majority Muslim populations, like Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey and Morocco. With a few pointers, you can join a happy Ramadan already in progress.


1. Know the basics
Ramadan is a lunar month dedicated to sawm, or fasting, one of the five pillars of Islam. From sun-up to sun-down, the faithful abstain from food, drink, tobacco and sex to concentrate on spiritual renewal. After sunset, there’s a euphoric iftar, or meal, to break the fast, followed by a late-night feast and sahur, a meal before the sun comes up and fasting begins again. Yet Ramadan isn’t all daytime discipline and nightly parties: it’s a time of generosity and zakat, or charity, another of the five pillars of Islam. Fasting isn’t easy, so everyone slows down during the day – but you’ll also notice people going out of their way to extend small kindnesses.

2. Plan ahead
Like any holiday, Ramadan affects business as usual. Many venues operate with limited hours and staff, so try to book accommodation, transport and tours via internet or phone before you arrive. Even if offices have posted hours, call ahead to ensure someone’s available to meet your needs. Most restaurants close by day, so pack lunches or reserve ahead at restaurants that open for lunch in tourist areas.

3. Shift your schedule
Nightly festivities trump early bedtimes during Ramadan. Sunset streets come alive with light displays, music and offers of sweets at every intersection. After an iftar of dates, soup or savoury snacks, people of all ages binge on sweets until the late-night feast – followed by more visits and sweets, until wired kids finally wear themselves out.  There’s no rush to get up the next day, unless shopping is on the agenda. Stores often close in the afternoon, and bargaining is more pleasant before midday heat kicks in and lack of water is felt. As sundown approaches, the mood turns upbeat, with Ramadan finery on display and tantalising aromas filling the streets.

4. Get into the Ramadan spirit
Don’t worry: you won’t be expected to fast during Ramadan. According to tradition, even Muslim travellers are exempt from fasting – it’s hard to do at home under controlled conditions, let alone in unfamiliar places. To show your support, avoid eating or drinking on the street in front of people who are probably fasting, and grant people privacy at prayer times.

5. Accept hospitality
When a new friend offers you special Ramadan sweets or invites you to a family feast, polite refusal would be crushing. You’re not obliged to return the favour or eat the sweets: you honour givers just by accepting their generosity in the spirit of Ramadan. Kindness can be repaid by practising zakat, and giving to a local charity.


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10 Top Tourist Attractions in Morocco

