★★★★★ Rated 4.5/5 — 204 Google reviews · 576 reviews · 5.0/5 on Tripadvisor · Written by a licensed Marrakech tour operator, on the road since 2011
Advice about Morocco ages fast — the country modernises quicker than the guidebooks reprint. Here is the 2026 state of play as we see it from the ground, in the five areas where travellers most often arrive with outdated expectations.
Connectivity
eSIMs activate before you land, local SIMs at the airport take minutes and cost little, and 4G blankets even the desert road — the days of going dark past Ouarzazate are over. WhatsApp is the country’s true operating system: hotels, guides and this agency all run on it.
Getting around
Al Boraq, Africa’s only high-speed rail, links Tangier and Casablanca in about 2h10, with the classic network continuing to Fes and Marrakech. Roads keep improving — but the great southern drives remain drives, which is why the desert still travels best with a private vehicle and driver.
Money
Cards now work in most city restaurants and riads; cash still rules souks, tips and the countryside. The dirham remains a closed currency — change on arrival, keep receipts, spend down before leaving.
Entry and formalities
Most Western nationalities enter visa-free for up to 90 days on a passport valid for the stay. Rules do evolve — verify against your government’s official travel page close to departure rather than a forum post from 2019.
What has not changed
The desert night still runs on firelight, mint tea is still the national handshake, and the best trips are still built person-to-person. Our 374-question Travel FAQ holds the details; plan your journey starts the conversation.
Everything on this page can be woven into a private itinerary — start from the travel FAQ or book our private circuits (from €150 per day), and we shape the rest around you.
Anas Benjelloun — Anas covers the practical side of travelling in Morocco — money, SIM cards, taxis, scams to sidestep, what things cost and when to book. He updates his pages the boring way, by checking, and takes a quiet pride in the fact that his airport-to-medina instructions have never stranded anyone. If a price appears in one of his articles, he has paid it recently.
