S. Spain & Morocco (12 days) - need tips please!

There is so much to see in Morocco. Rabat, the capital, is well worth a visit with its old city and colonial era. Nearby is the old capital, Meknes a World Heritage site. Fez, a must see. Take a guided tour of the Souk, it’s amazing. The tour will probably include a visit to the leather tanning area. The view over the tanning a dyeing area will provide you with a National Geographic moment!! Brush up your bargaining skills if you do any shopping here. Erfoud, gateway to the desert, camel and or Jeep rides to the sunrise or sunset are a must do here. Todra Valley is a beautiful canyon full of traditional buildings, date palms. Ouarzazte, the film capital of Morocco, Star Wars, Lawrence of Arabia, any movie requiring a desert will likely have been filmed there. Marrekesh, the Koutoubia Mosque tower looks over the famous Jemma El Fnaa, which must be experienced by both day and night. Palaces, the Medina, lots to see and enjoy here, I particularly liked the gardens at the Villa Majorelle previously owned by Yves Saint Laurent. I was on a tour and we stayed in a hotel in the colonial area of the city; I’d look for a Riad, a small boutique hotel, in the Medina. Quick glance at Expedia showed some stunning options, very luxurious looking, with spas etc. and very reasonable prices compared with North American hotels.

Casablanca is a miss except for the modern huge mosque on the shore. The city is modern and not particularly attractive.

Moroccan food is wonderful! It’s flavoursome rather than spicy and the tagines, meat and vegetables, cooked in a special dish are of particular note. My favourite is chicken with olives and preserved lemons. I also like bstilla which is a filo pastry pie with chicken, hard boiled eggs, almonds and spices. You will find meat is often cooked with fruit such as apricots, dates etc. which add a distinctive, subtle taste. Thanks to the past French colonial power, bakery goods are exceptional.

Getting to Morrocco isn't as 'next-door' to Spain as it seems, and Tanger, the traditional gateway, isn't well thought of.

A total of 12 days will only suffice to see a fraction of things Spain itself. There are loads of itinerary discussions if you scroll and read a bit here— those might help you gain some context to plan around.

100% agree with the description @Lesley gives of where to go in Morocco…fabulous! We also enjoyed Essaouira, plus glamping a couple of nights in the desert. Riad Numero 9 in Fes was wonderful. The conundrum is how much time…and where?! We are headed to Andalusia soon so cannot yet compare but, sadly, cannot imagine doing both in 12 days. Good luck.

Twelve days allows for a nice visit to southern Spain or a decent trip to Morocco. It is just nowhere near enough time for both. We all understand the temptation to pop over to Morocco for a day, but that means Tangier, which is not a good destination. The ferries leave from ports on the Spanish coast (not near Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Cadiz or Malaga) that aren't on many people's list of top Spanish cities to visit, so the trip across involves not only the ferry time but also the get-yourself-to-the-port time (and later back from the port to somewhere you actually want to be in Spain). And for all that hassle you get...Tangier.

There are flights to the very interesting Moroccan cities of Fes and Marrakech (among others) from many places in Europe, so you can include time in some great places in Morocco in a later trip to Europe. You don't have to settle for Tangier just because you're going to southern Spain this year.

Have you already been to Madrid, Toledo and Segovia?

I agree skip Tangiers and fly to one of these cities: Fez, Marrakech, Agadir you can use low cost or the regular airliners ( Vueling, Rayair, Norwegian Air, etc). You should weight in time and value. 12 days are barely enough for a descent trip to Spain. I'm going to Spain for 24 days and I'm Moroccan living in Cali, and I'm not going to Morocco because I want to enjoy Spain without the stress of lining up another trip. Do Morocco another time :)