Morocco: In the Country

Accommodation

Non-graded hotels: Hotels generally located away from tourist routes. They do not tend to be very clean or quiet.
Graded hotels: Modern hotels whose prices vary depending on the number of stars. Certain recent hotels are of international standards but in general graded hotels are often a little below the average quality.
Booking.com
Riad/Bed and breakfast: These are ancient houses that have been renovated with luxury. Riads provide attractive accommodation though sometimes a little busy.
Riads
TerreMaroc
Hotel Rules: The price is per room.
Generally, 2 people of opposite sex, one of them being Muslim cannot share the same room if they are not married.
Do not arrive too late, or call to confirm the reservation.
For Further Information: Maghreb Tourism
TourMag

Price Indications

Economy Room	Less than 17 euro
Medium Price Room	From 17 to 45 Euro
Good Quality Room	More than 45 Euro

Source: Lonely Planet

Eating Out

Categories of Restaurant
Cheap restaurants: These are small stalls where one finds the Moroccan working class style.
One finds soups, kebabs, snails, fish and seafood at low prices.
Fast-foods: Generally serve a "European" food, in particular chawarma and pizzas, as also sometimes tajines or couscous.
Restaurant: Top of the range restaurants, offering varieties of tajines as well as fish based European dishes for example
Rules For Eating Out: A tip of few Dirhams is expected

Price Indications

Economy Meal	Less than 7 Euro
Medium Price Meal	From 7 to 22 Euro
Good Quality Meal	More than 22 Euro

Food Specialties: Moroccan food is prepared with exquisite spices, vegetables and fruits, fish and meats. It is influenced by Arabic, French and Andalusian Spanish cuisine.

Specialty dishes include:
- B'ssara: broad bean soup that is usually eaten for breakfast with toppings such as olive and cumin and a side of bread
- Kebabs: pieces of beef or chicken marinated with spices
- Couscous: tiny wheat flour pasta granules, similar to rice, often served with meat and vegetables
- Lamb barbecue: whole lamb roasted on a skewer
- Pastilla: served with pigeon, chicken or seafood, this recipe contains flavours from the Middle-East and North-Africa
- Tajines: a clay pot dish that uses red or white meat and is made with a sauce of vegetables or dry fruits
- Fish chermoula: a coastal dish of fish marinated in herbs and spices before being grilled over hot coals

Popular desserts:
- M'hancha: known as a Moroccan almond snake pastry, this dish is made from flattened and coiled pastry that is stuffed with almond paste
- Ma'amoul: shortbread pastry stuffed with nut varieties like pistachios, walnuts and almonds and mixed with fillings like dates and figs
Drinks: Tea is found everywhere. A particular favourite consumed by Moroccans is Chinese green tea, which is garnished with mint and sugar. Coffee is also another staple drunk by many Moroccans.
Fresh fruit juices are varied and popular.
Alcohol is relatively rare, though the Meknès region produces pleasant wines.
Dietary Restrictions: The only dietary restriction in Morocco is the prohibition of consuming pork.
Table Manners: Traditionally, the right hand is used for eating.

Getting Around

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation: 'Small taxis' of different colour according to the cities are a practical and relatively cheap option (they are equipped with taximeters).
Buses are not very reliable and dilapidated.
Maps of Urban Networks: Mapblast
UT Library on line
ViaMichelin
Urban Transport Agencies: Independent Agency of Urban Transports of Casablanca (RATC)
Independent Agency of Urban Transports of Rabat (RATR)
Find an Itinerary
Taxi Companies: Taxi-Essaouira

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Rabat - Sale (RBA)	9 km / 6 miles	private cars and shuttle vans	-	-	Available
Casablanca - Mohammed V (CMN)	25 km / 16 miles	MAD 200-300 / 30-40 min	MAD 20 / 45 min	MAD 35 / 30 min	Available
Marrakech - Menara (RAK)	6 km / 4 miles	MAD 60 / 10-15 min	MAD 3	-	Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation: There is a safe and comfortable rail network run by the State, which connects most cities west of the Atlas Mountains, including Fes, Meknes, Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech. This rail network is called Office National des Chemins de Fer. First class tickets are quite cheap, for example a 15 hour journey from Oujda to Marrakech costs MAD 420. Rail travel is a fairly reliable option as timetables rarely change and are often posted within the station or can be viewed on the ONCF website. Most luggage, even bulky items like bicycles, can be taken as carry-on. Announcement of upcoming stations are usually made in Arabic or French and many stations are poorly sign-posted, so it is wise to be aware of the scheduled route.

There exists a rather dense bus network in Morocco, which is both cheap and fairly popular. The main lines are those of Morocco Public Transportation, SATAS, Trans Ghazala and Supratours Travel. Fares can be as low as MAD 40 for a one-hour journey between Fes and Meknes, and even the 12- to 15-hour long-haul routes cost no more than MAD 300. Most towns in Morocco have a main bus station, called a gare routière.

