Our trip to Morocco was the first stop as part of a 3-country trip that included Egypt and Austria. We went on this trip in 2017 when my older son was 11 months old and we had gone with some of my husband’s family. My brother-in-law and his wife had planned out the trip for us all. There were so many places that we wanted to see in Morocco, that we tried to do it all and it was definitely exhausting. We had visited in August, which was also a very hot month to be going to Morocco. We got through it though and still enjoyed our time. The cities we visited were Tangier, a quick stop in Chefchaoun, Fez, and then Marrakesh. We flew in and out of Casablanca, but we didn’t spend any time there sight-seeing. The Royal Air Maroc flight to there was reasonable, around 6-6 and half hours, and we managed to get seats with a bassinet for my son. He slept a bit of the flight so it wasn’t too tough.

Once we arrived in Casablanca, we waited for the others to arrive before getting on our bus to Tangier. My brother-in-law had hired a driver and minibus for the whole trip. The driver was wonderful and he did the whole trip with us. It was definitely a nice way to move around the country as a group. The drive from the airport to Tangier was almost 4 hours, which felt quite long after just coming off of an international flight. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn City Center. It was clean and nice and they had a pack-and-play for my son to sleep in. I was too tired, as was my son so we stayed in the room while my husband went out with his family and he brought some couscous back from Rif Kebdani, which was really good (this was before I went gluten-free). I went to sleep soon afterwards and my little guy was completely out.

The next morning we had breakfast and went to Cape Spartel, which was a 30-minute drive from the hotel. It overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean and is the most north western point in Africa. The views from there were so beautiful and it’s a great spot to walk around and take in the scenery. From there we went to Hercules Caves, just 6 minutes away. It was a bit crowded right at the main point, but it was cool to see and had nice views around. A lot of spots weren’t very stroller friendly, but we managed in some or had our son in a carrier. After the caves, we went back to the hotel to rest and then got dinner.

The next morning we headed to Fez, stopping at Chefchaouen, which added about an hour and a half to the total drive. I was very excited for Chefchaouen with all of the blue buildings. The drive to there from Tangier took a little more than two hours. We stopped for some lunch at Pizza Mandala. It was a small place for our group of 6 adults and 3 kids, but the pizza was good. After lunch we walked around for a little bit before getting back on the bus. I honestly could have spent so much more time walking around and enjoying the colors and architecture. It was very beautiful, but it was also very hot, so it would have been hard with a little one. The drive from Chefchaouen to Fez was 3 and a half hours and Fez was even hotter than Chefchaouen. We arrived in Fez in the afternoon and checked into our hotel, Fes Marriott Hotel. It was a decent hotel. We rested for a bit until dinnertime. We had dinner on the rooftop at Riad Rcif – the food was so delicious and the atmosphere was great. We walked around the market a bit after dinner and then went back to the hotel to sleep.

The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel and then went to the Royal Palace of Fez – 6 minutes from the hotel. We took some photos around the main entrance (as you can’t go inside), which was very beautiful. We then went to Borj Sud, another historical landmark, just 8 minutes away. It’s a fort from 1582, with wonderful views overlooking Fez. From there we went to a place where they make pottery and mosaics. You could watch them work and also buy some items. It was fun to watch (we left the littles with their dads on the bus while we quickly checked it out). The next stop after that was the tannery. A few of us did a little tour of that as it was quite hot and we didn’t want to be out long. It was very interesting to watch them dying the leathers. However, the smell of the tannery, paired with the heat was quite strong that we wanted to zip through. After finishing there, we went back to the hotel to rest before going out to dinner at L’Amandier. The food there was delicious, but probably wasn’t the best choice with two little kids who were getting cranky. I’m still glad we went though for the delicious tagine and couscous.

The next day we had breakfast and then made the long drive to Marrakesh, which was almost 8 hours. Once we arrived at Ksar Salha though, I didn’t mind. Since we were a large group, we had the property to ourselves along with the family that owns it. The time we spent there was definitely the highlight of the trip for me. The family was so wonderful and the food was amazing. It was so peaceful and the rooms were spacious and clean. There were separate buildings on the property. The building we were in with my brother-in-law and his family had two king rooms and large bathrooms with a sitting area in the middle. There was also a large pool on the property with a wonderful breakfast served by the pool each morning. Dinner at night was so good and had a great ambiance. It was just so relaxing. We did try to do a bit of sight-seeing the one day, but not much of it since it was over 100 degrees out. The tour we took of El Badi Palace (without the kids) probably lasted less than 10 minutes as we sped through it. It was still very cool to see. We also went to Jemaa el-Fnaa once the sun went down, mostly looking for souvenirs and gifts. 

Overall, Morocco was a great trip that I think would be a lot more enjoyable when visited in a cooler month. It’s also doable with kids, just slightly older so they can also enjoy it and remember it. Not having to deal with strollers in certain areas is also a positive. I absolutely recommend Ksar Salha in Marrakesh for a stay, especially for a larger group. It was further out from the main city (35-minute drive), but so relaxing, especially with the pool. I would love to visit Morocco again and see a lot more of the country and also revisit Marrakesh. The people are great and the food is delicious. 

Next up – Austria