morocco

Definitely not Casablanca. Not much of interest there, except for Rick's Cafe, which of course is just pretend. On the other hand, Marrakesh is wonderfully exotic and exciting, just what you want when you venture to North Africa. You can see and do a lot in Marrakesh for very little money. We had a taxi driver take us all about for hours for a mere $25. The medina is an adventure.

I agree with Norma. We have frequently visited all 3 cities and like them all but Marrakesh has a lot to see and do.

Thanks for the information. Will need to see if we can arrange flights in and out. Did you stay somewhere you especially liked?

Did you stay somewhere you liked in Marrakesh I meant to say.

I prefered Fes, with a bigger, denser medina, but after that Marrakech. Cannot recommend hotels. Try www.skyscanner.com for flight options. The budget airlines don't require roundtrip travel, so you can fly to and from different cities on either end. I know there are some cheap flights to/from Madrid and Barcelona, but maybe not Seville. FYI, the bus to Tarifa is also not difficult (1/2 hour from Algeciras or 3 hours from Sevilla).

We stayed at La Maison Arabe, and would highly recommend it. Excellent staff, very clean, charming, excellent included breakfast buffet and afternoon tea. It is located conveniently within the Medina. We felt very safe there (and in Morocco that is important). Friends stayed at El Finn (owned by Richard Branson, of Virgin Air's, sister), we stopped in to check it out while in Marrakech, and it looked like a nice place, too. You can check TripAdvisor reviews on both.

We didn't visit Fez, but friends who did, also liked it.

Things to do in Marrakech, other than seeing the souks and medina:
1) The cooking school that La Maison Arabe offers at its near-by country club. First class and great fun!
2) Marrakech by Air hot air balloon ride with breakfast at a Berber home