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Things to know if you’re going to Morocco!

Morocco is a wonderful country and even though we only visited the very Northern end of it, I am dying to go back! Morocco was our toe dip into Africa and I loved every bit of it. All these following tips are from visiting Tangier and Chefchaouen, both filled with so much culture! I would love to experience the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh and Casablanca and the serenity of the Sahara desert.

Out looking the City of Chefchaouen

Currency & Conversion

The currency in Morocco is called Moroccan Dirhams (MAD) and currently, one US dollar converts to 9.8 dirhams. The first thing to note is that this is NOT the same as the dirhams used in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). If you decide to pay for goods and services in USD, they round up a good amount, which means you actually pay more than the cost. The most convenient way to convert money is to convert it at the airport. Another good options would be using the bank, but it might be hard to find one if you don’t have a local to help.

Streets of Chefchaouen

Side note: We were able to get a quick cash exchange through a man who was setting up his store right outside the bank (when I asked him about where I can convert some USD). You have to be careful with this, because some people can cheat you doing this.

Taxi Rides

The taxis are a little confusing in the Tangier area. There are two types of taxis; one is called a petite taxi, usually shaded blue and seats only 3 people. As we were traveling in a group of 4, this was one of the most challenging things for us in Morocco. The second type of taxi is called a Grande taxi, which can seat up to 6 people, but can be shared. Which means other people might hop on with you and the taxi driver will only leave once his taxi is full. Many locals in Tangier use taxis to get around and the town is just on the go.

So, what is the better option? Prearrange your rides and make it hassle free! Thankfully, we had a tour guide, who knows many people in the area and was able to pick us up and arrange rides for us throughout our stay there. (PS. we met this local guide through our Airbnb host!)

Prayer Calls

During sunrise, sunset and then every so often, the calls for prayer are heard throughout the whole town. When you hear the call, you don’t have to drop everything you are doing and go inside. However, you should acknowledge the call and quiet down your conversation or just pause for a few seconds. Especially if you are talking to a local, they might take a moment and say a prayer. Just be respectful at this time and wait for them to talk to you first.

The prayer calls were sounding as the moon was coming up.

Dress Modestly

Morocco is a Muslim country and everyone dresses fairly modest. We don’t see local women wearing dresses that go above their knees or showing too much skin. When we are visiting a place like this, it’s important to keep to their dressing style as much as possible. Because the Indian culture is similar to the Moroccan, I packed an Indian top for myself that will help me to blend in with the women there. Whenever you are traveling, you never want to stand out as a tourist. Always try your best to blend in to their culture.

Bargaining

The markets in Morocco are filled with so many good things, it’s hard to leave empty handed. Although I stopped buying repetitive souvenirs, I did bring back some oils, dried goods and different clothing. Be sure to bargain a little, as some people will jack up the prices upon seeing that you are from out of town. Check out my Tips on how to Bargain post for my set of tips and tricks! While it’s great to get a good deal, keep in mind that this is the main source of income and what puts food on the table for most families!

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How to catch a ferry from Spain to Morocco!

When I was planning our Spain & Morocco trip, one of my biggest fear was the ferry ride. Planning how to get from Seville to south of Spain, and then from there to northern Morocco was not easy. With the distance, my parents and the little time we had, making this trip hassle free seemed close to impossible. After tons of research, I finally decided on how to make this long stretch of commute in just one day. And it turns out everything went very smoothly, with no interruptions or problems.

From which cities can you get a ferry to Morocco?

In order to catch a ferry, you need to get to either Tarifa (slightly closer in distance) or Algeciras. Both these towns have daily ferries that go to Tangier and Tangier Med (40 mins further out from the medina). Depending on where you are starting from, traveling to one of these towns in Spain is the most difficult.

How to travel to these cities in south of Spain?

If you are traveling from Barcelona or Madrid, I would definitely recommend taking the train until you can get as far south as you can. We had a day in Seville and so our trip started from there. One option I looked into was taking a train from Seville to Tarifa. However, taking a train would take us six hours, which is three times longer than driving. The cost for train tickets for four people is also not cheap. But if the next option was not available, this would be our go to.

The second option was renting a car from Seville and driving to Tarifa. I looked up car rentals and luckily found Enterprise in Seville! But the only place to return the rental was in Algeciras. We decided to go with it and make the ferry trip from Algeciras. So, my husband took an international driving permit (click here for how to get one). He drove the 2 hours from Seville to Algeciras with our phones for GPS and printed directions for back up.

How about the rest of the trip?

We returned the rental at Enterprise, conveniently located right next to the ferry station. From there, we booked our tickets for the next ferry. One of the ferry companies offered a free 30 minute bus ride to Tarifa to catch the ferry from there. This was ideal, because the ferries leaving from Algeciras only goes to Tangier Med. Tangier Med is further out from Tangier and would require a 40 minute drive once we land in Morocco.

We relaxed, had some lunch at their cafe and waited for the bus, which took us to the Tarifa station. Soon after, we went through the checking and initial screenings and boarded the ferry. When we got inside the ferry, all our luggage had to be placed in a designated area. Once upstairs, we quickly went to immigration booth with our passports. The line was very long, so we tried to get there as quickly as possible. Sometimes the lines are so long that you can still be in line even after the ferry has arrived in Tangier. The ferry ride itself from Tarifa to Tangier is only about 45 minutes long.

