In this page:
Accommodation |
Eating Out |
Getting Around |
Time and Time Difference |
Climate |
Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems |
Paying |
Speaking |
Emergency Numbers |
Communications
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.
RiadsTerreMaroc
- 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
-
-
- These are small stalls where one finds the Moroccan working class style.
One finds soups, kebabs, snails, fish and seafood at low prices.
-
- Generally serve a "European" food, in particular chawarma and pizzas, as also sometimes tajines or couscous.
-
- 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:
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
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

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 35oC during the day but can drop quickly to 5oC at night in the desert. Winters along the coastline average between 12oC and 25oC, while the inlands, for example in the Northern Plateau region, have colder winters ranging from 5oC to -7oC. 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

Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems
- System of Measurement Used
-
Metric system
- Unit of Measurement of Temperature
-
Celsius Degree
Use our service Measurement converter.
- Electricity
-
-
-
220 V
-
-
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.
© eexpand, All Rights Reserved.
Latest Update: March 2023