Morocco in January

My only trip to Marrakech was decades ago and in June--plus before climate change really kicked in, so I have no experience to call on here. I think we had a day around 120F. I think Morocco has a couple of climate zones, one much cooler than the other in winter, so it would be smart to research likely temperatures (and I guess also average precipitation) in any area you are thinking about visiting. A first step can be the Wikipedia entry for each city. There's usually a colorful climate chart in the Geography section. It will give you average high and low temperature, precipitation stats, and often info on hours of sunshine. Here's Marrakech: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakesh. It looks really good to me, and I'm not even from Minnesota!

I think average monthly temperatures have their limitations. They don't give you too much of an idea what conditions will be like when you leave your hotel at 9 AM or so, or as you're walking back there after dinner. I like the actual, historical, day-by-day temperature graphs provided on the website timeanddate.com. I usually look at the most recent five years' data for the appropriate month. At the least, it is helpful in creating a packing list.

Marrakech weather -- January 2025

Use the pull-down box for info on other months/years. Use the Search box at upper right to hop to a different city.

I'd definitely also go to Fes.

It might be easier to fly from Morocco up to Europe rather than traveling by ferry. There are quite a lot of flights from cities like Fes and Marrakech, plus lots more from Casablanca (not otherwise really recommendable).

What a wonderful opportunity to realize this dream!
I was in Morocco for three weeks last January. It will feel like spring or fall to you :) !
In the cities the evening temps were cooler (lower 50s, upper 40s), days into the 60s. The mountains were very cold, there was snow at one of the passes.
I was on a premium- style tour and all the hotels and riads had effective heating.
Marrakech was my least favorite- but despite what seemed like large crowds in its medina, we were told these were not, since it was January.
I hope this is useful!

My trip to Morocco was in late April. Weather was lovely all the time, sunny days in the 50’s and 60’s and cooler nights. There was still snow when we crossed the Atlas and we shivered through an outdoor lunch at Essoura, being on the Atlantic. Definitely not time for a beach holiday! Fez is a must, get a guide to take you into the Medina, fascinating to see this anrea full of small shops annd workshops, I enjoyed the metalworkers, even the leather tannery, though it is odoriferous even in cooler weather!

If you want a desert experience definitely head south, Erfud and area, everything from desert camping to sunrise camel trips.

I was in Morocco late last Dec into early January (Meknes, Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Essouaria, El Jadida, Agadir/Taghouzat) and in general found the day times to be quite pleasant occasionally needing a fleece. Encountered just a little bit of snow at one of the high passes when driving from Marrakech to Ait Ben Haddou. Some of the mornings in the interior were quite chilly but we had great weather along the coast. Overall, if the weather is similar to what I encountered in Jan 25, then you shouldn't have any issues - just carry a fleece and a rain jacket (serves as a wind breaker too).

Thanks, everyone, for your comments about weather. Fall has settled in here in Minnesota, and as I look at the weekly forecast, it's likely not much different than what Morocco could be like in January - which sounds quite nice! We're going to go for it!

The weather is mild and pleasant, especially in Marrakech and the south. Days are usually sunny, around 18–22°C (65–72°F), which will feel very nice compared to Minnesota. Nights can be cool, especially in the desert or mountains, so a jacket is enough.

Marrakech and southern areas (Atlas Mountains, desert tours) are smart choices in January. The north is cooler and sometimes rainy, but still very doable.

Getting to Spain is easy: you can fly from Marrakech or Casablanca, or travel north to Tangier and take the ferry to Spain. Overall, January is a very good season fewer crowds, comfortable weather, and great travel conditions.

We just returned from Morocco: Fes, Merzouga and Marrakech. It was chilly and mostly rainy. We greatly enjoyed our stay but rainy and chilly were our experiences. Just be prepared to layer. The weather did not stop us from touring and we enlisted guides for the best experience. In Fes, we stayed in a dar and in Marrakech, a riad. We could keep the bedrooms warm, but the open areas were not heated but they did have ceilings. In both cities we stayed in the medinas. The dar in Fes was humid and required the dehumidifier.

We took a tour to the Sahara Desert (Merzouga ) by way of Fes to Marrakech. The Atlas Mountain pass was snowed in, so the drive there was @ 9 hours and back @ 12 hours. In retrospect, we should have stayed two nights. There were some nice stops to break up the monotony of the long journeys. The views were gorgeous, though.

On our first full day in Marrakech, we took a cooking class which also involved shopping for our ingredients in the souk. It was a highlight! We booked with Flavors of Marrakech and were delighted with them.
We had been in Barcelona for four days, flew to Fes via RyanAir, drove from Fes to the Sahara and from the Sahara to Marrakech. After four days in Marrakech, we flew back via RyanAir to Barcelona. Flights with RyanAir were very efficient and reasonably priced--I think our 9 and 11-year-old grandsons were not even charged the full price if memory serves. Just make sure you buy tickets that allow you the baggage allotment that you want.
It was an incredible experience and one we'll never forget--just know that it can be chilly and rainy.
Also, the restaurants that we ate in were not really heated. I recall one had the heat on at 16 C.

There are some incredible markets in both Fes and Marrakech. Amongst the 8 of us, leather jackets, a bespoke leather wallet, leather shoes, a Berber carpet, tagines, green desert pottery (Tamegroute), and vintage Berber jewelry were purchased. The carpet arrived just 4 days after it was purchased. You might want to take an extra, empty bag with you. . .
BTW, Morocco plays Nigeria today at 3 p.m. EST in the Africa Cup of Nations--we watched Morocco beat Tanzania with the locals and it was a real treat.
I hope you love your experience in Morocco as much as we did.