10 Top Attractions in Morocco is explore various cultural and historical tourist attractions in Morocco including museums, religious sites, art galleries and the Sahara.You searched for Morocco among Travelmarkets attractions. Below, please finde all the attractions corresponding to your search for Morocco.
With long beaches, fortified fishing ports, lush oases and the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco’s coasts and countryside offer plenty to interest travelers. Throw in the imperial cities of Fez, Meknes and Marrakesh with their superb examples of early Islamic architecture, and you’ll understand why Morocco is a great travel destination.
The top tourist attractions in Morocco:
10Meknes
Meknesflickr/-AX-
Meknes is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and its name and fame are closely linked to that of Sultan Moulay Ismail. The sultan turned Meknes into a impressive city in Spanish-Moorish style, surrounded by high walls with great gates. While Meknes is an imperial city with a lot of historical monuments and natural sites it is also the nearest city to the Roman ruins of Volubilis.
  • Explore Meknes
9Volubilis
Arch of Caracalla at Volubilisflickr/Irene Rx (aka Irena Kittenclaw
In antiquity, Volubilis was an important Roman town situated near the westernmost border of Roman conquests in present day Morocco. It was the administrative center of the province Mauretania Tingitana. The fertile lands of the province produced many commodities such as grain and olive oil, which were exported to Rome, contributing to the province’s wealth and prosperity. The Romans evacuated most of Morocco at the end of the 3rd century AD but people continued to live in Volubilis for many centuries.
  • Explore Arch of Caracalla at Volubilis
8Chefchaouen
Chefchaouenflickr/rytc
Chefchaouen (or Chaouen) is a gorgeous mountain city in northeastern Morocco. The picturesque medina, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Rif Mountains, is filled with white-washed homes with distinctive, powder-blue accents. It is a popular shopping destination offering many native handicrafts that are not available elsewhere in Morocco, such as wool garments and woven blankets. The goat cheese native to the area is also popular with tourists. The region around Chefchaouen is one of the main producers of cannabis in Morocco. Hashish is subsequently sold all over town, but is mostly the domain of native Chaouenis.
  • Explore Chefchaouen
7Todra Gorge
Todra Gorgeflickr/Peter Ashton aka peamasher
Todra Gorge is situated on the remote east side of the High Atlas Mountains. Both the Todra and neighboring Dades Rivers have carved out cliff-sided canyons through the mountains. The final 600 meters of the Todra Gorge are the most spectacular as the canyon narrows to a flat stony track as little as 10 meters (33 ft) wide in places with sheer and smooth rock walls up to 160 meters (525 ft) high on each side.
  • Explore Todra Gorge
6Essaouira
Essaouiraflickr/marfis75
Essaouira is a relaxed fishing port, protected by a natural bay. It was formerly known, by the 16th century Portuguese as Mogador. The present city of Essaouira was only built during the 18th century to increase trade exchanges with the European powers. Nowadays, Essaouira is renowned for its kitesurfing and windsurfing, with the powerful trade wind blowing almost constantly onto the protected bay. Parasols tend to be used on the beach as a protection against the wind and the blowing sand. The medina of Essaouira is home to many small arts and crafts businesses, notably cabinet making and wood-carving.
  • Explore Essaouira
5Draa Valley
Draa Valleyflickr/andywon
Located south of the High Atlas mountains, the stunning Draa Valley, lined with old Kasbahs, Berber villages and palm groves, spreads from Ouarzazate in the west to Zagora in the east. A drive through the valley is undoubtedly one of the most scenic journeys in Morocco. The Draa Valley is intersected by the Draa River which starts in the High Atlas and ends in the Atlantic Ocean, though in reality the river normally dries out before reaching the ocean.
  • Explore Draa Valley
4Erg Chebbi
Erg Chebbiflickr/amerune
The Erg Chebbi dunes are located in the Sahara Desert. The awe-inspiring dunes are as high as 150 meters tall, and one certainly feels small in their shadows. Erg Chebbi special feature is its beautiful unique orange colored sand. Excursions to the dunes normally start from the village of Merzouga which is located on the edge of the erg. Camel trekking is the most popular option although it isn’t the most comfortable way of traveling.
  • Explore Erg Chebbi
3Fes el Bali
Fes el Baliflickr/papalars
Fes-al-Bali, the larger of the two medinas of Fes, is a nearly intact medieval city. With a population of about 150,000 inhabitants, it is the largest carfree urban area in the world by population. Transports of goods is provided by donkeys, carriages, and motorbikes. The entire medina is surrounded by high walls with a number of historic city gates. Several shops and restaurants have a rooftop terrace which is a great way to escape the bustling streets. The views are particularly spectacular during sunset and after dark.
  • Explore Fes el Bali
2Aït Benhaddou
Aït Benhaddouflickr/Cynewulf
Aït Benhaddou is one of Ouarzazate’s fortified cities along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech. Inside the high mud walls are 6 kasbahs and a small number of homes. Most of the town’s inhabitants now live in a more modern village at the other side of the river although a few families still live within the city walls. Aït Benhaddou has appeared in several movies, including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator.
  • Explore Aït Benhaddou
1Djemaa el Fna
#1 of Tourist Attractions In Moroccoflickr
Djemaa El-Fna is the highlight of any visit to Marrakech and one of the top tourist attractions in Morocco. By day this square at the heart of the medina is largely filled with snake charmers and people with monkeys, as well as some of the more common stalls. As the day progresses the entertainments on offer change: the snake charmers depart, and in the afternoon and evening the square becomes more crowded, with story-tellers, magicians, and peddlers of traditional medicines. As dark descends Djemaa El-Fna fills with dozens of food-stalls, and the crowds are at their height.

Ramadan in Morocco


It is currently Ramadan in Morocco and the rest of the Moslem world and I would just like to add a few comments to the topic of Ramadan.

My partner and I are planning to spend a month in Morocco in October this year. We have only just found out that this is the time of Ramadan. We have already paid for our flights so I dont think we can change it. Has anyone been to Morocco during Ramadan? What should we expect? We were really looking forward to sampling the local food and eating from street vendors. Should I pay the fine to change my flight and avoid Morocco at this time? Anyone who has some info on this or some personal experiences I would love to hear from you.


during ramadan is still a fine time to go. Not a lot of adjustments required other than being considerate that moroccans around you are not eating drinking or smoking during the day but its still accepted ie not taken as an insult that foreigners come and do stil eat etc, but be kind by maybe sitting further off the street or inside a restaurant etc. and also that moods may be a bit edgey.
some places may shut for a long break around lunch time or actually close altogether on fridays which is like our sundays.
Moroccans still appreciate tourists and are open for business pretty much as normal in most or particularly the big places/towns, cities etc.


I am European and have lived in Morocco for about 6 years. About the only two places in Morocco that will be more-or-less "normal" for the overseas visitor are Marrakesh and Agadir. Almost all of the tourist restaurants in both cities are open during the daytime hours and thus no real inconvenience will be experienced.

The problems for tourists arise when trying to make a trip or tour outside of the city that they are in. In this situation, one will find that there are no places open to eat or drink.

If a tourist confines their current travel itinerary to Agadir and Marrakesh, then everything will be fine. It's about 4 hours by bus between the two cities - or 3.5 hours if the bus does not stop at the rest stop at Chechaoua.

then you see them out on the streets after dark in almost party mode. they have huge/celebratory almost style breakfasts at about 630pm/the allowed time to start eating and then a late meal a while after that up to as late as 1 oclock in the morning. marrakech was packed with people when we were there last ramadan time and such a lively atmosphere.


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