(Side note: The immigration officer needs to see everyone in the group, holding their own passports. Since my parents were with us, we let them sit and we called them up when we got closer up in line. I am sure if you are traveling with young children or elder parents, they don’t mind if you do this. The people in the rest of the line were very understanding and kind.)

Ferry companies, prices and timings…

There are a few companies to choose from. Most of the ferry companies have around 6-12 round trips daily, each leaving 2-4 hours after the previous one. We chose the company called Intershipping, but it really doesn’t matter which one you choose because they all work with each other. What is important is getting the ferry at your most convenient time. All the round trip tickets were open tickets, which is great for travelers like me! Since we traveled during the off season, we were able to catch the next available ferry with no problem. That may not be the case during peak seasons.

Prices range from 40 to 90 Euros for a round trip ticket, depending on when you’re booking and traveling. We paid around 70 Euros per person, but you can pay much less if you book online. Since we were driving into Tarifa the morning of, we wanted to be more flexible.
Check out their website for more details HERE!

Tip: There is a 1 hour time difference between Spain and Morocco. Make sure you plan that into your itinerary!

What about landing in Morocco?

The ferries stop in two places; Tangier (inside the medina) and Tangier Med (40 minutes away from the medina).
We landed in Tangier, took our luggage and got right off. There is no checking or screenings coming into Tangier since we did that part on the ferry. However, there is more checking and immigration process going back from Tangier to Spain.

I hope this gave you an idea of how to travel from Spain to Morocco. Although it seems like a complicated plan, it’s really not that hard. If I had to make the trip again, I don’t think there is anything I would change.

Information for INTER SHIPPING
Time From Tarifa: 8AM, 12PM, 4PM & 8PM
Leaving from Tanger: 9AM, 1PM, 5PM & 11PM
Phone number: 00 34 956 684729
Email: info@intershipping.es
www.intershipping.es

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How To Make An Itinerary- Part 2

If you haven’t read Part 1 of the How To Make An Itinerary, check it out now!

Now that we have decided which cities we are going to, our mode of transportation, and where we are staying, it’s time to plan in details!

(Side note: Since I’ve published part 1, I realized that we are unable to travel via train from Seville to Tarifa (to board for Morocco). So after some more research, we have decided to make the two hour ride by renting a car. Also, instead of boarding to Morocco from Tarifa, we will board the ferry from Algeciras, a bigger town. Surprisingly, the car company in Spain is a part of Enterprise from the US. So we were able to book the car online using the Enterprise website (in English!). We can pick up the car in Seville at the train station and drop it off in Algeciras, right next to the docking station. )

One thing we had to do as a part of the planning was get an international license. It’s fairly easy to get one, but you must do your research on how safe it is to drive in another country. Check out the steps here to get your International Driving License.

*Tip: If you have to book on a site that is in another language, open up a web browser with google translate. Copy and paste what you want to have translated and Ta Da!

…And now for the details!

I looked up everything there is to do and see in Madrid & Seville, our first two cities. I wrote all the things we are interested in seeing and doing. Here is a list of other details I wrote down as well.

  • Name of places & it’s address
  • Open days/hours
  • Cost/Ticket price
  • How/where to get ticket
  • Any related phone numbers
  • Any other information/rules regarding dressing, baggage, etc.
    If the ticket lines are long or more expensive and we know for sure we will be around the area at a specific time, I’ll book the tickets online in advance.

Tip: Communicate with your Airbnb host about how to get around, what to do, what to see, etc. Ask for resources, such as a driver or a tour guide. Most Airbnb hosts have one or two people they usually recommend.

In Morocco, we decided not to venture off too far since my parents are with us. We needed a personal taxi since it’s not walk-able distance to the medina (middle of town) from our stay. So I messaged our host on Airbnb and asked her if she knew any drivers and sure enough, as always, she did. I contacted him and set up taxi rides the day we arrive and the day we leave. I also set up a one day trip with him to Chefchaeoun, the Blue City!

Tip: When setting up tours/pick ups, talk to the guide/driver and fix the price before agreeing on them.

Other things I’ve added to the itinerary:

  • Time difference between cities/countries. This applies to us here because there is a one hour difference between Spain and Morocco.
  • Currency and exchange. We will be dealing with three different currencies (US Dollars, Euros, and Moroccan Dirhams). To avoid confusion while paying for something, I want to make sure I know the rates and conversion rates on the top of my head.
  • Driving Routes: Since we will be driving in Spain, I copied and pasted the whole route in detail and have it saved in my email as well.

Other things I do prior to the trip:

  • Print out a copy of the itinerary for each person (hey, you never know!)
  • Download a copy to my phone for offline use
  • Email a copy of the itinerary to a sibling, close friend, or an emergency contact (someone whom I’ll probably keep in touch with daily)
  • Sign up with STEP (For more details, click HERE)
  • Download offline maps of places/cities/directions that we will need for the trip. (I do this just a few days before the trip)
  • Call phone company to get better range for data / update data plan for this month
  • Put travel notifications on credit cards

Do you have any must-do’s while detail planning? If so, comment below!

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