To access more isolated areas, collective cars known as grands taxis, or 'big taxis', must be used. Grands taxis are usually old Mercedes sedans and can be found near bus stations, train stations and busy streets. These taxis always travel with six passengers. Multiple seats can be bought if one is in a hurry or wishes for more space.
Rail Companies: Railway National Office

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic Flights	International Flights
Royal Air Maroc	Major	Yes	Yes
Jet 4 You	Low-cost	No	Yes
Ryanair	Low-cost	No	Yes

You Can Consult The EU Air Safety List. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Travelling By Yourself

Recommendation: While driving around Morocco is quite easy due to the comprehensive road network and numerous European-standard motorways (called auto-routes), it is quite risky for the uninitiated as accidents occur often and there is not a high level of road-safety awareness. Consequently prudence is required and driving at night is not recommended. The auto-routes connect major cities, such as Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Fes, Meknes, Marrakech and El Jadida.
Drivers must carry their driving license and passport at all times in case they are pulled over by the police. In Morocco, cars are driven on the right-hand side and at round-abouts drivers give priority to those entering. In traffic-heavy areas the speed limit is around 40kmph, on open road it is 100 kmph and on the motorways the speed limit is 120 kmph. If caught speeding, on-the-spot fines begin at MAD 400.
Driver's License: Foreign driving licences are accepted, as well as international driving licences.
Conditions For Renting a Vehicle: Very easy and a good solution. Moroccan agencies charge good tariffs.
But, as everywhere else, be wary of being swindled.
Rental Agencies: Europcar
Auto Escape
Moroccocar
Car Rental in Morocco
Tolls or Taxes: The owner must pay the 'annual special fees on the motor vehicles'.
Tolls are on the autoroutes of the country.
Road Maps: Morocco Weather
On the World Map
Find an Itinerary: Marocou
Traffic Conditions Online
Parking Facilities: Numerous reserved car parks exist. Usually, some Dirhams are directly given to the car park attendant.
Majority of the locations along the streets also have a regular car park attendant.

Rules of the Road

Minimum Driving Age: 18 years minimum
Side of the Road For Driving: Right-hand side driving
Speed Limits: 100 km/h outside the built-up area and 60km/h up to the last house.
Safety Belts: Obligatory in the front as well as at back
Permitted Amount of Alcohol in the Blood: No tolerance
National Roads Organizations: Ministry of Equipment and Transport

Time and Time Difference

Current Local Time: It is %T:%M %A In Rabat
Summer Time: +1h between May 31 and September 28.

Map of the Time Zone

Time zone

Climate

Type of Climate: Morocco is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the North and the Atlantic Ocean to the West. Inland, the Atlas mountain range runs through the centre of the country, between which lie vast plateaus of grasslands. To the South, the Sahara borders the country. As such, Morocco has both Mediterranean and desert climate, with mild temperatures along the coast and a drier, hotter interior. The further away from the coast, the more extreme the seasons. During the summer, temperatures range from 35^oC during the day but can drop quickly to 5^oC at night in the desert. Winters along the coastline average between 12^oC and 25^oC, while the inlands, for example in the Northern Plateau region, have colder winters ranging from 5^oC to -7^oC. Rainfall is most likely to occur in April, May, October and November. The Atlantic coast is the wettest region of Morocco.
For Further Information: Morocco-Weather

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems

System of Measurement Used: Metric system
Unit of Measurement of Temperature: Celsius Degree

Use our service Measurement converter.

Electricity
Voltage: 220 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of Electric Socket: C and E
Type of Telephone Socket: French
DVD Zoning: Zone 5

Paying

Domestic Currency: Moroccan Dirham
ISO Code: MAD
To Obtain Domestic Currency: The national currency is the Dirham (MAD). The currency was made convertible in 1993.
Possible Means of Payment: Bank cards are accepted in some large institutions of the main cities.
Foreign currencies, euros in particular, are accepted in tourist areas.

To Find a Cash Machine Where You Need, Use the ATM locator

Speaking

Official Language: Arabic and Tamazight (Berber)
Other Languages Spoken: 60% of the population speaks Moroccan Arabic while 30% to 40% speak Tamazight (Berber). Moreover, it is important to note that French is the second language of Morocco and occupies a very important place in public life. Finally, Spanish is also spoken in the north of the country. English is moslty used by Moroccans who have studied abroad (mainly in the United States).
Business Language: French is used in a commercial context with Arabic for administration.
Getting Some Knowledge: Speak Moroccan and Learn Moroccan Arabic - method to learn Moroccan dialectal Arabic - French/Arabic vocabulary Babel Project - French/Arabic/Amazighe vocabulary
Free Translation Tools: Lexilogos : Dictionary and translation online
Ectaco : Online dictionary
Lexilogos : Free English-Arabic-English traduction of texts and web pages
Ectaco : Free Arabic-English-Arabic dictionary

Emergency Numbers

Emergency police	19
Royal police	177
Fire-fighters	15

Communications

Quality of Communications: Numerous telephone shops offer local and international calls at reasonable prices.
Mobile telephone network covers the majority of the territory (excepting mountainous areas) and seems practical even if the calls are expensive.
Telephone Codes: To Make a Call From Morocco, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in Morocco, Dial +212 + 6 for mobile phones or 212 + 5 for fix phones.
Number of Digits of National Telephone Numbers: 9 digits
Mobile Telephone Standards: GSM
National Mobile Phone Operators: There are 3 operators who by order of importance are: Maroc Telecom, Orange and Inwi

Availability of Internet

Internet Suffix: .ma
National Internet Access Providers: There are more than 500 service providers, but only 2 access providers: Maroc Télécom through its subsidiary company Ménara and Inwi.
Access in Public Places: Wifi has developed rapidly and is already present in certain cafés, bars, restaurants and reading centers of big cities.
Access in Hotels: Wifi is available in certain big hotels as well as in certain riads.

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