Tips and Ideas for this North-African Gem

The Basics

Who & Why: Our family of four (my husband and I, along with our two kids who are currently age 11 and 14) went to Morocco for Spring Break, as well as to use a 2-night stay at the Fairmont Tazi Palace in Tangier, which I won on an educational webinar.

What & Where: We visited several locations on this trip to maximize our time, starting and ending in Marrakech, but with stays in Tangier, the Ourika Valley (High Atlas Mountains) and the Agafay Desert

When: We visited for nine nights in late March, and enjoyed pleasantly warm and sunny weather, but nothing too hot. Morocco had been in a drought for the past five years, but the start of 2026 had brought a lot of rain, so we were happy to have sun throughout our visit.

Learnings

What I Loved

• The Food: Morocco has a rich culinary history, with influences from all over the world, and boy did we love it. Our kids loved all the different kinds of freshly baked bread, as well as the couscous and braised meats. We also really loved the traditional sweets, and the fresh salads and vegetables. The welcoming mint tea rituals were such a joy to experience, and my son, who loves anything citrus, was a huge fan of all the oranges!
• Variety of Activities: We did many different things in order to immerse ourselves in the culture of Morocco, and tried to get each person a “win” on their list of interests. For my husband and me, it was doing a hike in the mountains, and a lunch with a local family. For our kids, it was the sidecar tours in Morocco, and having lots of pool time! We all loved getting to see the local markets and do some shopping for artisan goods, as well as seeing some of the beautiful natural landmarks.
• Flow of the Trip: I think I finally got it right here. Our kids (and hey, us adults, too) need more downtime to decompress and recover when starting a trip, especially after long travel days. We started out with relaxing at a beautiful resort in Tangier, including pool, spa, reading, and games for two nights, which helped us get our energy back in order to explore during the rest of the trip. I also managed not to over-plan us (something I tell clients all the time), and it worked. We had no more than one activity each day, and our touring with guides was a half day, usually starting in the early afternoon. That gave us time to have a leisurely morning (working out for the adults, sleeping in for the kids), at which point we were all ready to get out and move. I’m going to try and emulate this more in the future.

What I’d Change

• Desert Stop: The Agafay Desert is close to Marrakech, and was likely our only option with our limited time, but I think having a clearer expectation of what type of desert it was in advance would have served us all well. My son and I had an incredible stay in the Wadi Rum in Jordan, which was a dramatic, sandy desert, full of cliffs and huge rock formations. I was expecting something similar here, and this was not at all like that. It was rocky, and since we were there in spring, it was still relatively green. For a true, sandy desert experience, I would consider Merzouga, M’hamid, or the Zagora Region.
• Marrakech Lodging: While our room at our hotel in Marrakech was huge and sumptuous, it wasn’t the traditional Riad I was looking for. I would advocate more for this in the future so we could have had that experience while staying there, versus a more traditional luxury hotel.
• Adding a Cooking Class: While we liked getting to do our local lunch, I would have loved a cooking class or even a walking food tour through the market to try some local goodies and learn about their history. I wanted to balance this for the rest of my family, but this is something I’ll have to save for next time.

Tips for Travelers

Thinking of visiting Morocco? Here are a few key things to keep in mind:

• Know the distances between locations: Morocco is larger than many travelers expect. The drive from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert near Merzouga, for example, takes roughly 8–10 hours — and that’s on good roads through the Atlas Mountains. Don’t underestimate travel time between popular stops like Fez, Chefchaouen, Rabat, and Essaouira. If you’re short on time, consider domestic flights between major cities. When renting a car or hiring a driver, build in buffer days so that the journey itself — through mountain passes, coastal roads, and desert plains — becomes part of the experience rather than a source of stress. We spent a lot of time in the car for a short trip, and flew between Marrakech and Tangier.
• Pick a variety of different lodging styles: One of the biggest cultural aspects of Morocco are the unique types of accommodations you can experience. Morocco offers one of the most diverse ranges of accommodation in the world — don’t settle for just one type. Spend a night or two in a traditional riad (a historic courtyard home turned guesthouse) in the medinas of Marrakech or Fez for an authentic, intimate experience. Then contrast that with a desert camp in the Sahara, sleeping under the stars in a furnished Berber tent. Along the Atlantic coast, boutique beach hotels offer a breezy change of pace. Mixing lodging styles not only adds variety but also gives you a richer sense of Morocco’s layered culture and landscape.
• Think about your flight timing: Morocco’s main international gateway is Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport, but Marrakech and Agadir also receive direct flights from Europe and beyond. Consider flying into one city and out of another to avoid backtracking — a Marrakech arrival and Casablanca departure (or vice versa) is a very common and efficient combination. Summer (July–August) brings intense heat, especially inland and in the desert, while spring (March–May) and fall (September–October) offer the most comfortable temperatures for sightseeing. Booking shoulder-season flights often yields both better prices and better weather. Many flights from the US will have a stop in Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), and from IST, it’s a 5.5-hour flight to Morocco! You may need a stopover in Istanbul one way, so think through this in the planning process.
• Know the holiday calendar: Morocco is a Muslim-majority country, and the Islamic lunar calendar significantly shapes daily life. Ramadan is the most important: during this month, many restaurants close during the day, business hours shift, and the pace of life changes noticeably. It can be a genuinely beautiful and atmospheric time to visit — the evenings come alive with iftar (the breaking of the fast) and celebrations — but travelers should be prepared for reduced services. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are major holidays when shops may close for several days. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, these dates shift about 10–11 days earlier each year, so always check the specific dates for your travel year well in advance. We found ourselves arriving on the first day of Eid (the end of Ramadan), which was really neat, but also caused some last-minute changes to our itinerary in Marrakech.

Final Words

I treasured the time in Morocco with my family, and I really loved how much the kids embraced and enjoyed the trip. There were so many great moments, but I’ll share my top three with you below, with an accompanying picture:

The first picture is right before a huge storm that raged across the Agafay desert on our night there. However, we had a blast, with our daughter teaching us card games by the fire pit as we enjoyed happy hour drinks. Later on, when the rain was pounding outside our tent, we played more card games and laughed our heads off while the power went out and we had only flashlights!

The second was our incredible stay at Kasbah Bab Ourika in the Atlas Mountains. This place was incredible for so many reasons, but I loved our private pool and breathtaking view of the Ourika Valley we got to experience each morning.

Lastly, we visited a super cool outdoor art museum and sculpture garden in Marrakech, including a fully-immersive upside down house! We all loved it, especially the kids, who had tons of fun taking pictures of themselves on the ceiling, a la Spiderman.